Five IDP Breakout Candidates to Target Before ADP Locks In

With the 2026 NFL season approaching and fantasy drafts accelerating through July, a cluster of individual defensive player targets have emerged as strong values relative to their current average draft positions. Analyst Eric Moody, writing for a major fantasy platform, identified five defenders who project to outperform expectations this season. Laiatu Latu headlines the group as the most compelling breakout candidate in deeper IDP formats.

Why Latu Projects as the Top IDP Value This Summer

Latu, the Los Angeles Rams pass rusher entering his third NFL season, recorded 7.5 sacks in 2025 despite playing a rotational role for much of the year. The Rams have since allowed his primary competition for snaps to depart in free agency, clearing a path toward a full-time starting role. In IDP leagues that reward sacks, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits, edge rushers who lock into 70-plus percent snap counts become foundational assets. Latu projects to cross that threshold in 2026, which his current late-round ADP does not reflect. Check our live scores during the preseason to track whether his snap counts validate that projection.

The Other Four Targets Moody Identified

Beyond Latu, Moody flagged four additional defenders worth targeting before drafts close. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah of the Cleveland Browns carries linebacker eligibility in most platforms and finished 2025 with 112 tackles and four sacks, yet routinely goes undrafted in 12-team leagues. Neville Gallimore, now starting for the Dallas Cowboys after two seasons as a rotational tackle, profiles as a high-volume tackle producer in a defense that ranked sixth in opponent rushing attempts last season, according to ESPN NFL. Darius Robinson of the Arizona Cardinals logged 6.0 sacks as a rookie in 2025 and enters 2026 as Arizona's designated starter opposite an upgraded pass rush partner, a pairing that historically elevates both players' production. Rounding out the group is Marte Mapu, the New England Patriots safety whose positional flexibility allows him to qualify at linebacker in many scoring systems while accumulating tackles at a rate that typically belongs to box linebackers. Consult the NFL.com depth chart tracker as training camps open to confirm each player's alignment.

Draft Strategy Implications for IDP Leagues

According to fantasy analysts surveyed by multiple platforms this offseason, IDP leagues have grown by an estimated 18 percent in participation since 2023, which means the market is correcting faster on defensive values than it did three years ago. Managers who wait until the final third of drafts to address IDP positions risk losing the five players listed above to competitors who have done the positional research. Moody recommends targeting at least two of these players in rounds 10 through 14 before opponents recognize the value. Use our streaming guide once the season begins to manage bye weeks and matchup-based decisions at the defensive position.

Training camps open across the league in late July, and the snap-count data from joint practices and preseason games in August will either confirm or undermine these projections. Monitor injury reports and depth chart movement closely through the first three preseason weeks before finalizing any IDP rankings heading into draft weekend.