WELCOME TO THE FANTASY IN FRAMES’ 2025 NFC NORTH IDP DIVISIONAL PREVIEW!
Today, we’re going to be taking a look at the four teams in the NFC North and telling you who the players are you should invest in for IDP fantasy football in 2025 and/or those you should potentially avoid.
Now, before we start going position by position, let’s break down the ins and outs of each team from this past season!
***Also, stats & info from all of our divisional previews are sourced from the following outlets: PFF, Fantasy Points Data Suite, FantasyData, FTN, & NFL Next Gen Stats.***
Now that we’ve seen where these teams left off in 2024, let us preview where their players at different positions can either help or hurt your fantasy football teams in 2025!
Linebacker
T.J. Edwards, Chicago Bears (FIF Consensus & LB10)
Edwards has been an IDP stalwart recently, with three consecutive top-8 seasons. In those 3 years, he has averaged nearly 150 tackles & 3 sacks. He still should be the top Bear LB in 2025 under Dennis Allen. However, he falls in rankings due to dramatic on-field regression. From 2022 to 2023, he fell by ~5 points in the main PFF categories, save tackling. From 2023 to 2024, he fell another ~15 points in the same categories. Sub-par LBs can produce well for IDP, but only to the point where they remain on the field. His past successes keep him in LB1 territory, though the cliff concerns must at least lower our confidence.
Blake Cashman, Minnesota Vikings (FIF Consensus & LB26)
Cashman is one of the more aggressively ranked players by consensus, currently at LB14. 2024 was his best season, but that only saw him finish as LB24. On the field, Cashman was merely an average LB who landed in a grand scheme. The scheme remains, but Cashman’s non-elite play and history cause concern. He was a weekly boom or bust, which seems to be the track again. Even with real upside, the lack of a weekly floor makes Cashman a risky-to-poor LB1 pick.
An outside factor is Dallas Turner. If Turner continues to improve, Andrew Van Ginkel may shift to LB more, stealing snaps from Cashman. Cashman falls just outside of my LB2 range due to that floor, combined with a lack of proof for IDP success.
Quay Walker, Green Bay Packers (FIF Consensus & LB40)
Walker falls into the LB3 range after being supplanted by Edgerrin Cooper last season. Walker has not lived up to first-round hype, being inconsistent and unreliable on the field. Walker has had solid IDP seasons every year, but he has never broken through to an LB2 season. That will be a more challenging ask now that Walker is not the top LB in the room. In 2024, Walker’s metrics continued to be average as he struggled to progress. There is a higher risk that he loses the LB2 role to the more trustworthy Isaiah McDuffie (similar metrics) than reclaims the LB1 role.
Jack Campbell, Detroit Lions (FIF Consensus & LB14)
As a prospect, the biggest flaw with Campbell’s game was his pass coverage. With how poor it was (43.9 PFF grade as a rookie), there were concerns about whether he would be able to stay on the field. However, in 2024, Campbell elevated that part of his game, becoming even a good coverage LB. He parlayed this improvement into IDP success, finishing as a top-level LB3. Over the last 11 games, he averaged eight tackles per game (up from 5.5 over the first 20+ games of his career).
Campbell graded as a top-15 LB against the run as well, leading to hope that he becomes Detroit’s LB1 this season. He becomes a borderline LB1 with that hope, and would firmly join that list if we had confirmation.
Edgerrin Cooper, Green Bay Packers (FIF Consensus & LB5)
This is probably my most aggressive IDP ranking across the board. A favorite prospect of mine in 2024, Cooper lived up to my hype after getting his feet under him as a rookie. In his last nine games played, Cooper averaged seven tackles per game despite playing over 71% of snaps twice. Most of this aggressive ranking comes from year 2 in a scheme for a freaky talent with elite metrics. Cooper finished 2024 as LB4 overall, 25 against the run (top 12 in stop% and depth of target), 2 rushing the passer, and 14 in coverage.
For a raw rookie, those are incredibly promising metrics to build on. Even if Cooper only maintains a few of those metrics, he is in line to be a top-8 LB in the league. Having so many tools in the basket while attaining a full-time role (which is the expectation) should translate to elite IDP totals.
Alex Anzalone, Detroit Lions (FIF Consensus & LB38)
Anzalone has been solid in Detroit for four seasons, averaging 7 tackles per game. He has impacted the ball with 24 PBUs and 6.5 total sacks in that span as well. He drops from a firm LB2 to borderline LB3 with the emergence of Jack Campbell. Anzalone should still be playable (especially during bye weeks/injuries), however he has been overtaken as the team’s LB1. With so many good LBs (or ones with a path to the top role), it is hard to take Anzalone as an LB3 or higher.
Tremaine Edmunds, Chicago Bears (FIF Consensus & LB39)
Right behind Anzalone is another team LB2 in Edmunds. In the first two years of a massive deal, Edmunds has been… fine. For IDP, he has been a borderline IDP3 with seven tackles per game, 15 total PBUs, and 5 INTs. He has been steady for IDP and is a great stream/depth play for bye weeks and injury preparation. However, as the LB2 of a team, the upside isn’t at the same level as many other options right now.
Best Value at LB
Edgerrin Cooper may be the value of the series by my rankings. He is ranked outside of (true) LB2 range, despite being in my top-5. His ascendance to the top-5 (and top-3 dynasty) is incredibly aggressive and maybe take-locking, however, the metrics back it up through one year. If Cooper can continue combining a highly athletic skillset with refinement and anticipation, he can (should) be a part of the next generation of IDP stars.
Defensive Linemen
Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions (FIF Consensus & EDGE6)
Injuries suck. Hutchinson was on a DPOY pace last season, with 19 tackles and 7.5 sacks in 4.5 games (17-game pace: 72 tackles, 28.5 sacks!!!). Now Hutchinson faces recovery and return from the devastating tibia & fibula fracture. We all know that Hutch is extraordinary and a worthy DPOY candidate, so why is he lower in my ranks? Two main reasons: injury and regression.
Typically, it takes until the “year after the year after” for players (especially at one that requires bend and change-of-direction) to return to full form. For the raw numbers, Hutch had an auspicious start to 2024 in terms of matchups. His two best games came against Tampa Bay and Seattle, who saw backup right tackles make starts against Hutchinson, while Los Angeles and Arizona had their starting RTs go down early in their matchups.
Hutch still dominated whoever was in front of him, but that sort of injury luck will not happen again. Neither one would be enough to kick Hutchinson out of the top-4 rushers, but the combination does lower him out of tier 1. I expect a slow(er) start to the season, but still double-digit sacks (similar to Nick Bosa’s holdout season).
Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota Vikings (FIF Consensus & EDGE9)
After moving from Houston to Minnesota (as Danielle Hunter comically did the opposite), Greenard had a career season. Greenard nearly doubled his career pressure and tackle totals on his way to an EDGE4 finish. He finished as a top-12 rusher by most metrics and as a solid-to-good run defender. Reports are that 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner is improving, but not a threat to Greenard’s role. With Greenard’s pass-rush upside in Brian Flores’ scheme and run-game competence, he is a backend EDGE1 play in 2025 and for the near future.
Andrew Van Ginkel, Minnesota Vikings (FIF Consensus & EDGE22)
What a year we saw from Van Ginkel in 2024! 79 tackles and 11.5 sacks blew career marks out of the water. But how repeatable are those numbers? Based on pass rush metrics? Not very… Amongst 147 rushers with at least 65 pass-rushes, AVG graded outside of the top-40 in all of total pass rush grade, PRP, and PRWR. He also landed outside of the top-75 in total run-defense. AVG is the perfect Swiss-Army knife in Brian Flores’ chaotic, blitz-heavy defense, but if he shifts more to LB with Dallas Turner’s progression, his production is less assured. The apparent upside keeps him within EDGE2 rankings, but the inconsistent production and lowering floor are quite concerning.
Rashan Gary, Green Bay Packers (FIF Consensus & EDGE35)
Gary is one of the most talented… and frustrating players in the league. His 32 sacks over the past 4 years (59 games) are also a frustrating number. It is a fine total, but we can see the potential for so much more. Low snap counts (over 64% – in games played – just once) and middling tackle totals (170) have kept his ceiling and floor low. Despite being just 27, Gary’s pass rush metrics have declined each of the past 3 seasons, while production has fluctuated.
There is enough talent and film out there to hope that a healthy Gary in the second year of a fun scheme can improve. However, there is not enough film or history of health to comfortably put him in EDGE2 rankings. This is one where I hope to be too low, a right Gary has top-8 potential!
Montez Sweat, Chicago Bears (FIF Consensus & EDGE21)
After a career-worst season in 2024, it is more than reasonable to be hesitant about Montez Sweat for 2025. The season saw him finish with 5.5 sacks and only 32 tackles, which was still enough to be EDGE39 on the year. A conservative ranking is fair, but being below that career-worst mark is silly. Sweat led 2 NFL franchises in sacks in 2023, including a dominant stretch with Chicago post-trade. Dennis Allen comes over with a scheme that fits Sweat’s profile like a glove.
At 29, Sweat is still in his prime, and Dennis Allen and an upgraded DL room can help take pressure off of Sweat and let him ball out. Last year’s dud is a concern, but the overall talent and past production (top-22 EDGE in 4 of 6 seasons) keep him in EDGE2 territory for me.
Dallas Turner, Minnesota Vikings (FIF Consensus & EDGE40)
After a glorified redshirt rookie season, we have big hopes for 2024 first-rounder Dallas Turner. He did need the time to learn the NFL game and Brian Flores’ scheme, and now we hope he can improve immensely on 26.5% of snaps, 17 tackles, and three sacks. Turner appears to be progressing well and should take a significant role on the EDGE in 2025. The poor numbers and metrics are understandable from 2024, but make an inconclusive 2025 projection. If he can tap back into the skills that made the Alabama product a first-rounder, we could see 40 tackles and eight sacks this season.
The upside is intriguing, raising his rank, but the uncertainty keeps him outside of the top-40 rushers for now.
Jonathan Allen, Minnesota Vikings (FIF Consensus & DT16)
Dallas Turner is a shot at a player unlocking their future, while Jonathan Allen is a shot at a player unlocking their past. Allen has been one of the best interior linemen of the past decade, with 38 sacks between 2018 and 2023. In the same span, he averaged around 60 tackles per year, leading to 4 top-7 DT finishes, while the other two were top-19. Allen missed half of 2024 with injury, but hopes to regain form in Minnesota.
This scheme has proven strong for run-stopping DTs (Harrison Phillips’ success in 2023) and rushers across the board (see 2024 as a whole). Allen’s age and new stop keep him outside of DT1 rankings, but the veteran is still good enough to be an upside/backup shot.
The Best(?) of the Rest:
After this group (and even including Allen, really), there is a mishmash of solid NFL players who are either in timeshares or just not very IDP relevant. DTs Devonte Wyatt (GB) and Gervon Dexter (CHI) have flashed high-level play, but have been beyond inconsistent. Fellow DTs Harrison Phillips (MIN), Javon Hargrave (MIN), and Grady Jarrett (CHI) were one-time top-5 DTs, but are well past their primes. Lions DTs Alim McNeil and D.J. Reader are great players, but run-stuffers first, while having 1st rounder Tyliek Williams and pass rush specialist Roy Lopez (ARZ) added to the fray.
On the edge, the Lions have a conglomerate of rushers who expect to rotate: oft-injured Marcus Davenport, Josh Paschal (my favorite of the group), and Al-Quadin Muhammad. Green Bay’s secondary rushers include Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, and Brenton Cox (who has surprisingly great metrics), along with rookie Barryn Sorrell. Chicago’s secondary rushers are led by free agent Dayo Odeyingbo (IND), who underperformed in all but a handful of games.
Best Value at DL
Montez Sweat is understandably lower in rankings after a rough 2024. 2024 was the worst season of Sweat’s career; however, Dennis Allen’s new scheme is a perfect fit for the long, powerful rusher. Sweat has 3 seasons as a top-18 rusher, 2.5 coming with a similarly potent defensive mind in Ron Rivera. Despite his struggles last year, Sweat finished higher than he is currently ranked and should vastly improve over that year. Sweat is a firm EDGE2 pick for me, vastly out-pacing this billing.
Defensive Back
Brian Branch, Detroit Lions (FIF Consensus & DB2)
After an exciting rookie season, Branch levelled up in 2024. He finished as S3 after recording 109 tackles, 4 INTs, and 16 PBUs. He was constantly making plays with the ball. He has elite usage, with around two-thirds of snaps in the box/slot. Branch is in the conversation for dynasty and redraft DB1 overall. Grading 2024 as the best S (2nd best DB) against the run gives him a massive floor and helps raise the ceiling.
Jaquan Brisker, Chicago Bears (FIF Consensus & DB9)
The only question with Brisker is health. He missed most of last season with what became an incredibly scary concussion. He was an S1 in each of 2022 and 2023, with over 100 tackles in both seasons, with a combined five sacks and 11 PBUs. His metrics vastly improved from 2022 to 2023, giving us hope that a top-5 season was loading. Through 4+ games, that appeared to be true: he tallied 40 tackles while adding an INT and sack in that first stretch (136/3.5/3.5 17-game pace). Brisker has had an elite role with ~60% of snaps in the box/slot.
If Brisker is healthy, he is a top-end option. However, he starts at the back end of the S1 group with the injury risk.
Josh Metellus, Minnesota Vikings (FIF Consensus & DB11)
Metellus has been one of the most fun players in the NFL/IDP for the past few seasons. The jack-of-all-trades has been used at every spot on defense with Brian Flores, being a versatile weapon. For IDP, he has been great the last two seasons, totalling 215 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 10 PBUs, and 3 INTs. He is elite against the run, grading as S14 the previous year. His tackling and usage at LB keep the floor high (while lowering Blake Cashman’s). However, Cam Bynum’s departure and Harrison Smith’s continued aging cause concern for Metellus’ role.
With the loss of talent, Minnesota is forced to use Metellus as more of a pure S This concern is enough for me to drop Metellus to the fringe of DB1/2 range, though he should have a solid floor either way.
Xavier McKinney, Green Bay Packers (FIF Consensus & DB17)
McKinney was maybe the best IDP who switched teams in 2024. He nearly led the league in INTs with 8, while adding 85 tackles. This was enough to be a high-end S2, which is where he is projected again. For a traditional free safety, McKinney has still been used 35-40% of the time in the box, mainly due to elite tackling. He has had a PFF grade of 81+ every season, further boosting his floor. McKinney likely will not have 8 INTs again, but he should continue to see a solid tackle volume while making a difference in the pass game.
Kevin Byard, Chicago Bears (FIF Consensus & DB22)
Byard has been an IDP stalwart for nearly a decade, at multiple different stops. He took over the box role post-Jaquan Brisker injury in 2024 and ended as a top-8 Safety. Even if Brisker is back, Byard should be a top-20 DB play. The upside is much higher without Brisker, but his injury has to be factored in (both directions). Byard still finished 2024 as a top-8 S against the run and top-5 as a tackler. Both metrics keep him IDP relevant, even if he does see closer to his typical 60% deep safety role.
Harrison Smith, Minnesota Vikings (FIF Consensus & DB32)
Smith has been in IDP lineups for over a dozen years. In every season (12) that he has played 13+ games, Smith has finished at S31 or better (6 years as a top-8 S). He has slowed a bit, not finishing over S18 in the past 3 years, but has still been very playable. In that span, he has averaged just under 90 tackles per year while totalling four sacks, 23 PBUs, and 8 INTs. The biggest concern with his profile (aside from age) has been alignment. He has gone from a 60% box play to 60% deep over the past handful of seasons.
With Cam Bynum’s departure, that issue may prove more relevant in 2025. He remains a fine DB2 and bye-week streamer, but the concerns land him outside of the DB2 range at this time.
Kerby Joseph, Detroit Lions (FIF Consensus & DB27)
Joseph finished as an S1 last season on the back of solid run defense and 9 INTs. Joseph graded as a top-12 S against the run. With great run-game and ball-hawk numbers, why is Joseph a borderline DB3? Interceptions will almost certainly regress, and with upgrades across the front-7, the tackle numbers will also probably regress. His average depth of tackle against the run was 9.4 yards downfield (tied for 15th highest of 119 qualified safeties). Joseph has tremendous upside, but the metrics and 60% deep safety usage are concerning enough to drop him into the high-end DB3 range.
Best Value at DB
Even with the outlined risk, Kerby Joseph has a legitimate DB1 risk despite going outside of the top-40 DBs. While the Lions’ defense has improved vastly on paper, it is still largely a projection. If 2024 repeats itself, it may not matter with the volume of injuries sustained. Joseph has shown enough talent and skill to make plays even from non-ideal alignments.
Thanks for taking the time to read the FANTASY IN FRAMES’ 2025 NFC NORTH IDP DIVISIONAL PREVIEW! You can follow me at @JoeLow63 on Twitter/X. Feel free to reach out for any fantasy football questions you might have!
***For more 2025 Fantasy Football Divisional Previews, click here.***
