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Welcome back, IDP Nerds! Two weeks of NFL football are in the books, and we’re starting to get a better idea of which early-season performances we can trust. We still have a small sample size, but snap shares, player usage, and matchup data are starting to give us more to work with. The Week 3 IDP Start/Sit features a few players looking to get their season back on track, while this impressive rookie class continues to give us plenty to talk about after another strong week.
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Before we jump into this week’s starts, sits, and streamers, it’s time to check the receipts from Week 2. Week 1 was a rough one for us, so we were definitely looking for a bounceback. Your engagement with the Accuracy Report has been great, and we’ll keep owning every call, good or bad, throughout the season. Let’s see if Week 2 was any kinder to us.
IDP Start/Sit Accuracy Report
Week 2 treated us a little better after a rough opening week. We finished with a 53.8% overall hit rate, led by a strong 4-for-6 showing from our starts. The sit recommendations also bounced back with two hits, while the streamers struggled at just 1-for-4. Jalyx Hunt led the way with 20.5 fantasy points after we trusted him to bounce back from a disappointing opener.
| Category | Week 2 | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Starts | 4/6 (66.7%) | 7/12 (58.3%) |
| Sits | 2/3 (66.7%) | 2/6 (33.3%) |
| Streamers | 1/4 (25.0%) | 3/7 (42.9%) |
| Overall | 7/13 (53.8%) | 12/25 (48.0%) |
Top Performer: Jalyx Hunt — 20.5 fantasy points
Injury Exclusions: 0
Players to Start | Week 3 IDP Fantasy Football
Defensive Line | Week 3 IDP Start/Sit
George Karlaftis | DL | Kansas City Chiefs
It’s been a slow start to the season for George Karlaftis, who currently sits at DL62 and is still looking for his first sack. The tackle numbers haven’t been great either, but I’m not ready to give up on him just yet. Karlaftis has played 87.5% of the defensive snaps through 2 games, so he’s still getting plenty of opportunities to make plays.
This feels like a great matchup for Karlaftis to finally get going. Miami has allowed 9 sacks through 2 games, an average of 4.5 per game. There’s also a chance the Dolphins find themselves playing from behind and are forced to throw the ball more than they would like. That’s exactly the type of game script we want for a pass rusher. Karlaftis hasn’t given IDP managers much to be excited about yet, but I like his chances to be a big disruptor in this one.
Myles Murphy | DL | Cincinnati Bengals
Myles Murphy should be happy to see the Pittsburgh Steelers on the schedule this week. He had one of his best games of the 2025 season against them, finishing with 7 tackles and a sack for 28 fantasy points. We haven’t seen anything close to that from Murphy yet this season, as he currently sits at DL114 through 2 games.
This is a nice spot for Murphy to get back on track. Pittsburgh has allowed 3 sacks per game while giving up the eighth-most tackles to EDGE defenders this season. There’s obviously some risk here given how little Murphy has produced so far, but the matchup is too good to ignore. We’ve already seen him have success against Pittsburgh, and I like his chances to give IDP managers a much better performance in Week 3.
Linebacker | Week 3 IDP Start/Sit
Kaden Elliss | LB | New Orleans Saints
If you were excited about Kaden Elliss returning to New Orleans this offseason, the first 2 weeks haven’t exactly gone as planned. Elliss currently sits at LB37 and has been outscored by Pete Werner, who has produced on far fewer opportunities. The playing time is still there for Elliss, though, and now he gets one of the best linebacker matchups on the Week 3 schedule.
The Raiders are allowing 22 tackles per game to opposing linebackers and already allowed 2 LB2 performances back in Week 1. This feels like the week we finally see the tackle production from Elliss that IDP managers were expecting. I like his chances to reach double-digit tackles in this one. If you’re already regretting banking on Elliss after his return to New Orleans, hang in there. I think those managers reap the rewards in Week 3.
| Player | Pos | Team | Opp | Call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Karlaftis | DL | KC | MIA | START |
| Myles Murphy | DL | CIN | PIT | START |
| Kaden Elliss | LB | NO | LV | START |
| Jack Gibbens | LB | ARI | SF | START |
| Chuck Clark | DB | DET | NYJ | START |
| Kevin Winston Jr. | DB | TEN | NYG | START |
| Tuli Tuipulotu | DL | LAC | BUF | SIT |
| T.J. Edwards | LB | CHI | PHI | SIT |
| Jevon Holland | DB | NYG | TEN | SIT |
Jack Gibbens | LB | Arizona Cardinals
Most IDP managers came into the season excited to see what second-year linebacker Cody Simon could do, but it’s been Jack Gibbens who has taken over in Arizona. Gibbens has played 96.5% of the defensive snaps, the most of any Cardinals linebacker, and currently sits at LB35 while averaging 14 fantasy points per game. He’s been a tackling machine through his first 2 starts and has quickly become a player IDP managers can trust.
There’s no reason to get away from him in Week 3. San Francisco has surrendered a top-40 linebacker performance in each of its first 2 games, and Gibbens should once again have plenty of chances to rack up tackles. He might not have been the Arizona linebacker we expected to be starting in our IDP lineups this early, but here we are. Ride the hot hand and keep Gibbens in your lineup this week.
Defensive Backs | Week 3 IDP Start/Sit
Chuck Clark | DB | Detroit Lions
Sometimes opportunity is all we need at the defensive back position, and Chuck Clark has plenty of it right now. Detroit is without Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, while Avonte Maddox is also out. Clark suddenly finds himself with a much bigger role in a Lions secondary that has been hit hard by injuries. He made the most of it last week, finishing as DB17.
Clark is averaging 16 fantasy points per game and is still available in over 70% of leagues after waivers ran this week. The matchup is about as good as we could ask for, with the Jets allowing 20.5 tackles per game to safeties. This is exactly why I love streaming the DB position. Clark can still be picked up for next to nothing, thrown right into your lineup, and potentially give you a strong fantasy week. Find the opportunity, take advantage of the matchup, and save those valuable dynasty assets for another position.
Kevin Winston Jr. | DB | Tennessee Titans
Kevin Winston Jr. continues to be one of the young defensive backs I’m most excited about in IDP fantasy football. The second-year safety has picked up right where he left off and currently sits at DB18 through the first 2 weeks. Winston has 18 tackles already this season and now gets another favorable matchup against the Giants, who are allowing 15.5 tackles per game to the safety position.
There could be some big-play upside here as well. Jameis Winston makes his first start of the season for the Giants and has averaged 1.05 interceptions per game over his NFL career. Obviously, we can’t bank on an interception, but we all know Jameis has never been afraid to give a defensive back an opportunity to make a play. The tackle floor is what I like most here, and anything we get on top of that is a bonus. We’re confident in Winston this week and expect the second-year safety to keep his strong start going in Week 3.
Players to Sit | Week 3 IDP Fantasy Football
| Player | Pos | Team | Opponent | Why We’re Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuli Tuipulotu | DL | LAC | BUF | Tough matchup + hamstring issue |
| T.J. Edwards | LB | CHI | PHI | Production hasn’t matched full-time role |
| Jevon Holland | DB | NYG | TEN | Tough tackle matchup + inconsistent tackle floor |
- Tuli Tuipulotu | DL | Los Angeles Chargers: It’s never easy sitting a player we view as a stud, but a lingering hamstring issue combined with a tough matchup in Buffalo has me looking elsewhere this week. If you have another quality option with a better matchup, this could be the week to leave Tuipulotu on the bench.
- T.J. Edwards | LB | Chicago Bears: Edwards has played 100% of the snaps but sits at LB79 and has just 5 tackles through 2 games. He just hasn’t looked right after missing 15 games last season, and I need to see more from the veteran linebacker before trusting him in my lineup.
- Jevon Holland | DB | New York Giants: Holland is coming off a monster game with 8 tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and 2 forced fumbles, but those impact plays are tough to chase from week to week. Tennessee has been a tough tackle matchup for safeties, and Holland’s tackle production has been too inconsistent for me to expect another big fantasy performance in Week 3.
DT-Premium & CB-Premium Streamers
| Player | Pos | Team | Opp | Why We’re Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moro Ojomo | DT | PHI | CHI | 75% snap share + favorable pass-rush matchup |
| Caleb Banks | DT | MIN | TB | Rising snap count + DT9 finish in Week 2 |
| Chris Johnson | CB | MIA | KC | KC allowing 13.5 tackles per game to CBs |
| Justin Walley | CB | MIN | HOU | Back-to-back double-digit fantasy performances |
Moro Ojomo continues to see a strong workload in Philadelphia, playing 75% of the defensive snaps while sitting at DT23 through 2 weeks. He’s still available in over 90% of leagues and gets a Chicago offense allowing 3 sacks per game, making him one of my favorite DT-premium streamers this week. Caleb Banks is another name to watch after his snaps jumped from 16 in Week 1 to 36 last week, when he finished as DT9. Tampa Bay has allowed 3.5 sacks per game, and I’m willing to ride the increased playing time and see if Banks can give us another productive week.
At cornerback, I’m going back to Chris Johnson after a disappointing Week 2 in Miami’s blowout loss to San Francisco. Johnson had 11 tackles in Week 1 before recording just 1 last week, but Kansas City has allowed 13.5 tackles per game to opposing CBs, so I like his chances to bounce back in this matchup. Justin Walley has been much more consistent, scoring double-digit fantasy points in each of his first 2 starts. He played 85% of the snaps and saw 5 targets last week, and with Charvarius Ward banged up, Walley is in a great spot against Houston to keep producing for CB-premium managers.
IDP Hidden Gems | Week 3 IDP Fantasy Football
Before we wrap up, here are a few dynasty takeaways from Week 2.
- Lukas Van Ness Breakout: It’s taken some time for the former first-round pick to develop, but we might finally be seeing the breakout we’ve been waiting for. Van Ness exploded in Week 2 with 9 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 4 QB hits, and 1.5 sacks in easily one of the best games of his career.
- Devin Lloyd Making His LB1 Case: Lloyd has wasted no time making his presence felt this season and followed up a 13-tackle opener with 9 tackles, a sack, 3 passes defended, 2 interceptions, and a defensive touchdown in Week 2. It’s only been 2 games, but Lloyd is stating his case to be the overall LB1 in 2026.
- The Young DBs Have Arrived: Caleb Downs and Dillon Thieneman are quickly making their case to join the elite group of defensive backs in dynasty fantasy football. The 2 young safeties have combined for over 80 fantasy points through their first 2 games and don’t look like they’re slowing down anytime soon.
- Rookies Taking Over: This rookie IDP class continues to impress with 6 rookies already averaging at least 17 fantasy points per game. We expected this class to make an impact, but 6 rookies already clearing 17 FPPG through 2 weeks is impressive.
- Consistency Is Hard to Find: 52 IDPs scored 20+ fantasy points in Week 1, and another 54 reached that mark in Week 2. The crazy part? Just 18 players have scored 20+ in both games, another reminder of how quickly IDP production can change from week to week.
Final Thoughts
The NFL season moves fast. It feels like we just finished our offseason rankings, and somehow we’re already halfway through the first quarter of the season. We’re starting to get a better idea of which players we can trust and which early-season surprises might actually be here to stay. There’s still plenty of football left, but things change quickly in IDP leagues. Don’t be afraid to adjust when the production and opportunity are telling us something different than we expected coming into the season.
As always, use these recommendations as another tool when making those tough lineup decisions. Every league and scoring format is different, so if you’re stuck between a few players, reach out to me on X @Glosser13 and I’ll do my best to help. Also, be on the lookout for the first in-season update to my Dynasty IDP Rankings, coming soon to Dynasty Nerds. Good luck in Week 3, IDP Nerds. Let’s get another win.
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