DL Streaming 101: Week 1
Professor IDP looks at the best DE and DT streaming options in your IDP fantasy football leagues for Week 1.
Welcome to the Week 1 edition of DL Streaming 101! In future weeks, I’ll break down how things went for the week and season at the start of each lesson. Since we are (finally) in Week 1, let’s hop right in after just a few quick explainers.
My ratings are based on a combination of player metrics and ratings as well as opponent ratings (described here).
This is my fourth year breaking down DTs and my third year focusing on DEs. Past performance of my modeling (and a primer on streaming DL) can be found here.
Each week, I’ll select 20 streaming options at DT or DE from the list of players rostered in less than 50% of IDP leagues on MyFantasyLeague. Half of these options will be rostered in less than 25% of IDP leagues to help those of you in larger formats. While I provide the underlying metrics that led me to suggest these players, I will also feature six defensive linemen for greater examination. If you play in shallow IDP leagues and have questions, paid subscribers to theidpshow.com have access to Mike Woellert’s weekly projections, which cover many higher-end options that don’t meet my streaming criteria.
I will continue to use ratings (and sort within groups) as I have done in the past:
Ideal players are those whom I would start in virtually any format. (🎓🎓🎓🎓)
Solid players are guys I would be comfortable playing in leagues where there are 16-24 starters at the position. (🎓🎓🎓)
Solid (deeper) players are better plays for your leagues with best ball elements or where there are 28+ starters at each position. (🎓🎓)
Dart throw players have significant red flags (usually due to usage) but also increased potential to boom due to pass rush ability and/or advantageous matchups. (🎓)
With that out of the way, let’s get into our first batch of DL streamers for the 2025 NFL season!
Featured DL Streamers
Quinnen Williams, DT, NYJ (🎓🎓🎓)
It’s not often that I get to write about Quinnen Williams in a streaming article, so I am taking advantage of it while I can. Somehow, Williams is only rostered in 45% of IDP leagues on MFL and 43% of Sleeper leagues. Granted that 2024 was a year to forget as DL56 (and scoring an abysmal 4.25 points across the final four weeks of the season, including missing Week 16), his 2023 finish as DL40 and 2022 finish as DL7 (DT1) are still fresh in my memory. While this is not the scoring trajectory you want to see in a dynasty league, a deeper dive into his metrics reveals that in 2024, Williams had two more pressures (54) than during his DT1 campaign in 2022 (52). He also plays ideal DT snap shares. Between Weeks 4 and 14 of last season, he played a minimum of 63% and averaged over 70% of snaps.
The Jets face the Steelers in Week 1 with Williams likely to draw Isaac Seumalo, who finished as PFF's 42nd-best pass-blocking guard last season. Forty-one-year-old Aaron Rodgers was middle of the pack last season in allowing pressures, but the Jets had a markedly better offensive line than the Steelers (and Rodgers is another year older), and so there should be sack opportunities for Williams and company.
Milton Williams, DT, NE (🎓🎓🎓)
From one Williams nearing the end of his career to another who is ascending, Milton Williams had a great deal of buzz during free agency, but this has not translated to a high roster share in fantasy. While fantasy managers have been stung by many New England defenders in the past, Williams looks to occupy a full-time role on the Patriots' defensive line after signing a four-year deal worth over $100 million. This contract was earned despite a limited production profile in Philadelphia, thanks in large part to a league-leading 91.7 pass rush grade per PFF.
Williams will make his Patriots debut against the Raiders in Week 1, and while Las Vegas projects to have a solid offensive line, they gave up the 8th most points per game to defensive tackles last season, including big performances from some underwhelming DT rooms. While Williams represents a good streaming option for Week 1, he is also a great claim and hold player. His season-long outlook is bright, and once he has his breakout game, he will be much harder to acquire.
Carl Granderson, DE, NO (🎓🎓🎓)
The Saints may not be very good in 2025 and this may limit the upside for the team’s pass rushers. However, you could do worse for a streamer than a player who has had eight or more sacks each of the past three seasons, routinely plays 70% or more of his team’s snaps, and is coming off a career-high 61 QB pressures in 2024. Carl Graderson looks to build off of a solid 2024 campaign in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. The line is currently 6.5, suggesting the Saints might make it interesting and force Kyler Murray to pass. Last season, Murray was responsible for 25 of the pressures he faced, which was the 10th most in the NFL. Granderson will also likely frequently face former first round pick Jonah Williams, who has been incredibly inconsistent in his five-year career.
Dayo Odeyingbo, DE, CHI (🎓🎓🎓)
A familiar face for DL streamers lands in a new place in 2025, with Dayo Odeyingbo making the short move from Indianapolis to Chicago. Odeyingbo may not be the most talented edge rusher in the NFL, with grades that would land him as a backup on most teams, but he should be given plenty of opportunity in 2025. Outside of Montex Sweat, the edge cupboard is bare in Chicago, and the team did not address the position in the recent NFL Draft, so it is unlikely Odeyingbo loses significant snaps anytime soon. He is also widely available, rostered in only 15% of MFL IDP leagues and 8% on Sleeper.
While the Bears open the season against the formidable Vikings offensive line, they are also essentially facing a rookie QB in JJ McCarthy, and it is rarely a bad idea to target rookie QBs in Week 1. Plus, who doesn’t love sweating a streamer pick on Monday Night Football?
B.J. Hill, DT, CIN (🎓🎓)
Yes, I am a Bengals fan, but B.J. Hill is a fantastic defensive tackle. Aside from the Week 2 game in which he was injured and the Week 5 game when he returned, Hill played at least 70% of snaps and as high as 90%. Hill should be relied upon just as heavily in 2025, with T.J. Slaton seen as a band-aid at DT2 and neither Kris Jenkins nor McKinnley Jackson seemingly ready to step into a significant role. While Hill’s Week 1 sack upside might be limited by a Browns team that will likely be committed to the run, Hill is among the best tackling interior defenders in the NFL with 39 tackles in 2025 (8th among DT) despite missing essentially four games. When the Browns do opt to pass, Hill will face a suddenly human-looking Wyatt Teller, who saw his PFF overall grade drop from his high watermark of 92.2 in 2020 down to a 62.6 in 2024 with a pass blocking grade that was good for 41st among qualifying guards.
Rashan Gary, DE, GB (🎓🎓)
Sadly, the other Packers edge rusher is rostered too highly to be streamed unless you are in a two team, start one IDP league, so we will look at Micah Parsons’ teammate, Rashan Gary. While we might have already seen the best of Gary during his 12 sack, 90.1 pass rush grade season in 2021, the fact that he is available in 55% of MFL leagues and 67% of Sleeper leagues caught me off guard. Gary also has a slight plus matchup in Week 1 against a Lions team that allowed the 13th most points to opposing edges last season, including some monster games.
What holds Gary back as a streaming option is his snap share. Without Parsons in 2024, Gary never played 70% of snaps and had eight games under 60%. While there is a hope/expectation that Gary will be Robin to Parsons’ Batman, there may be a learning curve to monitor over the first few weeks.
Good luck, and if you have any questions about deep DL plays, my office is always open on Twitter (@ProfessorIDP).
Be sure to subscribe to The IDP Show on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.