“Week 9 IDP Rankings highlight top defensive players, matchups, and stats for your NFL fantasy football lineup decisions.”
Week 9 marks at least the halfway point for fantasy football. Most fantasy playoffs run from Week 15 to Week 17. The goal here is simple. Tighten rosters and make one sound decision that swings a matchup. These NFL Week 9 IDP Rankings highlight top 12 options at each position. Every section sticks to recent production and specific matchup notes. Expect clear floors, defined upside paths, and context when a player is “due.”
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Defensive Linemen
The top 12 for defensive linemen is Brian Burns, Maxx Crosby, Aidan Hutchinson, Byron Young, Jared Verse, Nick Bonitto, T.J. Watt, Will Anderson Jr., Jonathan Greenard, Khalil Mack, Rashan Gary, and Montez Sweat.
Brian Burns faces San Francisco. Over his last three games, he has 15 tackles, five sacks, six tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, and a pass deflection. San Francisco has allowed about 1.83 sacks and 9.33 tackles per game to defensive ends over the last three. A pass deflection has also been allowed in that span.
Maxx Crosby draws Jacksonville. He has nine tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, and a pass deflection in his last three. Jacksonville has allowed around 2.83 sacks and 8.67 tackles per game to the position over the last three.
Aidan Hutchinson gets Minnesota. He has eight tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, a pass deflection, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in his last three. Minnesota has allowed about 1.67 sacks per game to defensive ends over the last three. A high floor is still present.
Byron Young and Jared Verse both meet New Orleans. Young has 16 tackles, four sacks, two tackles for loss, and ten quarterback hits in his last three. Verse has 14 tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss, eleven quarterback hits, and a forced fumble in his last three. Together they’ve posted twenty-one quarterback hits across three games. New Orleans has allowed roughly one and a half sacks per game to defensive ends in the last three.
Nick Bonitto faces Houston after cooling off. Across his last three he has nine tackles, one sack, and three quarterback hits. Houston has allowed about one sack per game to defensive ends over the last three. A bounce-back is very possible.
T.J. Watt meets Indianapolis after a cooler stretch. He has twelve tackles, one sack, five quarterback hits, and two pass deflections over the last three. Indianapolis has allowed about one sack per game to the position.
Will Anderson Jr. draws Denver. He has nine tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, a pass deflection, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in his last three. Denver has allowed about one sack per game to defensive ends.
Jonathan Greenard faces Detroit. He has thirteen tackles, one sack, six tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and two pass deflections over the last three. Detroit has allowed about 2.33 sacks per game to defensive ends in the last three.
Khalil Mack gets Tennessee. He has five tackles, three sacks, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and a forced fumble over the last three. Tennessee has allowed a very high number of sacks to defensive ends recently.
Rashan Gary meets Carolina. He has seven tackles, three sacks, three tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, and a forced fumble in his last three. Carolina has allowed about one and a half sacks and 10.33 tackles per game to defensive ends over the last three.
Montez Sweat draws Cincinnati. He has fourteen tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, a pass deflection, and two forced fumbles over the last three. Cincinnati has allowed around 0.83 sacks per game to defensive ends in recent weeks. Volume should still create chances.
Linebackers
The top 12 for linebackers is Jordyn Brooks, Roquan Smith, Ernest Jones, Quay Walker, Nate Landman, Alex Singleton, Foyesade Oluokun, Robert Spillane, Kaden Elliss, Devin White, Bobby Wagner, and Cedric Gray.
Jordyn Brooks faces Baltimore. Over his last three games, he has twenty-eight tackles, a sack, four tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, and a fumble recovery. Baltimore has allowed about 16.67 tackles per game to linebackers over the last three. The ground game should offer even more chances.
Roquan Smith meets Miami. In his last three full game,s he has thirty-four tackles, four tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Miami has allowed about 16.67 tackles per game to linebackers. A linebacker sack and multiple pass deflections have also been allowed recently.
Ernest Jones draws Washington. He has twenty-six tackles, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, an interception, and two pass deflections in coverage over the last three. Washington has allowed about 20.67 tackles per game to linebackers. Two linebacker sacks and a coverage interception have been allowed in the last three.
Quay Walker gets Carolina. He has twenty-two tackles, one and a half sacks, a tackle for loss, three quarterback hits, and two pass deflections in his last three. Carolina has allowed about eighteen tackles per game to linebackers and two linebacker sacks in recent weeks.
Nate Landman faces New Orleans. He has forty tackles, one and a half sacks, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, and three pass deflections over the last three. New Orleans has allowed about twenty tackles per game to linebackers and two linebacker sacks across the last three.
Alex Singleton meets Houston. He has twenty-six tackles, a tackle for loss, and a forced fumble in his last three. Houston has allowed about 24.67 tackles per game to linebackers. There is also about 1.33 pass deflections per game and a recent interception allowed to the position.
Foyesade Oluokun draws Las Vegas. He has twenty-five tackles, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, and two pass deflections over the last three. Las Vegas has allowed about thirteen tackles per game to linebackers. He still projects well.
Robert Spillane faces Atlanta. He has twenty-seven tackles, two tackles for loss, an interception, and a pass deflection over the last three. Atlanta has allowed about 16.67 tackles per game to linebackers. One sack and a pass deflection have been allowed to the position recently.
Kaden Elliss meets New England. He has twenty-five tackles, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, an interception, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble over the last three. New England has allowed about fourteen tackles per game to linebackers. Back-and-forth play could push snaps.
Devin White draws Jacksonville. He has thirty tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, two quarterback hits, an interception, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble in his last three. Jacksonville has allowed about sixteen tackles per game to linebackers and one sack per game to the position over the last three.
Bobby Wagner faces Seattle. He has twenty-seven tackles, a tackle for loss, an interception, and a pass deflection over the last three. Seattle has allowed about 15.67 tackles per game to linebackers recently.
Cedric Gray meets the Chargers. He has twenty-seven tackles, two tackles for loss, and two pass deflections in his last three. The Chargers have allowed about 18.33 tackles per game to linebackers over the last three. He has taken over the role and kept a high floor.
Defensive Backs
The top 12 for defensive backs are Marcus Jones, Quentin Lake, Jeremy Chinn, Talanoa Hufanga, Jordan Battle, Kevin Byard, Harrison Smith, Kamari Lassiter, Nick Cross, Nahshon Wright, Geno Stone, and Amani Hooker.
Marcus Jones faces Atlanta. He has fourteen tackles, a sack, three tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, an interception, and six pass deflections over the last three. Atlanta presents a middling safety matchup with about 13.67 tackles per game allowed and less than one pass deflection per game.
Quentin Lake draws New Orleans. He has twenty-three tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, an interception, four pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in his last three. New Orleans has allowed one sack to safeties in the last three games and more than one pass deflection per game. Two interceptions have also been allowed to safeties.
Jeremy Chinn meets Jacksonville. He has twenty-six tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble in his last three. Jacksonville has allowed about 18.67 tackles per game to safeties. One safety sack and about 1.33 pass deflections per game have been allowed recently.
Talanoa Hufanga faces Houston. He has seventeen tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, a quarterback hit, and three pass deflections in coverage over the last three. Houston is a top-five safety tackle matchup, with about sixteen tackles per game allowed. A third of a sack and one pass deflection per game are also on the table.
Jordan Battle draws Chicago. He has twenty tackles, an interception, and two pass deflections over the last three. Chicago is a top ten matchup for safety tackles at about 14.33 per game. One sack and around 1.33 pass deflections per game have been allowed to the position.
Kevin Byard meets Cincinnati. He has fourteen tackles, a tackle for loss, an interception, and two pass deflections over the last three. Cincinnati is a top ten safety tackle matchup, with about fifteen tackles per game allowed.
Harrison Smith faces Detroit. He has eighteen tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pass deflection in his last three. Detroit has allowed about 17.33 tackles per game to safeties. One safety sack has been allowed over the last three. His snaps have been about eighty to one hundred percent recently.
Kamari Lassiter draws Denver. He has twenty-one tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, and three pass deflections in his last three. Denver is the number one cornerback tackle matchup, with about sixteen tackles per game allowed. About 1.67 pass deflections per game and one interception have been allowed to corners.
Nick Cross meets Pittsburgh. He has fourteen tackles, a tackle for loss, an interception, and a pass deflection in his last three. The matchup is bottom-end for safeties, but a close game can elevate volume.
Nahshon Wright faces Cincinnati. He has sixteen tackles, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, an interception, three pass deflections, and a fumble recovery over the last three. Cincinnati is a top-five matchup for cornerbacks, with about 14.67 tackles and three pass deflections per game allowed. High passing volume should create steady opportunities.
Geno Stone draws Chicago. He has seventeen tackles, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, an interception, a pass deflection, and a sack across the last three. Chicago is a top ten matchup for safety tackles. One safety sack and about 1.33 pass deflections per game have been allowed recently.
Amani Hooker meets the Chargers. He has fourteen tackles, a tackle for loss, and three pass deflections in his last three. The Chargers are a top-nine matchup with about 14.67 tackles per game allowed to safeties. A pass deflection per game and two interceptions have been allowed to safeties over the last three.
Final Thoughts
NFL Week 9 IDP Rankings hinge on two pillars. Recent production and matchup-based opportunity. The data shows clear tackle floors and repeatable big-play avenues across all three positions.
Target strong trends where sacks allowed are high. Embrace high-volume games that push snaps and create steady tackle chances. Trust reliable floors while leaving room for ceiling weeks when matchups align. NFL Week 9 IDP Rankings reward the managers who lean into both.
Thank you for reading this article from @IDP_Plus. This article was crafted with insights from the original podcast hosts, supported by AI tools, and shaped by our staff. For the full discussion and even more great content, be sure to check out the episode on YouTube. Follow the host @AxManIDP on the X!!
