2025 IDP Season Recap: Defensive Back
Mike Woellert dives into seven of the top DB performances in 2025 to figure out what we can carry forward to 2026.
With the 2025 fantasy season in the rearview mirror, it’s time to dig into the numbers, review the tape, and see if we can figure out what really happened this season. I’ll be looking at the defensive line and linebackers in the weeks ahead, but we’re starting this week with the defensive back position—perhaps the trickiest of the three. Why? Because roles change quickly, scoring can swing wildly on a deflected pass, and a few snaps closer to the line of scrimmage can turn an afterthought into a league-winner.
So, let’s dive into seven notable DBs from 2025 using a mix of usage, efficiency, and context to see who truly broke out, and who was just riding the wave of opportunity, variance, or scheme. Which performances are sustainable heading into 2026, and which ones should make us pump the brakes when we fire up our drafts?
Nick Emmanwori, S, Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks got a steal when they drafted Nick Emmanwori in the 2nd round of 2025’s draft. However, the landing spot put Emmanwori’s usage into question. How would his new team and head coach Mike Macdonald deploy him?
Those questions were answered in Week 6. Emmanwori missed three weeks, and in Week 5, saw 64% of the snaps. The next week, he took over a full-time role and only played fewer than 90% of the snaps twice more the rest of the season.
As for his alignment, Emmanwori played 98% of his snaps on the line of scrimmage, mostly in the slot, but also as an LB due to injuries at the position, giving him a 37% box rate. He brought physicality to the defense and was all around the field.
Here’s an example of Emmanwori’s quickness and instincts that led to a TFL:
Despite missing three weeks, Emmanwori finished as a top 15 DBs in Big 3 Scoring formats and produced a 10.5% tackle rate. After Seattle’s Week 8 bye, he was the DB1 from Weeks 9-17, recording double-digit fantasy points in six of eight games.
The future is so bright for Emmanwori, he has to wear shades. As long as he stays healthy and maintains his role near the line of scrimmage, he should track for another DB1 season and be one of the top-12 DBs off the board in 2026.
Kamari Lassiter, CB, Houston Texans
Every year brings us a dominant CB season out of nowhere, and in 2025, it was Kamari Lassister’s turn. The Houston CB improved in his second season from a tackling and run defense standpoint, going from a 60.8 PFF grade in that category to an 83. The connection makes sense: Lassiter was more disciplined in his run fits and it led to improved tackling, with just 5 missed tackles this season (7 in 2024).
This was a solid play from Lassiter in run support. He’s lined up on Puka Nakua, and when he goes in motion, Lassiter’s eyes never seem to move off the back. The ball is snapped, and he immediately breaks and limits Williams to a few yards:
Lassiter’s improved run defense resulted in 15 more tackles in run support, and he allowed 16 more receptions than last year. He increased his tackle rate from 7.2% in 2024 to 9.5% in 2025. As we know, CB stats and performance are volatile, and it’s hard to imagine a repeat in 2026 as the #2 overall DB (not just CB). He’ll be a risky top 12 DB pick, but should be considered a top CB in CB-required leagues.
Tyson Campbell, CB, Cleveland Browns
The Browns acquired Tyson Campbell in a mid-season trade with the Jaguars for Greg Newsome and a 2026 6th-round pick, and he meshed well in Jim Schwartz’s defense. Sure, he had a few rough games in coverage against Chicago and Buffalo, but overall, he was a solid addition to the back end of the defense. He made an impact in the run and finished as Cleveland’s 8th highest graded defender by PFF (74.1).
He was targeted 51 times and 27 of his tackles came in run support. He also led the defense in passes defended (12), his second season with 10+ PDs in the last three.
I thought this was a decent rep that resulted in a tackle. Campbell is playing off Bowers a bit, but breaks quickly and limits any yardage after the catch:
He only had one INT, so his production was boosted by tackles, but coaching changes have his production in question for 2026. The Browns are typically man-heavy under Jim Schwartz, so a new coach or coordinator could potentially change that.
Nick Cross, S, Indianapolis Colts
I faded Nick Cross after a top 12 finish in 2024, especially with new DC Lou Anarumo in the picture. While he didn’t finish as DB1, Cross did clock in as DB9.
Cross played 489 snaps in the box in 2024, spent some time in the slot, and finished with 146 tackles. Under Anarumo, his role didn’t change much, as he played fewer snaps deep and spent more time around the line of scrimmage. He finished with 120 tackles, a far cry from 146, but still a big number for a DB.
To put it in context, Cross had more tackles than teammate Zaire Franklin, Kaden Elliss, Daiyan Henley, and several other high-volume tackling LBs. He was the second-leading tackler in the NFL at his position, behind only Kam Curl of the Rams.
Cross was quick and decisive, and just seemed to be in position around the ball to make tackles. Take this run as an example. Cross does a good job of stacking and shedding to make the tackle for no gain on RJ Harvey:
As long as there aren’t any major changes to the Colts’ scheme during the offseason, and it’s reasonable to think there won’t be any, I think Cross can be looked upon as a DB1 and a top-12 DB in 2026. We’ll see if he can sustain three straight years of production, as he’s played over 2,200 snaps over the last two seasons.
Xavier Watts, S, Atlanta Falcons
Xavier Watts was another rookie who made a quick impact not only for his team but his IDP managers, as well. Watts turned heads during training camp and the preseason and was immediately placed, much to our delight, not only into the starting lineup, but in a three-down role. He played 99.1% of the snaps as a rookie.
Watts played along the line of scrimmage on 63% of his snaps and had a 50% box rate, leading him to the threshold of a 100-tackle season (96). His coverage and ball hawk skills translated from his Notre Dame tape, as Watts finished with a 53% play on ball rate when targeted, resulting in 5 INTs and 11 defended passes.
On this pick, he reads Matthew Stafford and jumps the route to get the INT:
Watts’ game certainly translated to the pros, and just with him and James Pearce Jr. alone, it’s fair to say the Falcons nailed their 2025 draft. You can make an argument for Watts being the DB2 in dynasty, and he’ll be a top 15 DB pick next season.
Kevin Byard, S, Chicago Bears
Kevin Byard is a wily veteran who’s always been a solid tackler and playmaker, even if these last two DB1 seasons have felt like a bit of an outlier. Byard had a career-high 130 tackles in 2024 (third most by a DB that season) en route to a DB11 finish. He also added 2 sacks and his highest number of defended passes (7) since 2021.
This past season, Byard was a ball hawk with 7 INTs, his highest number since 2017. He also had 8 defended passes. He had no sacks and just 93 tackles.
I will say, Byard has tremendous range and eyes. Here, he tracks the ball out of Rattler’s hands and covers ground to snatch one of his seven INTs:
I’m not sure I’m banking on a third straight DB1 season from Byard. Yes, he’s playing in an aggressive defense, but Byard only had 7 total INTs from 2022-2024. I am not overpaying for Byard’s big plays, but if he’s there as a DB3, I’d consider him.
Geno Stone, S, Cincinnati Bengals
Geno Stone seemed to be in the right place at the right time in 2025, and it led to his first top-24 finish in Big 3 Scoring. He had a career-high 104 tackles, thanks in part to the highest line-of-scrimmage usage of his career, as he was deployed near the LOS on 38% of his snaps, with 35 of his 104 tackles coming near the LOS pre-snap.
While he didn’t have as many INTs as seasons past (2), he had 2 sacks and 4 TFLs. He could have had more tackles, but his tackle grade was abysmal (33.3), and he had the most misses of his career (23). He did have a career-high 65 solo tackles, though, so if you play in tackle-heavy leagues with high solo scoring, he finished even higher.
For as many tackles as he missed, Stone was also cleaning up a lot of missed tackles from the second level: rookie linebackers Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. combined for 34 missed tackles. Here’s an example of one such play where the Cincinnati defenders were allergic to tackling, and Stone made the solo:
Over the last few seasons, Stone has barely cracked the top-50 in Big 3 Scoring, so I am not buying this outlier season. I have to imagine Al Golden stresses fundamentals and tackling in the offseason, so I’m fading Stone in most formats in 2026.
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