It's an exciting time of year for IDP enthusiasts.
As the calendar prepares to turn to July, fantasy draft season draws that much closer, especially in leagues that employ "slow" drafts. As a matter of fact, some weirdos have already started selecting teams for the upcoming season.
Don't wanna talk about the tight end situation there.
IDP managers who had a successful 2025 will soon be able to try to build upon that success. Those who did not will have a chance to wash off the stink of a down campaign.
It can leave you more pumped up than the Ultimate Warrior shooting a promo.
Seriously. Someone get that man a Xanax.
But before draft day arrives, there's work to be done. Preparations to be made. Research to be researched. Building the foundation to a championship season on draft day involves knowing which values to target. Which sleepers to go after late. And which players to avoid like Andre the Giant in a bad mood.
Because if there's one thing that will wreck a season faster than a Stone Cold Stunner, it's spending an early IDP pick on a player who becomes a massive disappointment.
Drafting a bust.
So, as you climb into the draft-day ring in 2026, be wary of these players.
Those who fail to heed that warning will know by Christmas how Brett Hart felt after the Montreal Screwjob.
Defensive Lineman Busts
EDGE T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh
Yes, you read that right.
Back in 2023, Watt was the most dominant edge-rusher in the game, tallying 68 total tackles, 19 sacks and finishing as the highest-scoring defensive lineman in The Godfather's Default IDP Scoring. Watt's numbers have since declined in back-to-back seasons, but he told reporters he sees a rebound on the horizon with the new scheme of defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
"I think in the past, it was a little bit more about me being stubborn," Watt said. "I think this new system allows [more of that, because] a lot of it is built in, so I really can't say no. I have to move with it. A lot of us are interchangeable parts. You're not just learning your position, you kind of have to learn the whole defensive front structure because we all are basically interchangeable. We can do different things, so I think you're going to see a lot more movement of not just me, but the whole front."
Watt will turn 32 in October. He has fewer sacks the past two years than in that 2023 season alone. He's failed to hit eight sacks in as many seasons as he has hit the mark over the past four years, and his 2025 pass rush win rate was lower than Alex Highsmith's and Nick Herbig's.
Watt is a great player. A Hall of Famer. But he's not the dominant IDP force he once was.
EDGE Nick Bosa, San Francisco
When he's healthy and on his game, Bosa has shown elite IDP upside on multiple occasions—as recently as 2023, he was a top-five fantasy defensive lineman. But injuries have been an issue, including 14 missed games in 2025 after an ACL tear. It's the second time Bosa has torn the same knee, but he told reporters there's actually a silver lining to knowing how best to rehab it.
"When I did it in 2020, it was just like balls to the wall, get back, push every milestone as hard as you possibly can," he said. "I probably dealt with some stuff that I didn't need to deal with in terms of bumps in the road of recovery. Now, I'm taking it slow. I have references to go back and look at. I got injured pretty early last year so there's plenty of time for me to really kind of lay the groundwork to be ready for a long season."
Bosa is a classic case of fantasy managers seeing what they want and ignoring what they don't. Yes, the ceiling is high with the eight-year veteran. But as we saw last year, the floor is soul-crushingly low. Bosa has also never had 55 total tackles in a season, which doesn't help.
Bosa is more likely to finish outside the top 12 than inside the top five. Draft accordingly.
