For many years, defensive linemen were the trickiest position in IDP leagues.
The reason wasn't hard to pinpoint. It was scarcity. Most IDP providers classified 3-4 edge-rushers like T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers as linebackers. With a sizable chunk of the talent pool at the position Gonesville, there weren't enough reliable starters to go around in a 12-team league that requires two weekly starters. If you weren't aggressive at the position, you would suffer the consequences.
That's right. If you didn't have good enough defensive linemen, you had to listen to a boring villain speech and then take a laser to the crotch. The old times were hard times, y'all.
Things are better now. With the advent of "True Position," Watt and Micah Parsons of the Green Bay Packers are classified as defensive linemen—as they should be. IDP managers have more options on the defensive front and greater flexibility when drafting the position.
Of course, just because there are more choices for fantasy managers on the defensive line doesn't mean that they can just select whoever, whenever. You can wind up in just as deep a hole at the position as back in the day if you take linemen who fail to meet expectations in 2026. Or, if you pick guys who will smash expectations in the season to come, you can lay waste to your opponents and foil their plan to rob Fort Knox.
If only there was someone to tell you who those players to target and avoid were.
Wouldn't that be something, Mr. Bond?
League-Winning Defensive Linemen
EDGE Byron Young, LA Rams
Listen, this analyst isn't going to be the kind to gloat. To point out that he beat the drum all summer long last year for Young as a breakout candidate.
Who am I kidding? Of course I am. I told you so. Emphatically. And break out he did—Young set career highs in tackles (82) and sacks (12) on the way to a fourth-place finish in points among defensive linemen in The Godfather's Default IDP Scoring.
As of this writing, Young has not had his contract extended, so in 2026, we get contract-year Young coming off the best season of his career playing on a defense loaded with talent. Young is regularly available in DL2 territory in early drafts this year, and he's an outstanding target for drafters who attack the linebacker spot early.
EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu, LA Chargers
In many respects, Tuipulotu is in the same boat as Young—right down to the stadium he plays in. Like Young, Tuipulotu is heading into the final year of a modest rookie contract that averaged less than $2 million a season. Like Young, Tuipulotu is coming off a breakout campaign—the 23-year-old logged 13 sacks last year and was ninth in fantasy points among defensive linemen.
And like Young, Tuipulotu has IDP DL1 upside available well into DL2 territory. Even with first-round pick Akheem Mesidor now in Los Angeles, there's no reason to think Tuipulotu won't play around a 75 percent snap share for the third time in four years. Again, if you are the sort of fantasy manager who is aggressive at linebacker and patient on the defensive line, Tuipulotu should be right at the top of your draft-day target list.
EDGE Travon Walker, Jacksonville
To be fair, this analyst also talked up Walker quite a bit last year, because I have to be wrong sometimes, because people find infallibility to be creepy. There was good reason to think that Walker would be a value in 2025—the four-year veteran had logged over 50 total tackles and posted double-digit sacks in back-to-back seasons. What we got was missed time, fewer than 40 tackles, and 3.5 sacks.
Um, oops?
It's back to the well with Walker again in 2026, because I was less wrong than just a year early. Yeah, that must be it. Walker is admittedly coming off a disappointing season. But the Jaguars gave the 25-year-old $50 million in guarantees for a reason. Walker is still playing opposite Josh Hines-Allen. And Walker actually had the most quarterback knockdowns of his career during last season's bummer-ama.
EDGE Jonathon Cooper, Denver
The Denver Broncos possessed the most formidable pass rush in the NFL last year, logging a whopping 68 sacks as a team. The star of that pass rush was edge-rusher Nik Bonitto and his 14 sacks, but there were three other Broncos who posted at least seven sacks. That included sixth-year edge-rusher Jonathon Cooper, who was second on the team with eight sacks while adding 50 total tackles.
Cooper finished outside the top-25 defensive ends in fantasy points last year, thanks to more assists than solos, and that is reflected in his meager asking price in fantasy drafts. However, the year before that, Cooper logged a career-high 10.5 sacks and was 12th at his position in points. The year before that, it was 72 tackles and a DE10 finish in IDP leagues. The 28-year-old has legitimate DL2 upside—and he's available essentially for free.