Welcome to the Week 1 edition of the IDP risers and fallers. We'll focus primarily on recent news that has changed the outlook for fantasy IDP significantly, though a few breakout candidates will also be highlighted. Please enjoy this article for Week 1, which is normally just for subscribers.
Risers
The Falcons caught everyone's attention on night one of the draft by adding both Leonard Floyd and James Pearce to their pass rushing, the latter of whom was added with an aggressive trade back into the first round. More quietly, they took a swing at remaking their secondary, and that appears to be paying dividends early.
We'll learn whether Billy Bowman (fourth-round selection) has fully overtaken Dee Alford for the starting slot corner role, but all indications during the preseason are that this is the case. Watts, the team's third-round pick, has all but been named the starting free safety. Watts gets the nod as being the named riser because his position is the more impactful IDP football position, but this Atlanta defense is going to look very different and potentially be a better group than anticipated.
Payton Wilson 
, Edgerrin Cooper 
Wilson and Cooper don't share a depth chart, but they are two of the best breakout candidates in 2025 after both benefitting from the departure of, or simply overtaking, more veteran competition. Wilson will benefit from Elandon Roberts heading to Las Vegas. He could lose out on some early-down work to Cole Holcomb, but Wilson's snap count should rise significantly from 494 in his rookie year.
Cooper was inconsistent as a rookie, but his disruptive playmaking ability was undeniable. He tallied 13 tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits and 3.5 sacks, all on 469 defensive snaps. Cooper should start opposite Quay Walker in the middle of the Green Bay defense immediately, and he's going to make his presence felt.
Schwesinger was the second true off-the-ball linebacker selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he could end up being the top rookie for fantasy purposes. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will unfortunately miss all of the upcoming season with a serious neck /head injury, but Schwesinger is likely to be, immediately, the point guard of the Cleveland defense.
There were murmurs throughout the offseason that the Buccaneers were high on Dennis and wanted him to start opposite of Lavonte David at inside linebacker. The team confirmed that with their action around cutdown day when they parted ways with Anthony Walker. Dennis is coming off a shortened 2024 season caused by a shoulder injury, but 2025 will be his first opportunity to shift away from being primarily a special teamer.
Tampa Bay is another NFC South team that quietly invested in its secondary, giving the team more flexibility in its alignment. Smith played primarily in the slot last season, but third-round pick Jacob Parrish and free-agent addition Kindle Vildor give the team multiple options at the position. That's also provided some flexibility to upgrade at free safety, opposite Antoine Winfield. Smith is the favorite for the role, not only stepping into a full-time starting role but also moving to a position where he can rack up a far greater volume of stats.
Other Winners: Evan Williams , Dee Winters
Fallers
The Packers have had quite an offseason regarding their defensive personnel. Their front seven is in good position both in terms of pass rush and run-stopping after the blockbuster addition of Micah Parsons.
The secondary is on the opposite end of the spectrum because the team made minimal investment. Nate Hobbs is the lone addition expected to make a big contribution, while they also lost long-time No. 1 corner Jaire Alexander to Baltimore. Even with that context, Bullard's role entering the season is unclear after Evan Williams appears to have won the strong safety role to start opposite Xavier McKinney. At best, that leaves Bullard as the slot corner, but Carrington Valentine could start outside and push Hobbs to the slot. That would leave Bullard without a regular spot on the defensive unit. Regardless of exactly how things shake out, Bullard didn't have a great rookie year, and this offseason has reflected that.
It's too early to write off Martin, but he was viewed as a reach when he was selected early in the third round of the 2025 draft. Dee Winters has been repping ahead of him with the first-team defense per reports, and Martin was most noticeable for missed tackles in the preseason. At the very least, a slow start looks likely.
/It's no surprise that coach Mike Vrabel is bringing his own brand and methodology to roster building in New England, and both of the Patriots' primary starters at safety last season have been on the wrong end of things. Peppers was cut after the team reportedly tried to trade him. Dugger is still on the roster but played late into the Patriots' final preseason game and appears to have lost his starting role to Jaylinn Hawkins.
Colson seemed to have a clear runway to becoming a key figure in the Chargers' defense after being selected by his college head coach, Jim Harbaugh, in the third round of last year's draft. Instead, he played only 209 defensive steps in 2024 and will spend the current campaign on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Colson's career, unfortunately, may be over before it has started.
