“What is an NFL IDP Sleeper? He is a player who showed a quality that is in the snap dominators of years past. A player who might be getting a better opportunity this year due to specific situations. Those could be injuries, new competition, new coaches, and a new team.”
Defensive Back Sleepers for the 2026 NFL Preseason
DB – Kamren Kinchens – Los Angeles Rams
Kinchens was a third-round pick by the Rams in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Miami (FL). He has seen a consistent share of over half of the defensive snaps since Week 9 of his rookie season. Kinchens has played in all 34 games as a pro while starting 12 of them. His production has been outstanding considering his part-time role. 12 of his 34 games have been 75% or more of the defensive snaps. Kinchens was 4th on the team in tackles in 2025 behind Nate Landman, Kamren Curl, and Omar Speights. He was the 35th-ranked Safety in IDP scoring last year.
Kinchen posted 57 tackles as a rookie with 1 tackle for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 6 passes defensed, 4 interceptions, and 1 interception for a touchdown. In 2025, Kinchen increased his defensive snaps played by roughly 50% to 975 snaps played. With the increase in defensive snaps played, his stats also increased to 84 tackles (56 solo), 2 QB hits, 2 fumble recoveries, 6 passes defensed, and 2 interceptions. Kinchens should see even more time at Safety next to Kamren Curl in 2026, while Quentin Lake locks down the Slot/Nickel Cornerback.
Kinchens is not ranked on IDPPlus.com and is ranked the #42 DB on FantasyPros.com
DB – Riley Moss – Denver Broncos
Moss was a third-round pick for the Broncos in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Iowa. His rookie season was derailed by sports hernia surgery at the beginning of training camp. His second and third years in the league brought him 80+ tackles in each season. He has only had one interception in each of his last two seasons but has posted 27 passes defensed in those two years. Add in a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, and you have a starting DB for your IDP squad.
Moss will continue to rack up the tackles as the All-World Patrick Surtain II is playing on the other side of the field. Defending QBs are going to shy away from Surtain and give Moss all the action. If you are in a CB-required league, he is a CB1. If you play just DBs, Moss will be and should be on your roster. The tackle numbers alone are those of a Safety. Moss also plays nearly 100% of the defensive snaps.
Moss is ranked the #77 DB on IDPPlus.com and is not ranked on FantasyPros.com
DB – Kevin Winston – Tennessee Titans
Winston was a third-round pick by the Titans in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Penn State. While still recovering and rehabbing from his torn ACL injury from his senior season with Penn State, Winston started dealing with hamstring strains. The combination had him miss most of his rookie training camp, preseason games, and first four regular season games. Winston played 50 defensive snaps in those first five games played from Weeks 5-9. Then came their bye week, during which they could get Winston ready for a 100% defensive snap starting role.
During the 4 weeks of 100% defensive snaps from Weeks 11-14, Winston posted an incredible 29 tackles (17 solo), 4 tackles for a loss, 3 QB hits, 1 sack, and 2 passes defensed. He then suffered another hamstring injury, which ended his rookie season. Some are saying he will continue to have hamstring issues for his career. Others disagree, as he missed zero games of his freshman and sophomore seasons at Penn State. The one game he missed during his freshman season was a coach’s decision in the first game of the season. As his knee gets stronger, the hamstring injuries will subside, and his dominating performances from his rookie four-game streak will become weekly happenings.
Winston is ranked the #42 DB on IDPPlus.com and the #26 DB on FantasyPros.com
Thank you for checking out my NFL IDP 2026 Preseason Sleepers article! You can read all of my articles on my IDP+ author page. Be sure to follow me on X at @OldMan_FF and @IDP_Plus (we have offense, too), and please consider becoming a subscriber.
