2026 Fantasy Football: IDP Busts

In this article, I am trying to identify IDP players at each position I think might not meet high expectations this season, are being drafted too high for their potential fantasy return, or are players I just think are too much of a fantasy liability. I approached this article with the idea that a league uses 1-2-3 scoring, and is starting two to three players each at DL, LB, and DB.

I used the database over at FantasyPros to determine overall scoring finishes from year to year and the current spots that players are ranked or projected to be selected. As always, make sure to check your league’s current scoring structure before you draft, as it could change positional values and player values.  

IDP Busts for 2026 Fantasy Football

Defensive Line

Andrew Van Ginkel, DE, Vikings

What a story Van Ginkel has been over the last few seasons for the Vikings. His rise to stardom came in the 2024 season where had a career year with highs in total tackles (79) and sacks (11.5), which catapulted him to a top 10 finish among edge rushers. Van Ginkel dealt with a neck injury last season and only played in 12 games. Jonathan Greenard is gone, but Dallas Turner and rookie Jake Golday are nipping at his heels for snaps on the edge. Van Ginkel is worth drafting, but I don’t expect to get the same production from him that you got back in 2024.

Montez Sweat, DE, Bears

Sweat is coming off the second double-digit sack season of his career, leading the Bears with 10 sacks in 2025. But consistency has been difficult for Sweat throughout his career. He is a low-tackle player, so his fantasy production is strictly tied to his sack total, which is why he has jumped back and forth between multiple top-10 seasons that are scattered with some outside the top 30. Sweat is being drafted as a top-15 defensive end, and he deserves to be, but there are other players who have a higher ceiling and are more consistent that I would rather have in that price range.

George Karlaftis, DE, Chiefs

Nothing stands out about Karlaftis. He is a low-ceiling player who is reliant on sacks to get your team any fantasy production at all. While he has seasons with sack totals of six, 10.5, eight, and six during his four years in the league, his career high in tackles is 48 with only 25 of those being solo tackles. He is a decent player to grab as a depth piece and in best ball leagues, but I wouldn’t want to count on him as a starter every week.

Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb, DE, Bills

I am putting these two together because they play for the same team and are in very similar situations. Both of these players need to be rushing the passer to be successful. Sacks are how they score their points. The issue isn’t the Bills’ offense scoring enough to get them up in games, but the defense’s inability to stop the run. Buffalo ranked 28th out of 32 teams against the run in 2025, giving up 136.2 yards rushing a game. They got gashed all season, and it’s been an issue for a couple of years now. I really don’t think they improve much this season either. On top of that, the Bills selected defensive end TJ Parker in the second round of the NFL Draft in April. Buffalo traded down three times in the draft, so Parker was essentially their first-round pick. I think he sneaks into the edge rotation as a rookie, and the low tackle totals for Rousseau and Chubb hurt their overall value.

Linebacker

Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Giants

Edmunds is a good football player, so I will say that upfront. But he moves into a new situation in New York after three years in Chicago. Edmunds always gets paid big money, but he never ends up being the lead linebacker on his team. Edmunds had over 100 combined tackles in each of the last two seasons with the Bears, last year accomplishing that mark in only 13 games. Edmunds was having one of his better seasons in 2025 before injuries derailed him. The arrival of fifth-overall pick Arvell Reese, who was an All-American linebacker last season at Ohio State, also muddies the waters at linebacker. Edmunds is a solid player, but in fantasy he always gets drafted too high and seems to consistently finish as a low-end LB2 or LB3.   

Terrel Bernard, LB, Bills

After a stellar 2023 season, where Bernard finished as a top-five linebacker and recorded a career-high 6.5 sacks, he has struggled with injuries the last two years, totaling just 25 games played out of a possible 34. Bernard has only totaled one sack in the last two seasons and has not finished as a top 40 LB in that time span. He is currently being drafted as an LB2, but I want no part of that. I’ll draft Bernard if he falls in drafts, but I don’t want to count on him to be a consistent starter in my lineup every week.

Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Packers

This is a hard one to write. Cooper has tremendous upside, and I love him in dynasty formats, but in redraft he is just too expensive for the return you are getting. When the Packers moved on from Quay Walker, it seemed as if Cooper was ready to take the reins of this defense, but then Green Bay signed Zaire Franklin from the Colts. Early signs from camp have Franklin wearing the Green Dot for this defense as the play caller. That would appear to signal a capped ceiling again for Cooper this season. Cooper is being drafted as a top 10 to 15 linebacker, but he has yet to finish a season better than LB30.

Devin Bush Jr, LB, Bears

Bush had a nice bounce-back season with the Browns in 2025, putting together the best fantasy season of his seven-year career, finishing as a top-10 linebacker. He saw a ton of snaps as the defense was on the field a ton for the Browns. Now he joins the Bears, who already have TJ Edwards as the team’s top linebacker and brought back Jack Sanborn. The Chicago offense should be a top unit in the league again, which should lower the amount of snaps the defense sees. Bush is a solid player, but I don’t see how he replicates his production from last season.

Tyrel Dodson, LB, Dolphins

Dodson was a top-10 linebacker on a terrible Dolphins team last year, and they might be worse this year, so why am I down on Dodson? Well, for starters, he is coming off a career year where he vastly outperformed any of his previous six seasons in the league. Next, the Dolphins had a ton of holes to fill entering the draft, and they spent a second-round pick on linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and two fourth-round picks on a pair of linebackers: Trey Moore and Kyle Louis. The cost is right on Dodson in the mid-30s, but I’m afraid he loses his starting gig to Rodriguez sooner rather than later this season, so I am avoiding him unless it tumbles in drafts.

Defensive Back

Kam Curl, S, Rams

Nothing personal against Curl, but I would be absolutely shocked if he finishes as a top three DB this season. He should be solid again, but Quentin Lake and Kam Kitchens are also there eating into some of his numbers, and Nate Landman has been great for the Rams at linebacker. I want Curl on my team; I’m just not willing to pay up for him at his current value in drafts. I would rather wait a few more rounds and grab Lake instead.

Brian Branch, S, Lions

I love Branch; he is one of the top defensive backs in the league. But in redraft leagues, I’m nervous about spending high-draft capital on him. Branch is coming off an Achilles injury and will start the season on the PUP list. How many games will he miss and when will he be fully healthy? Those are two questions I want to know the answers to before I take a player as high as Branch is going in drafts. Maybe next year.

Josh Metellus, S, Vikings

Metellus has been good over the past couple of seasons, but his numbers have been declining steadily over the past two years. After finishing as the DB5 in 2023, Metellus finished as DB21 in 2024 and DB46 in 2025. I’m not in a hurry to draft Metellus this season. He is a backup for me on a weekly basis in 2026.

For more great fantasy football rankings and analysis, make sure to check out the 2026 FantraxHQ Fantasy Football Draft Kit!