John Norton ("The Guru") and Gary Davenport ("The Godfather of IDP") are two of the most experienced and knowledgeable IDP analysts in the fantasy football industry.
It's Week 14 of the 2025 season—the final weekend of the regular season in most fantasy football leagues. For many folks, that means the playoffs have essentially already started. If they get a win this week, it's on to the actual postseason. If they lose, it's all over but the crying.
Given that, IDP managers need to milk every possible point from their starting lineups. Have the right defensive players slotted as starters.
Norton and Davenport are here to tell you who those players are—and aren't.
Over the Line
This is a massive week for IDP managers, so let's get down to getting them a Week 14 win.
Which defensive lineman will smash expectations and have a massive Week 14? Who will disappoint and leave seasons smashed?
Guru: I'll roll with Dallas Turner of the Vikings as my upside guy this week. There is risk with him, but it's week 14, and many of us are in must-win situations that require us to gamble on upside. The Commanders are a middle-of-the-road matchup for pass rushers, but Turner is red-hot with four sacks in the last three games. He's seen more than 70% of the snaps in three of the last four games, including last week when Jonathan Greenard was back in action. Granted, Greenard's 15 snaps may have been due to a pitch count, but he could still be limited, and Turner has been the better player anyway. At worst, Turner should remain a big part of a three-man rotation.
Arizona's Josh Sweat has earned our confidence with his consistency and is coming off a strong two-sack performance. Even so, the threat of an ugly performance against the Rams is enough to scare me off. The Rams have allowed two and a half sacks to the edge position over their last seven games. If he doesn't get to the quarterback, there is not much chance that Sweat will make up for it in the tackle column. Since Week 7, the edge position has averaged fewer than three tackles and three assists against Los Angeles.
Godfather: Time to come out swinging, because in Week 14, the gloves are off.
Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders is a great player on a terrible team. His combination of high-floor tackle production and 15-sack ceiling is an IDP manager's dream. He's third among defensive linemen in The Godfather's Default IDP Scoring. Unless your league is shallow or you are ridiculously deep on the defensive line, he's a no-brainer start.
He's also going to cost IDP squads a playoff spot this week. It has nothing to do with him—Crosby's fantastic. But no quarterback in the league has been sacked fewer times than Bo Nix, and the Denver ground game has been grounded with J.K. Dobbins out. Expect disappointment, and you'll never be disappointed.
That has replaced "Commitment to Excellence" as the Raiders' new motto.
Jared Verse of the Los Angeles Rams was a hot IDP commodity in 2025 after his Defensive Rookie of the Year award the prior season. Verse started the year well enough before tailing way off—he ranks outside the top 40 edge rushers in fantasy points since Week 7. This week, Verse (and Byron Young) both pay off at the most important of times—the Arizona Cardinals have allowed an NFC-high 43 sacks and the most fantasy points per game to edge rushers in the conference.
Linebackers Rule
Linebackers are the most important position in IDP, and linebackers will make or break quite a few must-win weeks for fantasy managers.
Which linebacker outside the top 30 at the position has the best chance of a smash week at the best possible time? Who will be the flip side of that coin—the big-name linebacker who falls flat for IDP managers at the worst possible time?
Guru: Azeez Al-Shaair has been rather disappointing overall, but he is very capable of a big game. A matchup with the Chiefs could be just what he needs to bring it out. He should draw some coverage on Travis Kelce, who is Mahomes' favorite target, and the Chiefs will stick with the running game even at 3 yards per carry. This is why they have allowed the fourth most points to linebackers since Week 7.
Carson Schwesinger is an up-and-coming young player who will be an IDP star for a long time. Some of his excellent production has been due to the Browns not being a good team right now. The Titans, however, are far worse. There is nothing they do well on offense, which has made them the worst matchup for linebackers over the last two months, and the Cleveland defense is very good. As solid as he has been for us, I'm not confident that Schwesinger can overcome the lack of opportunities in this one.
Godfather: Payton Wilson of the Pittsburgh Steelers hasn't been a true three-down linebacker this season—he has played a snap share of right about 70 percent this season. But that hasn't stopped the second-year pro from pacing the Steelers in tackles by a wide margin, including 14 total stops last week against the Buffalo Bills. Now he faces the rival Ravens, who lead the league in fantasy points per game allowed to linebackers.
Jacksonville's Foyesade Oluokun has shaken off a down 2024 campaign—the 30-year-old sits inside the top 12 fantasy linebackers for the season with 96 total tackles. However, this week Oluokun could be in for a disappointing game—the Jags host an Indianapolis Colts team that has ranked at the bottom of the NFL in fantasy points surrendered to linebackers most of this season.
Defensive Backs Drool
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