Ascending Assets: IDPs on the Rise
Discover the top IDP dynasty risers poised to deliver long-term fantasy football value through expanded snaps, improved roles, and breakout production.
Staying ahead of value is key in dynasty. Redrafters adjust draft boards based on one-year projections, but dynasty managers must be constantly thinking ahead, cashing out on assets just before they decline in value, and buying in before the boom. While even the best dynasty managers miss (often) when buying and selling - dynasty is indeed a fickle friend - it’s tough to build a contender with draft selections alone.
The point of this piece is to help identify some IDPs who aren’t valued by dynasty managers where they should be, whether that’s due to perception, coaching and scheme changes, or situational factors.
First, a few notes on this article:
The IDP content streets are jammed with rookie prognostications, so I’m avoiding anyone who hasn’t yet played an NFL snap.
There’s no need for me to write about the likes of Vikings EDGE Dallas Turner and Jaguars linebacker Ventrell Miller. The off-season winners have been well defined and written about.
I’ve noted statistical sources except for alignment data, which is from Pro Football Focus (PFF).
Comeback Kids
Don your rally caps: These IDPs once had decent dynasty value. Now they’re making a comeback.
DT Christian Barmore, New England Patriots
It’s fair to wonder what Barmore is doing on this list. He was, after all, the first defensive tackle taken in the 2021 NFL Draft, and after an 8.5-sack, 64-tackle season in 2023, New England rewarded him with a massive four-year extension. But he played just 123 defensive snaps over four games in ‘24 due to a blood clot scare, and his dynasty stock plummeted with his playing career in jeopardy. So even though he was overshadowed last season by Milton Williams, 2025 was big for Barmore, given he played in all 17 games and saw his snap share return to a near-career high of 65 percent. What wasn’t big was his fantasy production, and he was well out of starting consideration with just two sacks and 29 total tackles.
The surface-level numbers don’t tell the story, though, and mask a season in which Barmore set a career high in regular-season pressures (per PFF) with 50. And according to Next Gen Stats, he finished tied for fourth among defensive tackles in total quick pressures (generating a pressure in less than three seconds), and his pressure rate was third overall among defensive tackles, behind just Jeffery Simmons and Ed Oliver (who played just 108 snaps). Entering his age-27 season, Barmore has prime years remaining. Provided his sack numbers come in line with his pressures and the low tackle total rebounds to a more respectable number (45-50 range), we’re looking at a low-end DT1 or high-end DT2, and an asset that is once again on the ascent.
LB Divine Deablo, Atlanta Falcons
Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich heaped praise last off-season on Deablo, who Atlanta brought in to be the centerpiece of the defense. He did miss four games with a broken forearm, but even when healthy, Deablo was nothing more than an LB4, with just 73 combined tackles over 750 snaps. Still, there’s good reason to remain bullish on Deablo’s chances of returning to or exceeding his previous peak value, which occurred after a 2023 season - the only one in which he logged a triple-digit tackle total. As for those pluses, Atlanta bulked up a little up front with the Da’Shawn Hand and Maason Smith additions, and the bigger bodies should better help keep the second-level defenders free to make plays on the ball. There’s also less experienced competition for full-time snaps at off-ball, with Kaden Elliss heading back to division rival New Orleans. The Falcons only invested one-year deals in Christian Harris and Channing Tindall on the free agent market, and Day 3 selections on Kendal Daniels (fourth round) and Harold Perkins Jr. (sixth).
Value according to the IDP Show trade calculator is on par with nondescript edge rushers like Josh Sweat and Carl Granderson, safety Quentin Lake, and linebacker Quincy Williams. Diablo’s weirdly low 2025 tackle total aside, it would be a surprise if he didn’t surpass his previous career high in tackles. He’s just 28, and solid in all areas. A big year would likely result in an extension or starter’s contract on the open market.
S Tyler Nubin, New York Giants
Nubin was the highest regarded (and drafted) safety from the 2024 rookie class, typically coming off the board in the mid-third to early fourth rounds in 14- and 16-team leagues after the New York Giants selected him in the second round. And after a solid showing as an S3 (98 combined tackles over 790 snaps in 13 games), Nubin typically made his way into the top 10 of dynasty safety rankings. Like all things Big Blue, it fell apart in 2025.
My optimism for a Nubin rebound comes from a couple of places, most notably on the defensive coaching staff front. Shane Bowen and interim Charlie Bullen are gone, and in is former Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, whose background is coaching defensive backs (with the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and Baltimore Ravens before he landed the Titans’ coordinator job). If Wilson can help refine Nubin’s tackling technique and play into his strengths as an instinctual in-the-box playmaker, might he be able to develop him into Jamal Adams Lite? That might be a long shot, but I still think the change is a very good one for Nubin.
Per Wilson’s tendencies in Tennessee, I’d expect the Giants to lean more heavily into split safety looks. In 2025, per Sharp Football Analysis, the Giants played middle field closed (single high) at the fifth-highest rate in the league at 58.3 percent, while the Titans played it at a rate closer to the league average at 46.5 percent. New York also rotated its top three safeties into the post, and despite the interception production in college, that’s not putting Nubin in a position to play to his strengths.
Also on the personnel side, the trio of Nubin, Dane Belton, and Jevon Holland was a bit repetitive from a player strengths perspective. Belton is a better tackler than Nubin, but they’re both limited and better in split-field and box roles. Replacing Belton with John Harbaugh’s favorite Ar’Darius Washington creates a better dynamic for Nubin, with Washington and Holland more capable of handling deep field or slot duties. The end result is, hopefully, a higher percentage of box snaps for Nubin and a higher tackle total. The trade calculator equates his value right now to a mid-fourth round rookie pick, and that seems fair, although I’d try for less if you’re looking for upside in your third safety spot.
On the Cusp
The time is very near for these IDPs to see a significant increase in value.
ED Nick Herbig, Pittsburgh Steelers
Herbig is one of the more obvious selections for this list, and as such, he won’t necessarily come at a discount if you’re looking to make a move in fantasy. But I’d be remiss not to mention him, given he’s a season away from free agency, and he’s been nails as a third EDGE/injury fill-in over the past two seasons. A fourth-round pick, Herbig had size concerns at 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, and was reportedly viewed by several teams as a future off-ball. With 13 sacks on 73 pressures (per PFF) over 1,025 snaps over the past two seasons, Herbig is now established as a legitimate threat off the edge, and is going to likely bag a contract in the range of $15 million per season - a figure likely out of Pittsburgh’s price range given the money invested in TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith over the next two seasons. So, assuming he hits the free agent streets, he’ll see a value bump as dynasty managers will consider him to have a more consistent floor as an every-week starter.
DT Osa Odighizuwa, San Francisco 49ers
Odighizuwa is no stranger to the DT-premium community, having been a consistent yet unspectacular DT3/DT4 since his second season in 2022. In his past four years with the Cowboys, you could pretty much count on three to four sacks and 45 combined tackles - and nothing more. So why should we expect anything different heading into year six and his age-28 season?
A new home is the easy answer, as Odighizuwa isn’t anything like San Francisco’s top returnees, rising second-year tackles Alfred Collins and CJ West. The Niners didn’t get any juice out of their primary tackles in 2025, with Collins, Kalia Davis, Jordan Elliott, and West reaching a rather pitiful 47 pressures over the group’s combined 1,725 snaps. Acquired for a third-round pick, Odighizuwa has talked (on Richard Sherman’s podcast) about the 49ers varying up his techniques and rushes to reduce predictability. Considering Bryce Huff’s retirement and Nick Bosa’s recovery from a torn ACL (his third, and second in his right knee), new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris should be prioritizing pass rush from anywhere on the line, meaning a snap share close to 80 percent could be on tap for Odighizuwa this season.
LB Payton Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
I’ll admit it’s entirely possible I’m just being stubborn with Wilson, but I truly believe it’s time to pounce in leagues I’m without. The cases to be made against the rising third-year off-ball are simple: He hasn’t been able to hold down a full-time job, he’s already 26, he has a lengthy injury history, and reportedly no longer has an ACL in his right knee. While the ACL diagnosis has never been substantiated - nor totally denied - Wilson has said he hasn’t had any issues with the knee since 2018. And it’s not unprecedented for NFL players to have long careers without the ligament; Steelers great Hines Ward played 14 years without one in his left knee, and when he found out he didn’t have it, he joked, “Good, I can’t tear it.”
The most concerning of those concerns is Wilson’s failure to stay on the field for three downs due to run-down deficiencies. Last season, from Weeks 1 through 17, Wilson’s snap share ranged from 87.5 percent to 40 percent. Yet despite the 63 percent snap share (732 snaps) on the year, he amassed 126 combined tackles - good for 18th among all defenders. And, he’s a good coverage linebacker. Guess who is not? Patrick Queen. In fact, in two seasons as the Steelers’ full-time off-ball, Queen really hasn’t been good at anything. Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin are no longer in Pittsburgh, and there’s room for Wilson to play a larger role in Patrick Graham’s system. Even if it’s not as the No. 1 off-ball, a more consistent 75 percent to 80 percent role - similar to what Divine Deablo saw next to Robert Spillane on Graham’s ‘23 and ‘24 Las Vegas Raiders squads - would be beneficial for Wilson’s fantasy consistency, and provide a higher tackle ceiling.
Further, Queen is scheduled to hit free agency next offseason, and given Pittsburgh’s volume of visits with rookie off-balls (though the Steelers didn’t draft one), I don’t see Queen returning. That would put Wilson in the driver’s seat in 2027 with an opportunity to cement a new contract and his place as the defensive signal-caller for a few seasons.
The trade calculator lists Wilson’s value at the turn from the second round to the third (2026 or 2027), and I’d hop on those offers.
S Kevin Winston Jr., Tennessee Titans
The 2025 third-round pick is set to assume a full-time role as the second safety next to Amani Hooker. Winston saw time over the slot (116 snaps), in the box (62 snaps), and at free safety (116 snaps) as a rookie, and figures to again see a versatile role with a high snap ceiling now that veterans Xavier Woods and Quandre Diggs are officially done. Former Jet Tony Adams figures to come on in big nickel looks, but provided his health holds up, Winston shouldn’t come off the field.
I Want to Believe
I really like these IDPs enough to buy into them, but I recognize the decent chance they won’t become regular starters for my squads.
ED Jalyx Hunt, Philadelphia Eagles
Hunt enjoyed a breakout second season with 6.5 sacks on 55 pressures (per PFF), and a healthy 17.3 percent pressure rate, per Next Gen Stats (for reference, Micah Parsons and Nik Bonitto are just above 20 percent). A converted safety with an outside linebacker frame at 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds, Hunt has a high ceiling from a development perspective but will have to overcome a snap ceiling with Jonathan Greenard in town as the No. 1 EDGE, and Nolan Smith still around as a superior run defender. Hunt is currently just inside my personal top 100 dynasty assets, and would rocket into the top 50 if his pressure and sack numbers improve by 20 percent in Year 3.
ED Josaiah Stewart, Los Angeles Rams
Granted, the Rams will slide tackles Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske out to the edge to absorb snaps, but Stewart somewhat surprisingly remains the unchallenged No. 3 EDGE for the NFC’s Los Angeles team. And, there’s a clear path at the moment to starting duties in 2027, assuming the Rams decide to let Byron Young test the green waters of free agency.
I’d anticipate Young to indeed become one of the higher-paid edge rushers next off-season, and I don’t see the Rams playing Huckleberry in contract negotiations, given Turner and Puka Nacua are likely to be higher priorities. Stewart, for his part, showed well enough as a rookie (three sacks on 21 pressures - per PFF - over 374 defensive snaps) to think he may be able to transition to a starter’s level snap share.
LB Nickolas Martin, San Francisco 49ers
There wasn’t much to Martin’s rookie season, given he played defensive snaps in just two games (15 total, and 14 in one of those games) before suffering a nasty concussion in Week 13. If you include the special teams statistics, he logged 11 combined tackles. So why keep the light on for the 2025 third-rounder? While the Niners brought back Dre Greenlaw to man the weakside off-ball spot next to Fred Warner, they jettisoned Dee Winters during the draft in a trade with Dallas. That removed a potential long-term impediment.
The older Greenlaw (29) is playing on a one-year deal after bombing in Denver, so it’s not inconceivable that Martin could be in line for starter snaps in 2027 should he impress when given the opportunity in 2026. And San Francisco does a great job of developing linebackers, from Warner to Greenlaw to Winters to Tatum Bethune.
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