Snap Count Crimes: The Unsolved Mysteries of IDP, where we attempt to track down and solve the mysteries behind some of the most peculiar cases from this past season.
Somewhere in America… every Sunday afternoon… fantasy managers stare at their phones in disbelief.
A highly drafted linebacker sits on the bench while a no-name backup racks up tackles. An elite edge rusher — a first-round fantasy pick — mysteriously disappears for long stretches of the game. A promising young defensive back logs just 38 snaps… in a blowout. Some of these players are never seen or heard about ever again.
These are not random acts of bad luck. These are Snap Count Crimes.
Tonight, we examine the 2026 Dynasty Season through this lens. In this first installment, we examine the cold case files from last year that continue to plague IDP leagues across the country. From the mysterious playing time of former first-rounders, to the coaches who refuse to play their best defensive players, to the baffling rotations that leave fantasy managers screaming at their televisions.
Some of these crimes may never be solved. But one thing is certain…
If you play IDP… you’ve already been a victim. For every mystery, there is someone, somewhere, who knows the truth. Perhaps someone is watching. Perhaps….it’s you.
We present to you some of The Unsolved Mysteries of IDP from 2025.
Crime Scene #1: The Vanishing Every-Down Linebacker
Suspect: Akeem Davis-Gaither (LB, Indianapolis Colts)
The Crime:
Expected to be a full-time starter in 2025, but opened the season playing at 37% defensive snaps. The Cardinals leaned heavily into three-safety sets, leaving him rotting on the sideline while fantasy managers who drafted him in the middle rounds watched in horror.
For a player who was once the Cincinnati Bengals’ team captain. The tape will show you he is a really fun player to watch in run support, and it’s been noted about his leadership and locker room presence. Would any team love to have a guy like that and his presence, right?
Turns out it was Mack Wilson to get the every-down role. This was an early-season shock. For the first month of the season, he only cracked 80% just one time and had zero double-digit tackle games (and literally just three the rest of the season). Forensics at the crime scene also detailed that he had no splash plays to go with that
So what happened to Akeem Davis-Gaither’s snap counts? Did he know too much? Did he upset the coach? Was he being blackmailed? Or worse yet, maybe he just wasn’t a very good player at all.
Turns out it wasn’t any of that. It was his lack of coverage play. Careful observers already noted that he was coming off the bench with the Bengals for a reason. The player cleaned up on obvious passing downs, but when left in coverage, an abysmal 54.5 PFF grade. To put that into comparison, he was ranked 71st out of 88 linebackers.
Status: Open Case:
We know who this player is now, but questions still linger on. With a new team this season, the Colts claimed it was “scheme,” but many suspect it was a quiet demotion. The jury is still out as witnesses have reported the Colts also selected two Rookies in this year’s draft class, CJ Allen, a bona fide LB1, and Bryce Boettcher, a tantalizing prospect who demonstrated he could play green dot or outside role at the Senior Bowl. Right now, it looks like ADG is set as one of the two starting linebackers again this year, but will deja vu happen again, and for how long could he keep this duo off the field?
Crime Scene #2: The Rotational Edge Mystery
Suspect: Bradley Chubb (Edge, Miami Dolphins)
The Crime:
A former sack artist who was supposed to bounce back in 2025, but coaches kept him in heavy rotation, in fact, he hovered around 65-78% snap share for the first ten of the first eleven games, resulting in a middling 5 sacks during those long stretches.
He’d flash big games, then disappear for weeks. Fantasy owners were left asking: Why won’t they just let him hunt? It took until after the bye week (week 13 onward) for Chubb to receive three 80% snap games in the last five games. The results? 3.5 sacks, though those last five games.
Status: Solved.
Many believe scheme + coaching stubbornness was the real culprit. Coming off a major injury and ACL, perhaps the team was taking it easy here. Chubb clearly has something left in the tank and now goes to his new team, the Buffalo Bills, where they need someone to log competent snaps in their 3-4 scheme. Turning 30 years old this season, this is still the perfect age in redraft to have a memorable season. Don’t let last year’s tomfoolery be the judge, jury, and executioner for you. This case is closed.
Crime Scene #3: The Linebacker Who Disappeared
Suspect: Kenneth Murray (LB, Dallas Cowboys/ UFA)
The Crime:
The number 23rd overall pick of the 2020 Draft class showed flashes of high-upside production throughout his career, but never seemed to put it together. Joining the Defense (less) Dallas Cowboys, all IDP managers were stunned to see that in Week One, he was wearing the green dot over the likes of Jack Sanborn.
In fact, for the first eight of nine games, Murray had a perfect 100% snap rate and was a three-down player throughout, finishing with 67 tackles during this stretch. This went on for quite some time, as Demarvion Overshown didn’t come back until Thanksgiving. The tape showed terrible linebacker play, but he was getting the volume right? How soon would it be until he got pulled or worse a rotation where I dont know who is getting the snaps?
This became one of the most frustrating committees in all of Football, often playing below, mixing in, and vampiring each other for tackles on defense. Owners who reached for him or believed in the early-season hype were punished by a coaching staff that refused to hand someone else the full job — one of the most frustrating “what if” cases of the 2025 season. Then one day he disappeared.
Status: Solved.
PFF has the lead on this; Murray recorded the lowest defensive grade with 38.8, which was dead last, 88th out of 88 linebackers. It goes without saying that when you are not good, you don’t get the job. Chalk last season as an odd anomaly, the case on Murray has been written, and he could be safely dropped in Dynasty leagues regardless of where (or how) he is schemed.
Crime Scene #4: The Safety Who Got Buried
Suspect: Jaden Hicks (DB, Kansas City Chiefs)
The Crime:
Coming into 2025 with high expectations, but inconsistent snap counts and sub-package usage kept his tackle totals lower than they should have been. He was a boom-or-bust weekly headache despite talent.
Status: Partially solved — Bears’ defensive scheme was blamed, but many suspect poor game scripting played a role.
Jaden Hicks entered the league as a fourth-round steal. In his rookie season, he delivered 29 tackles, five pass breakups, two run stops, and three interceptions — earning a respectable 72.2 PFF grade thanks to his ball-hawking instincts and coverage chops.
Then Year 2 arrived… and the production evaporated.
Even with three starts, Hicks failed to intercept a single pass, recorded zero tackles for loss, and saw his coverage grade plummet. His overall PFF mark dropped all the way to 62.2. This is alarming.
So my take here is that we, as IDP Managers, can only hold so many “stashes” on our team, and the defensive back position is limitless, with so much to choose from. I’d rather leave him to waivers or let someone else get excited about what could have been.
A promising rookie trajectory… suddenly derailed.
