Howdy everyone, and welcome to my first article of the new year, 2026 IDP Dynasty Targets: Free Agency Edition!
Today, I’m going to be discussing six unrestricted free agents on the defensive side of the ball, in 2026, that you should be targeting in your IDP Dynasty Fantasy Football leagues based on age, versatility, efficiency, and/or productivity!
This year’s incoming IDP Rookie Class in the NFL Draft is going to be one of the deeper classes at defensive linemen and at linebacker in recent memory, which should make IDP Dynasty managers excited to try and make moves to pick up established defensive players NOW who might be coming off of down years but have a solid track record when given starting opportunities. With NFL Free Agency officially kicking off on March 11th, now is the perfect time to make acquisitions to get ahead of the curve of your league mates.
Now, let’s get the obvious out of the way. These veterans are not all going to be Top 12 in your IDP Dynasty Rankings; some might not even be Top 24. What they WILL be are players who are NFL Free Agents that have either shown Top 36 IDP scoring performances in your leagues or, more importantly, have shown that they have the efficiency metrics that, if given a starting role on whatever team signs them, can help solidify your defensive roster.
For those playing in combo leagues where there are offensive and defensive players on your dynasty rosters, you are in a HUGE spot, given how offensive players typically are given first priority when it comes to trades and acquisitions. Use that bias to your advantage.
Let’s get right down to it, here are my Top 6 IDP NFL Free Agents you should be trying to acquire ASAP in your IDP Dynasty Fantasy Football leagues!
*Stats Courtesy of Pro Football Focus, FantasyPros, & FantasyData*
Jaelan Philips EDGE
2025 Team(s): Philadelphia Eagles/Miami Dolphins
Age: 26.7
Jaelan Phillips in his #Eagles debut:
— Word On The Birds (@WordOnTheBirds) November 11, 2025
– 8 pressures
– 7 hurries
– 1 QB hit
– 6 total tackles
– 5 stops
– 1 forced fumble
– 1 fumble recovery pic.twitter.com/z7LS95R85R
2025 Statistics & Efficiency Metrics
PFF Grade: 74 (ED36)
Base Statistics: 53 Total Tackles, 14 QB Hits, 7 TFLs, 5 Sacks, 4 PDs, 1 FF, & 2 FR
Pressure Rate: 17.7% on 73 Total Pressures
Tackle Rate: 6.5%
Defensive Stops: 31
FantasyPros IDP Scoring Season Finish (PPG): DL42 averaging 6.9 PPG
IDP123 Scoring Season Finish (PPG): DL61 averaging 9.5 PPG
IDP Dynasty Analysis:
Hampered by season-ending injuries in 2023 and 2024, Jaelan Phillips returned with a vengeance in 2025, wreaking havoc in opposing teams’ backfields by applying a LOT pressure to opposing quarterbacks.
His 73 total pressures had him ranked 9th amongst EDGE Rushers, per PFF, in 2025, and his defensive stop count number (a number used to reflect the quality of the defensive plays made on the field that resulted in the offense failing to obtain meaningful field position) of 31 had him ranked as the ED14.
His win rate %, which reflects how often he would beat blocking assignments against him, was 18.8%, putting him at EDGE 8 for the season. Finally, his passing-rushing productivity metric, which takes into account sacks, QB Hits, and other pressure-measuring stats and combines them relative to how many times a player rushed the passer, was 10, which made him a Top 15 EDGE Rusher in 2025. The guy was on fire.
The Bad Part: He only tallied five sacks all year. He would find himself, right there, on the verge of a sack, and for one reason or another, either someone else would swoop in and reap the rewards of his hard work, or the Quarterback would just find a way to slip away. The ultimate example of sometimes, “shit happens.”
The Good Part: Jaelan Phillips, when healthy, has shown he has elite upside not only in applying pressure to the QB, but also in helping your IDP Fantasy Football team. If you go back to 2022, his last full season in terms of total games played as well as his second year in the league, he had a pressure rate of 14.6% and tallied 9 sacks, which helped him finish DL36 in FantasyPros IDP PPG and DL39 in IDP123 PPG.
In 2023, his third year in the league, we started to see his full potential on display for fantasy football, finishing as the DL3 in FantasyPros IDP PPG scoring and the DL5 in IDP123 PPG scoring, AND THAT’S with him only playing in 12 games due to a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 12.
While his injury history has been unfortunate the past few seasons, I view 2025 as his “Getting Acclimated Back To The NFL” year. His pressure rate is already right where it needs to be. All he needs is some positive regression, which will happen, in the sack department, and he’ll be an excellent piece to your defensive line position on your IDP Dynasty team.
Nakobe Dean LB
2025 Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Age: 25.2
Nakobe Dean feels like this year’s Milton Williams: a breakout player who likely priced himself out of Philly at a position Eagles are stacked at.
— Fly Eagles Fly Bets (@Fly_EaglesBets) February 19, 2026
No one expected Dean to return from injury and look even better than before, but he did exactly that. He became a true leader on… pic.twitter.com/d78hMyoBH3
2025 Statistics & Efficiency Metrics
PFF Grade: 61.7 (LB46)
Base Statistics: 65 Total Tackles, 7 TFLs, 6 QB Hits, 4 Sacks, 2 FF, & 1 PD
Tackle Rate: 13.2%
Missed Tackle Rate: 15.9%
Defensive Stops: 23
FantasyPros IDP Scoring Season Finish (PPG): LB23 averaging 11.9 PPG
IDP123 Scoring Season Finish (PPG): LB40 averaging 13.9 PPG
IDP Dynasty Analysis:
A torn patellar tendon in January of 2025 could have potentially been a career-ending injury for Nakobe Dean. As someone who tore his quadraceps tendon, not by doing something heroic like making an all-world play on the football field, but rather slipping and falling down the stairs, I was extremely sensitive to his injury as I too was told I might not ever regain my mobility to the degree that I was used to prior to the injury. However, thanks to advancements in modern medicine, Dean’s dedication to his pursuit of a career as a professional football player, and my watching Triple H’s Return to MSG from 2002 videos on YouTube over and over again, we BOTH showed people wrong.
Prior to Dean’s injury, in his 2024-2025 season, he was on a tear, no pun intended, as he was ranked PFF’s LB13 with a 14.2% tackle rate on 128 Total Tackles and with a pressure rate of 21% on 3 Sacks, 7 TFLs, and 6 QB Hits. That season, he was the LB5 in PPG in FantasyPros IDP scoring and the LB8 in PPG in IDP123 scoring.
In 2025, once he returned to playing above 60% of snaps in Week 8, he averaged 15.9 PPG in IDP123 scoring and 14.4 PPG in FantasyPros IDP scoring.
Trust the efficiency. Trust the performance. Wherever he goes in Free Agency, trust him to keep on producing at a high level. Go out and acquire him ASAP.
Leo Chenal LB
2025 Team: Kansas City Chiefs
Age: 25.3
Intercepted by Leo Chenal!
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
BALvsKC on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/kyG1dpBcg1
2025 Statistics & Efficiency Metrics
PFF Grade: 75.1 (LB19)
Base Statistics: 54 Total Tackles, 5 QB Hits, 2 TFLs, 2 Sacks, 2 PD, & 1 INT
Tackle Rate: 10.2%
Missed Tackle Rate: 8.2%
Defensive Stops: 24
FantasyPros IDP Scoring Season Finish (PPG): LB89 averaging 5.7 PPG
IDP123 Scoring Season Finish (PPG): LB108 averaging 7.9 PPG
IDP Dynasty Analysis:
Leo Chenal is one of the most slept-on linebackers in the NFL and for IDP Fantasy Football. Over the past three seasons, as a four-year veteran, he has had a combined tackle rate of 11.5%, a missed tackle rate of 7.3%, and a pressure rate of 13.6%. Not flashy, just efficient.
Over the past three seasons, on average, he has had a higher PFF Overall Grade and Run Defense Grade than incumbents Nick Bolton and Drew Tranquill at the off-ball linebacking position for the Chiefs.
He reminds me of a younger Kaden Ellis, a jack of all trades type of linebacker that might not excel at one specific level of production, something IDP managers desperately look for, which is narrow-minded in my opinion, but rather he pulls the right tools out at the right time, given the matchup on the field.
Chenal is a fantastic low-cost acquisition in IDP dynasty. Why? Because people like to box score chase and not really dive deep into the weeds of what makes a player a viable asset for their fantasy football teams. That’s true on the offensive side of the ball as well. Chenal should get an opportunity to be a team’s LB2 in free agency, and if that’s the case, if you trade for him ASAP, you might have found the biggest diamond in the rough at the LB position WAY BEFORE your leaguemates do.
Kaden Ellis LB
2025 Team: Atlanta Falcons
Age: 30.6
Kaden Elliss with a great PBU 🚫
— NFL (@NFL) December 30, 2025
LARvsATL on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/4i1twOLDzW
2025 Statistics & Efficiency Metrics
PFF Grade: 68.7 (LB33)
Base Statistics: 107 Total Tackles, 10 TFLs, 10 QB Hits, 6 PDs, 4 Sacks, 1 INT, & 1 FF
Tackle Rate: 9.6%
Missed Tackle Rate: 11.7%
Defensive Stops: 41
FantasyPros IDP Scoring Season Finish (PPG): LB33 averaging 10.7 PPG
IDP123 Scoring Season Finish (PPG): LB33 averaging of 14.4 PPG
IDP Dynasty Analysis:
Well, what do you know…
As referenced in my Leo Chanal breakdown, Kaden Ellis is another jack-of-all-trades linebacker who is an NFL Free Agent you should be targeting in your IDP Dynasty leagues. Yes, he is older than other players in this article, but don’t let that scare you off.
In 2025, he was second in the league among qualified off-ball linebackers in pressures (30), tied for 6th in sacks (4), and 4th in win % going against offensive blocking (18.8%). It is this versatility that continues to make him an IDP asset.
Kamren Curl DB
2025 Team: Los Angeles Rams
Age: 26.8
Kamren Curl: the most underrated player in the NFL pic.twitter.com/9EH8coVl1e
— brady (@burgermanders) January 19, 2026
2025 Statistics & Efficiency Metrics
PFF Grade: 73.1 (S17)
Base Statistics: 122 Total Tackles, 5 PDs, 2 TFLs, 2 Sacks, 2 INTs, & 1 FF
Box Snap Count: 291 (26.2%)
Defensive Stops: 32
FantasyPros IDP Scoring Season Finish (PPG): DB10 averaging 10.9 PPG
IDP123 Scoring Season Finish (PPG): DB8 averaging 14.5 PPG
IDP Dynasty Analysis:
From his time in Washington to his time in Los Angeles, Kamren Curl has been a fairly consistent option, finishing in the Top 24 in fantasy points per game scored in both FantasyPros and IDP123 scoring in two of the past three seasons. While we’ve seen him be aligned more in a coverage role with the Rams, his box snap alignments are still fairly high, making him a low-cost option in your IDP Dynasty leagues.
Nick Cross DB
2025 Team: Indianapolis Colts
Age: 24.4
Greg Rosenthal ranks former Maryland safety Nick Cross as the 42nd-best free agent:
— Inside Maryland Sports (@Terrapins247) February 23, 2026
“A stat stuffer unlocked by defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, Cross creates pressures and run stuffs. He’s someone you can structure a defense around.” pic.twitter.com/WWEC6NlhM9
2025 Statistics & Efficiency Metrics
PFF Grade: 59.8 (S74)
Base Statistics: 120 Total Tackles, 6 QB Hits, 5 TFLs, 5 PDs, 3 Sacks, 1 INT, & 1 FF
Box Snap Count: 551 (49.5%)
Defensive Stops: 38
FantasyPros IDP Scoring Season Finish (PPG): DB11 averaging 10.8
IDP123 Scoring Season Finish (PPG): DB9 averaging 14.5 PPG
IDP Dynasty Analysis:
Many IDP analysts entered the 2025 NFL season unsure whether Nick Cross would repeat as a top defensive back option for IDP managers. The concern stemmed from the change to the new defensive coordinator, Lou Anarumo’s scheme, and what that might mean for Cross’ box role, which made him so successful in IDP fantasy football.
Whelp, 551 box snaps later, most in the NFL by a safety, 120 total tackles, 3rd most by a defensive back, and a Top 10 scoring option in both FantasyPros & IDP123 scoring over the past two seasons makes Cross an elite option at defensive back that dynasty managers should focus on. Obviously, landing spot and usage will play a big role in whether his box usage will remain constant, but you would have to think wherever he lands, a defensive coordinator will maximize what he does best, which, ultimately, will be great news for IDP managers.