Are there too many IDP starting lineup decisions for you this week? Can not decide which linebacker or edge rusher to start? Which safety gets the nod this week?”
This will not be the typical ‘obvious starters’ type of article. Always start your studs like Maxx Crosby, Roquan Smith, and Budda Baker. What needs to be shared is who we start and sit out of the not-so-obvious players. You will not see the Top 10-ranked players in these articles because we all already know to start these players. These players could be ranked #11 or #37.
***Please note that all rankings are pulled from FantasyPros.com’s current weekly rankings for DL, LB, and DB.
Week 4 IDP Start Sit – 8/24/25 – NFL Fantasy Football Advice
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Week 4 – DL/Edge Starters –
Brian Burns – New York Giants
Your #2-ranked DL for the season thus far is Burns. He has been a monster in all categories with 78% of the defensive snaps. With those snaps in 3 games, he has produced 15 tackles (10 solo), 5 tackles for a loss, 5 QB hits, 4 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. The Giants welcome the Chargers to town in Week 4, and they have already given up 10 sacks on the season.
Burns should keep his perfect QB sack streak intact. His #12 ranking for Week 4 is way too low.
Rashan Gary – Green Bay Packers
Gary is still benefiting the most from the Micah Parsons addition and stays on the start list this week. He had another great week and still managed to drop a spot in the Week 4 rankings to #34 DL. Gary has increased his season total to 13 tackles (8 solo), 4 tackles for a loss, 7 QB hits, and 4.5 sacks in 2025. He has done this while playing over 66% of the defensive snaps. Gary has climbed to the #4-ranked DL/Edge in scoring for this season now. The Packers visit the Cowboys in Week 4.
Dak Prescott has been sacked five times in the past two games. This is most likely because of the injuries the Cowboys have suffered along the offensive line. Center Cooper Beebe is on injured reserve, and guard Tyler Booker is doubtful due to a high ankle sprain. Gary is licking his chops thinking about all the opportunities that will be coming his way this week.
Nik Bonitto – Denver Broncos
Bonitto joins the start list again this week with the opportunity he will receive against the Bengals on Monday night in Denver. He has already posted 10 tackles (7 solo), 4 tackles for a loss, 9 QB hits, and 3 sacks. Next up are the Bengals and backup QB Jake Browning. Browning has played 101 snaps this year and has already been sacked 4 times. The #23-ranked DL for Week 4 will thrive in the mile-high air on Monday night. Expect a Top 10 performance.
Week 4 – DL/Edge Sits –
Danielle Hunter – Houston Texans
Hunter has been a stud for a long time, but he hasn’t been a stud this year. His #13 ranking this week is pretty high for the #31 scoring DL this season. He is playing over 73% of the defensive snaps and has two games of single-digit scoring for your squad. In the two games combined, he has posted 1 solo tackle, 2 assists, and 1 fumble recovery. His inconsistency should get him on your bench if you have other options, until he strings some nice performances together.
Aidan Hutchinson – Detroit Lions
It would be really hard to bench Hutchinson, but he is not performing at all this year. In 3 games, 156 defensive snaps, he has posted a very disappointing 4 tackles (3 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 3 QB hits, 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. That output puts him at the #59 DL for 2025. If you have options, it might be best to sit him out until he starts posting stats again.
Week 4 – LB Starts –
Pete Werner – New Orleans Saints
Werner is the #6 scoring LB on the season, but is ranked just #30 for Week 4. He is playing 85% of the defensive snaps and has produced 27 tackles (19 solo), 1 tackle for a loss, 1 QB hit, 1 sack, 2 passes defended, and 1 fumble recovery. The Saints travel to Buffalo this week, and the Bills should be comfortably ahead, running the ball at a higher percentage than the 50% rate they are posting now. Werner is the #6 scoring LB through the first three weeks and should continue that trend in Week 4.
Noah Sewell – Chicago Bears
Sewell has been getting his snaps due to the T.J. Edwards hamstring injury. Edwards came back for Week 2 but reaggravated the hamstring and is out now for the foreseeable future. In his two starts, Sewell has played over 98% of the defensive snaps. In those two starts, he posted 20 tackles with 13 of them being solo. Even with the Week 2 game being about half the snaps, he is the #31-ranked scoring LB in 2025. He is Top 10 in tackles for this season. Sewell has outproduced the #43 LB ranking for Week 4 by a good amount in each of the weeks he has started. He should be starting for you as long as Edwards is still out. The Raiders this week will be a nice matchup as they are ranked #24 in points allowed to opposing LBs.
Jamien Sherwood – New York Jets
Sherwood is the #7 scoring LB over the last two games. He has produced 24 tackles (11 solo) and 2 tackles for a loss in the past two games. Next up are the winless Dolphins in Miami. The Bills’ LBs posted 19 tackles against the Dolphins last week in just 61 plays. That is nearly a tackle on every third play against them. Sherwood should be a Top 10 LB for Week 4 instead of the #15 ranked LB this week.
Week 4 – LB Sits –
Foyesade Oluokun – Jacksonville Jaguars
Oluokun has posted worse stats and scores in each of his first three games this year. He is the #20-ranked scoring LB for the season; however, he is #29 for the last two weeks, and was tied for the #44 scoring LB in Week 3. Next up are the 49ers and Christian McCaffrey. He is ranked the #2 LB for Week 4, and that just doesn’t seem like a likely scenario this week.
Terrel Bernard – Buffalo Bills
Bernard has had a tough start to the year. The #5-ranked LB for Week 4 has posted just 14 tackles (9 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 1 QB hit, 1 pass defended, 1 interception, and 1 fumble recovery. The Bills welcome the Saints to town, who rank 20th in points allowed to opposing LBs. Last week against the Seahawks, the Saints only allowed Ernest Jones to get 7 tackles and Tyrice Knight to get 5 tackles. He should not break the Top 20 this week.
Week 4 – DB Starts
Quick Tip – When having a hard time deciding on a DB to start, and a rookie CB is one of those players, always choose the rookie CB if they are going against a pass-heavy team.
Tyson Campbell – Jacksonville Jaguars
The CB position is on fire to start 2025 by posting 6 of the Top 10 scores season to date for all DBs. Campbell is one of those six CBs. He plays the 49ers this week in San Francisco. Brock Purdy is questionable to play, but as a team, the 49ers have passed the ball 115 times and rushed it just 82 times. The 49ers rank 19th in points allowed to opposing CBs, and the opportunity will be there for Campbell to continue on his way to another Top 10 performance. This is much higher than the 79th ranking for Week 4.
Brandon Jones – Denver Broncos
At #17 in ranked DBs for Week 4, he looks to post his 4th straight game of 7 plus tackles and one other stat. He has a fumble recovery in one game, an interception in another, and two passes defended to go with those tackles. The Broncos also get the Bengals in Denver. Last week, under Jake Browning, the Bengals managed just 171 total yards against the Vikings. Jones and the entire Broncos defense want to make a statement. Jones should post a Top 10 score.
Paulson Adebo – New York Giants
The #16-ranked DB for Week 4 has been nothing but a tackle-heavy DB this year, with a pass defended each week. He gets the Chargers this week at home. 27 tackles with 23 of them being solo in three games. Adebo will get plenty of action this week as the Chargers throw the ball much more often than they run. 108 pass attempts to 78 rushing attempts. The #1 scoring DB should hold on to his crown for another week.
Week 4 – DB Sits –
Tre’von Moehrig – Carolina Panthers
Moehrig is the #5-ranked DB for this week. Not so fast with that, as he has dropped in production each week this year from 11 tackles in Week 1 down to 6 tackles in Week 3. He has played 96% of the defensive snaps but has not delivered #5 production. He is now #20 in scoring and is going against the Patriots, who are pretty tough against Safeties. They are the 10th stingiest in allowed points to opposing Safeties.
Antoine Winfield Jr. – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No doubt that Winfield has been a disappointment this year. He is the #51 scoring Safety for 2025 thus far, which makes him ranked in the 100s for all DBs. How is he the #9-ranked DB this week, going up against the Eagles? Winfield has just 11 tackles (7 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defended, 1 forced fumble, and 1 sack on the season. That was against two of the worst offenses in the league when it comes to giving up points to opposing Safeties. He has not earned the automatic start for 2025 yet.
Thank you for checking out my Week 4 IDP Start/Sit Advice 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. Week 4 IDP Start Sit
