Fantasy Football Week 4 IDP Streamers: Players from Broncos, 49ers, and More

The best IDP fantasy players are tough to identify outside of the top guys. Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons will always do their thing, but fantasy owners are also tasked with finding lesser-known names who can come up with good performances either because of their matchup or an expanded opportunity.

Let's look at IDP players at all three levels of the defense who have good matchups in Week 4. We'll focus on the guys who are available in most fantasy leagues and can be picked up and inserted into your lineup.

Check out FantasySP's defensive rankings to find the teams and players with the best matchups each week.

Defensive Line

Carolina Panthers @ New England Patriots

The Panthers don't have a strong defense, and they don't have many IDP players who are worthy of a fantasy roster spot. They are coming off a 30-0 shutout of the Falcons, so they have shown the ability to play well at times, but Carolina has players you don't want to count on often.

They show up here this week because New England has been so bad at offensive line. Drake Maye is tied for the second-most sacks taken with 12, and his offensive line ranks 28th in pass rush win rate after finishing last season 31st. The Pats are starting two rookies on the left side of their line, almost inviting QB pressures.

There's a chance to get after the quarterback here. The players who rush the passer most often from the edge are veterans D.J. Wonnum and Patrick Jones II. Jones had seven sacks last season and Wonnum had eight the year before, but neither player has gotten home this season. Jones also missed Week 3, so check his status before throwing him into your lineup.

Rookies Nic Scourton (second round) and Princely Umanmielen (third round) have played in a reserve role, with Scourton getting more snaps. With Jones out, Scourton operated in a starting role, and Umanmielen was the first man off the bench.

Derrick Brown, Bobby Brown III, and A'Shawn Robinson play most on the inside of the line, but none of the three is a real fantasy threat. While Robinson had 5.5 sacks last season, he totaled just seven in the previous eight seasons combined, and the two Browns both max out at just a few per season.

Wonnum and Jones are your best bets among the Carolina defensive linemen with Scourton a suitable option if Jones were to miss Week 4. Robinson is fine if you're having trouble finding other defensive tackles.

Denver Broncos vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Denver has a great defense that I like relying on given their success over the past few years. You don't have to do much to convince me to use their players in fantasy. The matchup is making them stand out even more this week because Cincinnati might have the worst offensive line in football.

Last year, the Bengals ranked 32nd in pass blocking and 30th in run blocking. This year, they're again 32nd in pass blocking while improving all the way to 27th in run blocking. With Jake Browning under center while Joe Burrow recovers from foot surgery, the defense has even more of an advantage.

The guys rushing from the edge most often are Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, and Jonah Elliss. Bonitto is probably owned in your league, but if not, he's the man to pick up after totaling 13.5 sacks last season. Cooper is the second option, having combined for 19 sacks over the past two seasons and already picking up two this year. Elliss is a backup who gets on the field about two-thirds as often as the others; he had five sacks as a rookie last year and has one more this season.

The interior of the line is mostly handled by Zach Allen, John Franklin-Myers, and D.J. Jones. Allen is likely owned but is otherwise the guy to add from this group. Franklin-Myers had 21.5 sacks in the four seasons prior to 2025, and he's another good pickup on the inside. Jones is more of a run stuffer, picking up just one or two sacks per season; the other guys are better options.

Grab Bonitto and Allen if they are available; they might be weekly keepers, not just one-week streamers. If they are owned, Cooper and Franklin-Myers are decent fallback plans, with Ellis and Jones more desperation plays whom you could probably improve on elsewhere.

Linebackers

Detroit Lions vs. Cleveland Browns

With linebackers, I'm usually looking for teams who run a lot of offensive plays, giving those men in the middle more chances to rack up bulk tackles (along with sacks and interceptions). That pursuit keeps leading me back to the Browns.

Cleveland is tied for the fifth-most offensive plays per game after ranking in the top six each of the previous three seasons; they are regularly near the top of the list. That gives the Lions' linebackers an advantage this week, as they get those extra chances for stats.

Jack Campbell and Alex Anzalone have played every defensive snap for Detroit this season and are the main targets. Campbell leads the team in tackles and is tied for 16th in the league with 26 total. He's owned in more fantasy leagues than the other guys, but if he's available, pick him up for this one.

Anzalone is a fine second option if Campbell is indeed owned already. The third linebacker (who has played more than 80% of the snaps) is Derrick Barnes, who is actually second on the team behind Campbell in tackles. Barnes is another decent pickup if you're in need of an LB.

None of the three Detroit defenders have much of a history with sacks or interceptions, but the more plays that take place, the more chances there are to luck into one of those statistics.

Green Bay Packers @ Dallas Cowboys

Throw the Cowboys into the same boat as the Browns as a team that regularly runs among the most offensive plays in the league. On top of being tied for the most plays per game this year, Dallas has been in the top 10 in offensive plays run every season since 2019. They have undergone two changes at head coach and two at offensive coordinator during that time, but the Cowboys continue running as many plays as anyone else.

The Green Bay linebackers were listed here last week also because they played against the Browns. Even while scoring just 13 points, Cleveland ran nearly 60 plays, allowing the top two Packer linebackers to combine for 18 tackles and two deflected passes.

Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker are the two guys to look at in fantasy, as they have both played at least 99% of Green Bay's defensive snaps and are the top two in tackles on the team. Walker is tied for fifth in the league in tackles, and Cooper is tied for 16th with Campbell (and others).

Cooper is likely owned in your fantasy league, but Walker has much more availability and is a great fit in your lineup this week. Walker might be a weekly keeper too if you don't have a strong set of LBs.

Defensive Backs

One quick note: the Minnesota Vikings were listed here last week, including cornerback Isaiah Rodgers. Rodgers intercepted a pass, caused two fumbles, and scored two touchdowns; it might end up as the best IDP performance of the whole season. Just in case you were wondering if anyone I recommend ever does anything of note…

Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield led the league in interceptions last season, throwing 16. He hasn't thrown any this year, but that could be a matter of time, as he keeps losing players around him. Both his right tackle and right guard (Luke Goedeke and Cody Mauch, respectively) are on IR, and left tackle Tristan Wirfs missed Week 3 with an injury, forcing starting center Graham Barton to bump out of position to cover the blindside.

Receivers Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan have both missed the first three games, and Mike Evans was hurt in Week 3 and will miss a few weeks. Godwin and Wirfs could return in Week 4, but those players are both still uncertain.

Missing so many guys against a tough defense like Philadelphia is a recipe for disaster. Cornerbacks Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell have both played every defensive snap, and they are also both available in most fantasy leagues, making them good pickups this week.

Safety Reed Blankenship has also played every snap, and rookie Andrew Mukuba is around 80%. Both of those players are free agents in essentially every fantasy league. DeJean, Mitchell, Blankenship, and Mukuba are all widely available and have a good matchup this week given the missing players on the Tampa Bay offense.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence has turned into a good quarterback to pick on at times. He is tied for second most with four interceptions and has completed just 55.8% of his passes, the second-worst rate among starters ahead of just Cameron Ward. It's something of an ongoing problem, as Lawrence was tied for fourth in interceptions in 2023 and tied for most in the league in 2021.

Like the Eagles, San Francisco has two cornerbacks and two safeties who have played nearly every snap and are available in pretty much every fantasy league. Corner Deommodore Lenoir is the top man on the back end and a great pickup. Renardo Green dealt with an injury during Week 3 but seems to be OK; he also hasn't been as good as Lenoir (though he has defended three passes, tied for most on the team).

The safeties are Jason Pinnock and Marques Sigle. Sigle is third on the team with 18 tackles, and he recovered a fumble, while Pinnock has just 10 tackles. Neither player has defended any passes or intercepted a pass, but this could be their chance.

Any of the four defensive backs are probably available to be picked up, but I would go with Lenoir above any of the others. The other three are fine secondary options just as streamers.