Fantasy Football IDP Targets in the AFC South: Zaire Franklin, Foyesade Oluokun and More

A couple days ago, I started a fantasy football series looking at the top IDP players in each division.

We looked at the NFC North last time, and are moving on to the AFC South today.

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Texans

Houston is led from an IDP fantasy perspective by Azeez Al-Shaair and Will Anderson Jr. Danielle Hunter is another good option, as are Jalen Pitre, E.J. Speed and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

Anderson and Hunter are defensive ends, while Sheldon Rankins and Tim Settle Jr. are the other projected starters on the defensive line. Al-Shaair and Henry To'oTo'o are the projected starters at linebacker. Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter are the outside corners, while Pitre is the nickel corner. Gardner-Johnson and Calen Bullock are the starting safeties.

To'oTo'o led the team with 105 combined tackles last season, and he accomplished that over 15 games. He also had an interception, seven tackles for losses and 1.5 sacks.

Al-Shaair had 70 combined tackles, seven tackles for losses and two sacks, along with two forced fumbles. Pitre was at 65 tackles, a pick and six tackles for losses.

Stingley and Bullock each picked off five passes - Stingley had 54 tackles and 18 passes defensed, while Bullock was at 54 tackles and 11 passes defensed.

Hunter led the team with 12 sacks, while Anderson had 11. Hunter had 46 total tackles, a forced fumble and 17 tackles for losses. Anderson was at 37 tackles, a forced fumble and 16 tackles for losses across 14 games.

Al-Shaair should be an upper-echelon IDP option, while To'oTo'o will be a sneaky good option. Anderson and Hunter are two good pass-rushing options. 

Gardner-Johnson and Pitre are two pretty good secondary IDP options, and Stingley and Bullock might be a bit overlooked. It's a pretty solid all-around defense if everyone can stay healthy, but injuries at a couple spots could really mess things up.

Colts

Zaire Franklin is widely recognized as the top IDP guy in the league. Nick Cross, Cam Bynum and DeForest Buckner are some other pretty solid options, while Jaylon Carlies and Laiatu Latu are more options.

Buckner and Latu will be joined on the defensive line by Kwity Paye and Grover Stewart. Carlies and Franklin are the top projected linebackers. Cross and Bynum are the safeties, while Charvarius Ward, Jaylon Jones and Kenny Moore II are the top corners.

Franklin totaled 173 combined tackles last season, so you can see why he's a top-end option. He had 3.5 sacks, 11 tackles for losses, two interceptions and five forced fumbles as well.

Cross went for 146 tackles, six of which went for losses. He also had three picks, a forced fumble and a sack. Jones had 100 tackles, three of which resulted in losses. Jones also had two interceptions, 12 passes defensed and a forced fumble.

Moore joined Cross at three interceptions, which was the team lead. Moore had 78 tackles (four for losses), seven passes defensed and a fumble recovery. Latu forced three fumbles, tallied four sacks and had 32 tackles (five of which went for losses).

Paye led the team with eight sacks. He also had 41 total tackles, with 10 going for losses, and a forced fumble. Buckner had 6.5 sacks among his 61 tackles, and eight tackles for losses.

Expect Franklin to be an IDP star again this season if he's healthy. Cross should also be a top-end option, especially in the secondary. 

Buckner, Paye and Latu are good defensive line options, while Ward, Bynum, Jones and Moore could all provide some value in the secondary.

It's a pretty solid defense on paper, but the depth is really weak, so injuries could decimate this unit. The pressure will be on the defense as the offense looks to get going.

Jaguars

Foyesade Oluokun is another top-end IDP player residing in the AFC South. Many are expecting Travis Hunter to be a big IDP option, while Devin Lloyd, Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker are some other notable IDP guys.

Olukun and Lloyd are the team's projected linebackers. Hines-Allen and Walker are on the defensive line with DaVon Hamilton and Arik Armstead. Eric Murray and Andrew Wingard are the projected safeties, while Jarrian Jones, Tyson Campbell and Jourdan Lewis are the projected starting corners.

Lloyd led the team with 113 combined tackles over 16 games. He added two sacks, seven tackles for losses, four passes defensed, a pick and a forced fumble - he's an underrated IDP guy to start 2025.

Oluokun had 108 tackles over just 13 games. He had a pick, seven passes defensed, a sack and six total tackles for losses. A full season could help him push for the top IDP spot.

Ventrell Miller had 80 tackles last season over 15 games and nine starts. He's likely the third-best linebacker for Jacksonville. Miller also had three passes defensed, a forced fumble and four tackles for losses.

Walker led the team with 10.5 sacks across his 61 combined tackles. He forced two fumbles, returned a fumble for a score and had 13 tackles for losses. Hines-Allen had eight sacks across his 45 tackles, and 10 tackles for losses - he also forced and recovered a fumble.

Hunter could push for playing time, but I think his IDP value will be hampered by him playing offense too. Montaric Brown had 75 combined tackles last season, but is a projected backup corner to begin the season. Injuries could thrust both those guys into larger roles.

There's some somewhat notable names in backup spots, so Jacksonville could absorb a couple injuries. They'll need Oluokun and most of the starters out there if they want to be at least an average defensive unit this season.

Titans

There's not many top-end options in Tennessee. Cody Barton and Jeffery Simmons are the most notable IDPs to kick off the season.

Simmons is the leader on the defensive line. He's projected to start alongside Sebastian Joseph-Day and T'Vondre Sweat. Arden Key and Dre'Mont Jones are some pass-rushing linebackers, while Barton and James Williams Sr. are the inside linebackers. L'Jarius Sneed, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and Roger McCreary are the cornerbacks, while Amani Hooker and Xavier Woods are the top safeties. 

There's some reinforcements in backup roles, with some recognizable veterans and a host of rookies from this offseason. At full health, this defensive unit could surprise a bit in 2025.

Simmons was second on the team with 76 total tackles last season. He also had four passes defensed, two fumbles forced and recovered, five sacks and 11 total tackles for losses.

Brownlee had 75 tackles, seven of which went for losses. He added nine passes defensed and an interception. Hooker had 71 tackles, four of which went for losses. He had five interceptions to lead the team, along with nine passes defensed and two forced fumbles.

Key was second on the team with his 6.5 sacks last season. He had 42 total tackles, with 11 going for losses. He also forced two fumbles and recovered one.

Simmons is my favorite IDP guy on the Titans, and is one of the better defensive linemen who doesn't post massive sack totals. Barton is widely regarded this season as he could end up leading the team in tackles.

Key is a solid pass rusher who could rack up some sacks to have fantasy relevance. Sneed and Brownlee have some decent value as corners, while Hooker and Woods could both be solid IDP guys from their safety spots.

Again, this defense has enough talent to make some noise, and if it all comes together, there could be several good IDP options as the season progresses.