Week 1 IDP Start/Sits

Need to know who to start and who to sit at IDP in Week 1? You’re in the right place.

When healthy, certain defensive players like Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, and Jack Campbell are locks in your IDP lineup every single week. Write their names in pen and move on.

The real work starts further down the rankings. That’s where matchups are won and lost, and where knowing what to look for turns into a genuine, repeatable edge, week after week.

Need a streamer because of an injury? Got a player on bye?

Below you’ll find a positional breakdown of who to trust, who to fade, and why, for Week 1.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!

Defensive Linemen to Start/Sit in Week 1 IDP

Start Josh Hines-Allen, Jaguars Edge

This one comes down to the matchup, plain and simple. Jacksonville faces a Browns offensive line replacing five new starters. Add in Deshaun Watson under center, making his first start since Week 7 of 2024, and the Jaguars should end up living in the backfield. Back in 2024, Watson was sacked nearly 5 times per game.

Hines-Allen will spend most of his afternoon rushing against 1st-round rookie Spencer Fano, who has not played left tackle since his freshman year at Utah. Jacksonville’s all-time sack leader should feast in this spot. Hines-Allen is a must-start in Week 1 for me.

Sit Nik Bonitto, Broncos Edge

Bonitto is coming off a career year in which he recorded 14 sacks and finished 4th in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He should be a valuable IDP asset all season on a great Broncos defense. Just not in Week 1.

Bonitto’s two worst performances of last season both came against the Chiefs. He had just one tackle in each game. On top of that, his running mate off the opposite edge, Jonathan Cooper, is on the commissioner-exempt list stemming from a domestic incident and won’t be playing for the foreseeable future.

Between the matchup history and the missing running mate, he’s an easy fade for me in Week 1. Sit Bonitto.

Linebackers to Start/Sit in Week 1 IDP

Start Anthony Hill, Jr., Titans

Expectations are already high for the rookie 2nd-rounder, who will be wearing the green dot on Sundays. Things will be even more challenging in his NFL debut on Sunday with fellow linebacker Cedric Gray in concussion protocol following a UTV accident.

Titans head coach Robert Saleh’s expertise is defense. He had significant input on the team’s selection of Hill Jr. in the 2nd round of April’s draft. Hill Jr.’s size (6’3, 240) and speed (4.51 in the 40) are certainly reminiscent of future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner, whom Saleh coached in Seattle and whom Hill Jr. has been compared to.

I expect a productive performance from Hill Jr. against the Jets in Week 1. First and foremost, he’ll have All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons in front of him. Plus, his coach will be out for revenge, facing his former employer.

A big Week 1 performance could make Hill Jr. a hot commodity in IDP leagues this season. Get him now and start him in Week 1.

Sit Robert Spillane, Patriots

I’m sitting the soon-to-be 31-year-old linebacker in Week 1 against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. He’s a liability in pass coverage, and the Seahawks will hunt that mismatch, just like they did in the Super Bowl.

Spillane usually provides a safe tackling floor, but that wasn’t the case the last time these two teams met: just 4 combined tackles against Seattle. Between the age, the matchup, and the recent history, he’s an easy one to leave on your bench in Week 1.

Defensive Backs to Start/Sit in Week 1 IDP

Start Jaquan Brisker, Steelers S

Brisker was a difference-maker last year on a Bears defense that led the NFL in takeaways with 33. I expect him to bring that same disruptive energy to a Steelers defense that is far more talented top to bottom.

Pittsburgh hosts the Falcons and QB Tua Tagovailoa in Week 1. Tagovailoa finished 2nd in the NFL in interceptions last season with 15. That’s exactly the kind of matchup where Brisker’s ball-hawking instincts show up on the stat sheet. Expect him around the football early and often against a Falcons offense still searching for its identity.

Sit Kam Curl, Rams S

Curl signed a three-year, $36 million extension this March, and he’s set to be a foundational piece of the Rams defense once again. Physicality is his calling card: his 122 tackles last season were the second-most among all defensive backs.

He should only get better playing behind the high-impact talent the Rams added this offseason: Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson. Consider him a strong bet for solid IDP numbers most weeks.

Week 1 is the exception. Curl struggled against the 49ers last season, posting 8.75 fantasy points in each meeting, well below his 10.2 season average. Add in the game being played in Australia, which is a variable I’d rather avoid, and I’m comfortable sitting Curl in Week 1.