I have breaking news for you, Dear Reader—news that may shake you to your very core and challenge everything you thought you knew about the universe. You may want to sit down.
Are you seated? OK, prepare to have your mind blown.
Linebackers are rather important in IDP leagues.
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Thanks to a combination of their consistent tackle production and the fact that the scoring in most IDP leagues leans tackle-heavy, Linebackers are both the highest-scoring and most consistent position in fantasy. Last year, eight of the top-10 scorers on defense in The Godfather's Default IDP Scoring were linebackers. The year before that, it was seven. In 2023, it was seven once again.
If you don't have a stout group of linebackers, you might as well be heading to the office on the bad side of Terry Tate.
That will never not be funny.
What isn't funny is that assembling that linebacker corps isn't getting any easier. The number of true "three-down" linebackers has dwindled with the NFL playing primarily in subpackages on defense—a reality your league-mates know just as well as you should on draft day.
Of course, that isn't the only pitfall IDP managers face at linebacker. Just like at any other position, there are linebackers who are undervalued and overhyped. Players who will deliver excellent return on investment, and others who will leave managers wondering what the hell they paid for. Linebackers who will win IDP leagues in 2026—and lose them.
How cool would it be if someone knew which was which—and was willing to tell you?
They would be like Terry Tate-levels of cool.
Just saying.
League-Winning Linebackers
Zaire Franklin, Green Bay
Not that long ago, Franklin was arguably the most important player on defense for the Indianapolis Colts. But Franklin didn't mesh well in Lou Anarumo's scheme, and after a pedestrian (by his standards) 125 total tackles and his fewest solo stops since 2021, Franklin was let go in the offseason—shipped off to Green Bay for an Extra-Stuffed Pop Tart and a mocha Frappuccino.
Well, who's up for a rebound year?
The Packers may not have given up much for Franklin, but that doesn't mean they don't have plans for him—with Quay Walker now in Las Vegas, Franklin will likely be the "green dot" signal-caller for the Pack in 2026, and as recently as two years ago, he was the highest-scoring IDP in fantasy. Let other managers pay retail for Edgerrin Cooper in Titletown while you get the team's high-scorer at the position this season at a discount.
CJ Allen, Indianapolis
The Colts completely remade the linebacker corps in 2026—with the departure of Germaine Pratt and the aforementioned trade of Zaire Franklin, the team is going to roll out a new pair of projected starters in Indy this season: veteran journeyman Akeem Davis-Gaither and second-round rookie CJ Allen from Georgia.
The rookie is going to cook in 2026.
There was no question that Sonny Styles of Ohio State was the top linebacker prospect this year. But more than a few draftniks had the 6'1, 234-pound Allen as the No. 2 guy. The Colts have made it clear that they envision Allen as an every-down starter as a rookie, and the last time the Colts trotted out a second-round rookie in a similar role, Shaquille Leonard led the NFL in total tackles and solos and won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
