WELCOME TO THE FANTASY IN FRAMES’ 2025 NFC SOUTH IDP DIVISIONAL PREVIEW!
Today, we’re going to be taking a look at the four teams in the NFC South 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
Kaden Elliss, Atlanta Falcons (FIF Consensus & LB17)
Elliss has made a name for himself in two years in Atlanta, totalling 272 tackles and nine sacks. He is coming off another great season as a rusher, finishing again as a top 5-10 LB in that department. Elliss remains solid against the run, though he is more of a cleanup tackler than a game-wrecker there. This is a fine concession, however, as the Falcons still boast a weak defensive line – especially against the run. Elliss has a good chance at remaining a solid LB with a decent floor, while adding rush upside.
With another solid LB said (more on that later), 2024 may prove to be Elliss’ peak. 2025 is expected to be more like 2023, with just over 100 tackles with pass rush upside and a firm LB2 finish.
Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (FIF Consensus & LB13)
In 13 seasons, David has only finished below LB13 twice: once at LB19 and another year where he missed five games. He has remained at a high level even into his 30s, with 256 total tackles and 10 sacks over the last 2 years. The metrics have started to slip, but LB1 in Todd Bowles’ defense will always put up big numbers. The Buccaneers are high on their LB2 as of now, but there is no debate as to who the top man is (similar to Bobby Wagner with Washington).
Even if the age cliff is coming, David is still a solid floor play. The borderline Hall-of-Famer has everything lined up to have another near-LB1 season.
Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints (FIF Consensus & LB21)
Moving down the list, we have another Hall-of-Very-Good type with the longtime Saint. In 7 years with New Orleans, Davis has finished between LB11 and LB28 each season. His metrics have started to drop slightly overall, but are still above average. Davis graded as a top-20 LB against the run, helping attain 120+ tackles again. Like Lavonte David, Davis’ upside is starting to fall as his skills do. There is no competition to take the LB1 role for Davis, so he is set up for a great floor yet again.
The floor of Davis has been proven to be a high-LB3, which likely will push into LB2 territory. With an overall worse team than David, Davis drops in rankings slightly, but is still a firm LB2.
Christian Rozeboom, Carolina Panthers (FIF Consensus & LB28)
Over the past two seasons with Los Angeles, Rozeboom had solid numbers. He finished 2024 with over 130 tackles in his only season as a full-time starter. The metrics were below-average, but having a full-time role made him a viable IDP play. We see a potentially similar scenario in Carolina, with only one other actual threat to playing time. Rozeboom enters the season as the green-dot LB, so he should be on the field every play to start. He may not provide high-level play, but that is not necessary for IDP viability. Rozeboom lands as an LB3 with a low ceiling and the potential of a young player taking over later on.
Divine Deablo, Atlanta Falcons (FIF Consensus & LB40)
The Falcons have been looking for LB2 stability for almost as long as a star rusher. Not quite, but resources have been added to the position lately. Troy Andersen seems to have been displaced by the former Raider, who may don the Green Dot in 2025. Playing in the middle gives hope that Deablo can recreate 2023, where he finished with just over 100 tackles. The ceiling with Kaden Elliss and middling metrics is not high, but a green dot player draws interest.
A full-time role with an LB1 who excels as a rusher could allow for an even higher IDP potential this year. The uncertainty keeps him outside of the top 36 for now, but he is a potential post-camp riser.
Trevin Wallace, Carolina Panthers (FIF Consensus & LB43)
A mid-round favorite of mine in the 2024 class, Wallace has a chance to take over the LB1 role at some point this season. In 5 games as a (near) full-time player in 2024, Wallace accumulated 40 total tackles, showing the potential he could have. The metrics were far from great in 2024, but the athletic LB has a chance to improve vastly in his second year with Carolina. Wallace has the talent and athleticism to take over this weak room, but he must first prove consistent and steady enough to supplant Rozeboom.
Taking over that role behind a poor DL would give Wallace upside through clean-up accumulation. With doubts about Wallace’s ability to take over that role, he starts the season low on the rankings, with potential to rise.
SirVocea Dennis, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (FIF Consensus & LB39)
Tampa has rotated through LB2s for the past handful of seasons. They seem to have found their guy in Dennis. Dennis has not been a big-time player thus far, with much missed time and backup snaps. There is not much data to go off of here, but if Todd Bowles and co trust him, we can feel confident in our ranking of him. If Lavonte David were to miss any time, the Buccaneers seem to trust Dennis to take that room over. At Pittsburgh, Dennis was an elite tackler and a great run defender.
Best Value at LB
Demario Davis is rated as a mid-tier LB3 right now, a place where Davis has never finished below LB28 in the last 8 seasons. With no one priming to take snaps away, Davis will be locked into the Mike role for yet another season. Even if his upside is not what it once was, his floor is undeniable. Davis is an excellent pickup at this time!
Defensive Linemen
Yaya Diaby (FIF Consensus & DL17)
Diaby has been an ascending player since his time at Louisville. He ended 2024 as EDGE17 with 54 tackles and 4.5 sacks. The 4.5 sacks are an underwhelming total, but the metrics lead us to believe even more can come. He finished 2024 amongst the top-24 EDGE rushers in all of total pass rush grade, PRP, and PRWR. He also finished top-10 in total pressures, behind only superstars Garrett, Hendrickson, Greenard, Verse, Parsons, Bosa, Hunter, and one other surprising name later on.
And with all of that, Diaby is better against the run than the pass. He had the second-best stop% amongst EDGE players and was top-14 in average depth of stop and overall run defense grade. The Bucs add Haason Reddick, who can help take more pressure off of Diaby. Diaby has the metrics and shown enough production to be a borderline EDGE1 for this season.
Carl Granderson, New Orleans Saints (FIF Consensus & EDGE30)
Firstly: Go Pokes. Now that my homerism has been satisfied, let’s break down the Wyoming alum. Granderson regressed in 2024 as the Saints fell apart as a whole. His numbers dropped by 17 tackles and three sacks from 2023 to 2024. However, his overall metrics improved, giving hope that his numbers can return to near mid-EDGE2 numbers. Even on a bad roster, Granderson should be the top EDGE player, hoping to record 60 tackles and eight sacks. The poor team and overall fine metrics keep him outside of my DL2 territory, but he is a priority add for depth with some upside.
Derrick Brown, Carolina Panthers (FIF Consensus & DT6)
After recording the most tackles by a DT ever in 2023, Brown played less than one full game in 2024 before a season-ending injury. Brown seems to be back healthy, which would prime him for another great IDP season. The rest of the DL is incredibly young, with no proven great players. Teams are expected to run the ball on Carolina early and often, giving the DT ample tackle opportunities. In 2023, Brown was the 2nd best run-stopping DT while being a top-18 pass rusher from the position. He has enough pass-rush ceiling to pair with an elite floor and land as a top-6 DT this season.
D.J. Wonnum, Carolina Panthers (FIF Consensus & EDGE39)
In a room with no proven EDGE rushers, Wonnum is the closest thing. He played well for the Panthers after missing the first nine games with injury. He finished the year (8 games) with 37 tackles and four sacks. Only 19 EDGE players had more sacks than Wonnum in that span. Wonnum had a couple of solid seasons as a secondary or tertiary rusher in Minnesota (45+ tackles & 8 sacks in 2021 and 2023), but what can he do as the primary? With below-average pass rush metrics, he projects similarly to Dorrance Armstrong, who is solid but far from elite.
Wonnum has a history of good tackle numbers, too. In 2021 and 2023-2024, he averaged over 3.5 tackles per game. With a poor/young rest of the roster, Wonnum should see the lions’ (Panthers’) share of snaps, being a decent bye-week fill-in type.
Haason Reddick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (FIF Consensus & EDGE33)
What a complicated player we have in Tampa. After a lengthy post-trade holdout, Reddick played in 10 games with the Jets, totalling 14 tackles and one sack…. Not great! This is coming off a 4-season stretch where he averaged 53+ tackles and 12.5+ sacks. The truth of Reddick is somewhere in the middle, but how close to the elite rusher is he? With a good, rising rusher across from him and two great DTs, Reddick can be a difference maker even if there are too many mouths to feed.
If the 30-year-old can reclaim some of his previous powers, he could be a steal even at my ranking (which is higher than consensus). However, the risk of age and an atrocious 2024 keep him outside of EDGE2 plays as of now.
Let’s be honest… who knows?, Atlanta Falcons (FIF Consensus & EDGE42)
This room is going to be incredibly difficult to predict at the start of 2025. 1st round rookies Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr have had a lot of camp hype, but are highly flawed/raw players. Both are also not listed as starters, playing behind Arnold Ebikete and veteran-rusher-for-hire Leonard Floyd. Floyd is probably the name to grab, with 48 sacks and over 250 tackles in the past 5 seasons. The interior is equally cluttered, with long-time star Grady Jarrett now in Chicago. Veteran David Onyemata is slated to start with 2024-top-40 (shocker) pick Ruke Orhorhoro.
That duo still has a massive amount of talent/investment behind it with fellow highly regarded 2024 pick Brandon Dorlus (and Bralen Trice on the outside). Zach Harrison has been a good EDGE for them over the past few years, but is kicking inside this year too, as a better run-defender. Behind Floyd, most of these names are more shots at dynasty value or a mid/late-season breakout for the rookies.
Chase Young, New Orleans Saints (FIF Consensus & EDGE36)
The former 2nd overall pick has found a home in New Orleans after inking a 3-year extension this offseason. While he has not lived up to the draft billing, Young has been solid over the past two years, with 66 pressures each year (top-18 both years). With Cam Jordan’s continued decline, Young should see a near-full-time role alongside Carl Granderson. The main differentiator between Young and Granderson is run-defense (and therefore tackle floor).
Granderson was a top-20 EDGE against the run in 2024, while Young just snuck inside the top-100. Young’s pass-rush ability has improved consistently in the NFL, while his run defense has equally regressed. The upside of double-digit sacks is somewhere in there, but he has no floor with just over two tackles per game in his career, landing him just inside EDGE3 range.
Best Value at DL
One could argue that anyone in this group is a value. Carl Granderson & Yaya Diaby are DL1 & 2 from the division, while being the consensus DL23 & 24. You are getting anyone for (close to) free! The correct answer is probably Haason Reddick, whose value has plummeted after a… tumultuous 2024. He has the highest ceiling of the group, shown from his time in Philadelphia, but is priced low enough that a repeat of 2024 won’t kill your squad
Defensive Back
Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers (FIF Consensus & DB5)
After finishing 2023 as the overall DB1, Winfield Jr. missed eight games in 2024. On a PPG basis, Winfield was still a borderline DB1, but the missed games dropped his totals immensely. The overall metrics were down in 2024 by a good margin, but is that the truth in a small sample size? After 4 years of elite (and improving) numbers, I will trust Winfield’s ability to return to that status. Winfield averaged 6.2 tackles/game before 2023 and closer to 7 from 2023-2024. Add in significant big-play numbers – 30 PBUs, 17 sacks, 7 INTs, & 9 FRs – over 68 career games, and you have an elite upside too.
Jessie Bates, Atlanta Falcons (FIF Consensus & DB6)
In two years with the Falcons, Bates has ascended from solid IDP play to an elite one. He has finished top-5 twice, totalling 234 tackles, 21 PBUs, and 11 Turnovers. The tackle numbers boost his floor, but usage causes concern about those rolling over. In two seasons with the Falcons, Bates has been aligned as a deep safety on 65% of snaps. This is down from 80% overall with Cincinnati, though we still typically see IDP success from the slot/box.
Bates has the consistency (top-13 S in 5 of 7 seasons) and big-play ability to overcome usage. Seeing tackles drop by 30 from 2023 to 2024 causes enough concern to drop him from the top-tier DBs, though he is a firm DB1.
Tre’Von Moehrig, Carolina Panthers (FIF Consensus & DB8)
One of my biggest shots for this season is the new Panthers’ box safety. Moehrig is coming off of his best season, with 104 tackles, 10 PBUs, and four turnovers in 2024. He finished as an S1 in the first season as a primary box safety. Only five safeties graded higher against the run than Moehrig in 2024, 4 of whom are bona fide stars. With little help in front of him in the LB room, Moehrig can ascend into the ranks of Branch, Love, Hamilton, and James if he continues his success. The combination of a significant projected box role with poor LB play and great run-defense pushes Moehrig into my DB1 range.
Tykee Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (FIF Consensus & DB33)
One of the most fascinating characters for 2024 IDP football is Tykee Smith. Positionally, will he be listed as a CB or S? The Buccaneers have opened camp with Smith as the top box-safety, which gives great potential for his role. As a CB in 2024, Smith finished with 53 tackles in a limited role while grading out as the 3rd best against the run & 34th best overall. If he does fully transition to a box role (was in slot/box for 667 of 672 snaps in 2024), the upside is high.
The Bucs have an elite running mate for Smith, a solid front, and a non-elite LB room to open up opportunities for the 2nd-year pro. Uncertainty and Winfield’s presence keep him as a DB3 for now, but the upside is far higher. If Smith still has CB eligibility in your leagues, steal him ASAP!
Justin Reid, New Orleans Saints (FIF Consensus & DB19)
Sometimes moving from a great team to a bad team can be great for IDP. Justin Reid is one of those instances, moving from the dynastic Chiefs to his hometown, rebuilding(?) Saints. Reid has been a solid DB2 for most of his career, including the last two years in KC with 90 tackles and 8 PBUs per year (with 3 total sacks and turnovers each). Reid has a great floor with great run-defense and an expected high-box usage. Reid was in the slot/box around 70% of snaps in Kansas City, which should remain true in a Honey Badger-less New Orleans.
Reid has been a steady force since entering the league and has been a favorite of mine. His usage and all-around skillset make him an easy DB2 who you can rely on, even if he does not have massive upside.
Alontae Taylor, New Orleans Saints (FIF Consensus & DB41)
Taylor had a spectacular IDP season in 2024, finishing as CB1 and DB11 overall. The season was a bit of fool’s gold, with three sacks in week 1 blowing up his season totals. If you remove that game (which you can’t), he was DB24 and CB5. Still a solid year, but not nearly as jaw-dropping. He still had a great 89 tackles and 16 PBUs, which is hard to beat from the CB position. His run defense grade was excellent last year, finishing as CB14. However, in 2023, only 2 CBs had a worse run-defense grade than Taylor. Overall, Taylor was PFF’s 131st graded CB (worst of 77 with 612+ snaps).
If the room were better, there would be concern about whether he could stay on the field. However, he is locked into a role with little competition. Taylor’s metrics seem too good to be true, which is why I keep him down in my CB/DB rankings.
Best Value at DB
Tre’Von Moehrig may be the most significant gap in rankings, given my high ranking of him. However, the most significant general value is New Orleans’ Justin Reid. He is as safe a bet as you can make for solid production, even in a new spot. He is steady, intelligent, and a force to be reckoned with on the field, where he will be a leader for the roster. He is going outside of the top 40 DBs at present, despite finishing outside of that range in an entirely healthy season only once. He will be on the field full-time, in a role that is ideal for IDP DBs. Reid is a steal of a floor-play at this time.
Thanks for taking the time to read the FANTASY IN FRAMES’ 2025 NFC SOUTH 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.***
