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. Now that the 2025 iteration of NFL free agency is a few weeks old, The Guru and The Godfather have come together to examine some IDPs whose value has changed the most—for better or for worse.
Walking the Line
The biggest free agent contract awarded to a player switching teams this year was a defensive lineman—Milton Williams got $26 million a season to join the New England Patriots. Which defensive lineman hit the jackpot from an IDP perspective? Who crapped out?
Not that kind of…come on, people.
Guru: Let me open by saying don't be shocked if Milton Williams becomes a fantasy factor with his new team. He's a better player than many realize, but he was stuck behind some elite guys in Philadelphia.
The edge signing I'm most excited about is Azeez Ojulari to the Eagles. He was a second-round pick of the Giants in 2021, showing a great deal of promise as a rookie (29-20-8). His fast start was derailed by injury, and by the time he was fully healthy, Ojulari was stuck behind a couple of proven studs. He got a chance early last year, putting up five sacks over five games as a starter when Kayvon Thibodeaux was banged up. With Josh Sweat moving on, Ojulari is in line for a starting spot in a defensive scheme that has a lot of success getting after the passer. The biggest question is whether he can stay healthy for an entire season.
I'm not sure the move to New England will be horrible for Harold Landry III, but I'm far from confident that it will be a plus. He has been highly productive over his years in Tennessee. That said, anytime a productive player leaves a place that fits his skill set, there is uncertainty. Couple that with the fact that the Patriots' schemes and multi-player rotations have a long history of limiting the numbers of their best defenders. Then factor in New England's league-low of 28 sacks and consider that no one had more than five in 2024. Call me skeptical.
Godfather: I wish I could say I disagreed with the Guru about Landry. But those 28 sacks last year are a glaring number, and as things stand right now, Landry is all but certain to be double-teamed regularly.
Haason Reddick's 2024 season with the New York Jets was a one-sack fiasco, but prior to last year, the veteran had posted at least 11 sacks in four straight years. There isn't a ton around Reddick in Tampa—no Buccaneers edge-rusher had five sacks in 2024. But as recently as 2022, Reddick was a top-five IDP option. Asking for that level of production in 2025 isn't realistic. But there's real rebound potential here—and the possibility of a sneaky-cheap IDP DL2.
When last we saw Josh Sweat, he was wreaking havoc on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX to the tune of 2.5 sacks. But those sacks didn't help Sweat's fantasy managers any more than the DL48 fantasy finish he posted in Philadelphia. The 27-year-old got a fat bag of cash from the Arizona Cardinals, but Sweat has just one 10-sack season in his seven professional seasons and will be the focus of opposing offenses in the desert.
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