Fantasy Football IDP Targets in the NFC North: Aidan Hutchinson, T.J. Edwards and More

For most of the fantasy football season, we are focused on offensive skill players. Today, I'm going to start a series that looks at IDPs (individual defensive players).

We'll break things down by division, starting with the NFC North. Let's get right to it.

Wish a real fantasy expert could break down your team, not just spit out generic advice? Now you can - get a personalized Team Breakdown, tailored for your exact league.

Lions

The Lions' defense let them down a few times last season, but injuries played a role in that. There's several big-time fantasy assets on the team.

Aidan Hutchinson, Brian Branch and Jack Campbell are some of the bigger fantasy IDPs. Hutchinson is a pass rusher, while Branch is a safety, and Campbell is a middle linebacker.

According to OurLads, DJ Reader, Alim McNeill and Marcus Davenport are the other projected defensive linemen alongside Hutchinson. Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes are the other starting linebackers, while Terrion Arnold, Kerby Joseph, D.J. Reed and Amik Robertson (slot corner) fill out the secondary. 

Campbell led the team with 131 combined tackles last season, so you can see why he's a top-end option. Branch was second on the team with 109 tackles. Joseph was third at 83 tackles.

Hutchinson only played in five games before sitting out after a big injury - he still racked up 7.5 sacks in his time on the field, and that led the team. McNeill is the next returning leader in sacks, but had just 3.5.

Joseph led the team with nine interceptions, with Branch second at four picks. Robertson forced a team-leading three fumbles.

Rookie first-round pick Tyleik Williams is another big lineman the Lions could get some much-needed pressure out of. The team has pretty solid depth across the board too, in case injuries strike again.

Anzalone should be a good fantasy asset again after being limited to 10 games last season. Otherwise, Hutchinson, Branch, Campbell and Joseph are the top-end options to kick off the season.

Vikings

The Vikings' best IDP is Blake Cashman, a middle linebacker. Joshua Metellus is an option at safety, while Jonathan Greenard is a pass-rushing lineman. Andrew Van Ginkel is another good option at linebacker.

Jonathan Allen, Harrison Phillips and Javon Hargrave are the three projected starting defensive linemen. Greenard and Van Ginkel are outside linebackers, while Cashman is joined by Ivan Pace Jr. on the inside. Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah are the starting cornerbacks, while Metellus is joined by the veteran Harrison Smith at safety - Byron Murphy Jr. is the projected starting nickel corner.

Cashman led the team with 112 combined tackles, despite only playing in 12 games - that shows how good he could be if he got in 17 games. Metellus was second on the team with 103 tackles.

Greenard led the team with 12 sacks, while Van Ginkel had 11.5 sacks, along with 79 total tackles. 

Murphy had six interceptions and 81 total tackles. Greenard also forced four fumbles and had 59 overall tackles.

Minnesota is lacking a bit in depth at each position, but their starting guys are one of the better groups in all of football. Expect the highly-touted IDPs (Cashman, Van Ginkel, Greenard and Metellus) to lead the way.

Smith is still capable of being a usable fantasy IDP, and Pace could take on a larger role and is someone to keep in mind. Murphy will have a hard time replicating last year's numbers, but he's definitely on the fantasy radar after what he did in 2024.

Packers

Green Bay's defense is led by the linebacker duo of Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker. Xavier McKinney is another highly-coveted IDP.

Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt and Lukas Van Ness are listed as the starting defensive linemen, even though Gary and Van Ness are better described as pass-rushing linebackers. Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs are the starting outside corners, while Javon Bullard is projected as the nickel corner. McKinney will be joined by Evan Williams at safety. 

Walker led the team with 102 combined tackles despite only playing in 13 games. Cooper had 87 tackles, including 13 that went for losses (and 3.5 sacks). Isaiah McDuffie had 97 tackles, while Bullard had 90 and McKinney and Nixon had 88 each. 

Gary was the leader in sacks, but had just 7.5. Wyatt finished with five sacks, but only 23 combined tackles. 

McKinney intercepted a whopping eight passes and also recovered a fumble. Nixon forced three fumbles. 

I think Walker and Cooper will be the IDP stars in Green Bay this season. McKinney is likely to regress a bit with less takeaways, but still will be a very good weekly option. Hobbs and Gary are guys to keep an eye on as well.

I also think Nixon is an underrated IDP option. Williams or Bullard could break out a bit in their second seasons.

Green Bay is lacking in depth at a few spots, but there's some young and improving guys on defense to keep tabs on. If it all comes together, this could be an underrated defense capable of carrying this team at times.

Bears

Linebacker T.J. Edwards is the top fantasy IDP in Chicago going into 2025. Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard III are a couple safeties who could be nice fantasy assets as well. Tremaine Edmunds is another linebacker who could shore up the defense and also be a fantasy asset.

Montez Sweat, Gervon Dexter Sr., Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo are a revamped starting defensive line, at least according to projections. Second-round pick Shemar Turner could also factor in on the line.

Filling out the secondary are cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson, Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon (nickel), and fifth-round pick Zah Frazier could also factor in often. 

There were some big-time fantasy IDPs in Chicago last season. Byard led the team with 130 combined tackles, but Edwards was right on his tail with 129 tackles. Edmunds was at 110 tackles.

Stevenson tied for the team lead in picks with two. He had 78 combined tackles, and also forced a fumble. 

Sweat had two forced fumbles, 32 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season. Sweat led the team in sacks, while Dexter was second at five sacks, while also tallying 51 tackles and recovering two fumbles.

Gordon had three fumble recoveries to go along with his 75 combined tackles. Edwards led the team with 12 tackles for losses, while Sweat had nine.

Edwards is widely considered as the team's top fantasy IDP, but I like Byard a lot too, and maybe even more depending on your league's setup. That duo and Edmunds are the top-three Chicago defensive players to target going into this season. 

Brisker had 40 tackles and a sack in just five games last season, so if he stays healthy, he could be an IDP monster too. Gordon and Sweat are sneaky good fantasy assets too, depending on your league setup.

The depth in Chicago is solid, but I think this unit would only excel with a pretty healthy season for all of the projected starters. The Bears will need their defense to play well, maybe especially early on, as the offense looks to find their footing.