2025 Fantasy Football IDP: 32 Teams, 32 Training Camp Battles To Watch

Aug 15, 2025

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

This time of year, our social media feeds are full of highlight reel plays, mainly by uber-talented offensive players in shorts and a T-shirt against little to no defensive competition. I don't want to be the guy who shows up and downplays all of it because, after all, we're all just excited that football is almost back. But most of it is completely irrelevant.

There are nuggets of meaningful information that come out at this time of year, though. Positional battles that are won and lost on those practice fields, and while the offensive depth charts and pecking orders get a lot more attention, I thought it'd be a useful exercise to go around the league and look at each team and highlight an IDP-relevant battle that's taking place between now and Week 1. There are a few instances, though, where it looks like everything that's IDP-relevant is decided barring injuries. That's good news for us IDP'ers, because we like a clean depth chart.

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2025 Training Camp Battles

Arizona Cardinals

The battle for the green dot in Arizona is important, with DC Nick Rallis using a second linebacker on just 72.7% of the team's defensive snaps last season, the eighth-lowest rate in the league. They signed Akeem Davis-Gaither away from Cincinnati this offseason, and they drafted Ohio State's Cody Simon in the fourth round, but they'll be fighting for a share of those LB2 snaps. Incumbent LB2 Mack Wilson Sr. has locked up the dot, transitioning from the weak side to the middle for the first time since he was in college at Alabama.

Mack is a great late pick right now. He's currently the LB67 on FantasyPros, going behind Davis-Gaither, Josey Jewell, and E.J. Speed. I have him at LB42 and rising.

Atlanta Falcons

If you take my advice and wait as long as possible to add defensive backs to your IDP roster, then this Atlanta Falcons preseason is one for you to watch closely. Multiple IDP-friendly roles are up for grabs. According to head coach Raheem Morris, there are three viable contenders for the SS spot next to Jessie Bates. Jordan Fuller was signed as a free agent this offseason, Xavier Watts was drafted in the third round out of Notre Dame, and DeMarcco Hellams, a seventh-round pick out of Alabama back in 2023, is healthy after missing most of 2024.

The nickel/slot cornerback job is also an open camp competition, with rookie Billy Bowman pushing Dee Alford for the job. I'm not sure how this will shake out for Week 1, but I'd bet Watts and Bowman lead the team in snaps for the season. None of these players needs to be drafted now due to the uncertainty.

Baltimore Ravens

What happens when you have one of the best rosters in football? Well, for IDP purposes, it can impact playing time at important positions. Roquan Smith's role as the every-down anchor in the middle is safe, and with Baltimore calling on an LB2 at the sixth-lowest rate in the league, that position has far less IDP value than other teams. We'll need to know if Trenton Simpson holds off rookie Teddye Buchanan and free agent addition Jake Hummel in case Roquan goes down, but for now, I'm far more intrigued by how Baltimore's depth at EDGE shakes out.

Despite ranking 58th in pass rush snaps last season, Kyle Van Noy was fourth in the league with 12.5 sacks. That was one more sack than T.J. Watt posted, with Watt rushing the passer 150+ more times than Van Noy. I expect a solid season from the vet, but I'm taking the under on another double-digit sack year. Van Noy is the safest IDP asset among this group, but he's being overdrafted right now. There's a mountain of intriguing depth behind Van Noy and his teammate Odafe Oweh, who will likely lead the team in snaps at the position. Rookie Mike Green was a top-ten talent that fell due to off-field concerns. Adisa Isaac, David Ojabo, and Tavius Robinson will all see playing time as well, making this a far better real-life unit than a potential IDP pool of pass rushers.

Buffalo Bills

2024 second-round pick Cole Bishop can be a late-round steal if he can stay on the field. Bishop struggled to stay healthy last season and lost the training camp battle to Demar Hamlin, who started alongside Taylor Rapp at safety last season. Bishop flashed his athleticism and willingness as a tackler in the AFC title game last season, posting 10 tackles in the loss against the Chiefs.

Bishop is listed ahead of Hamlin on the initial depth chart and played ahead of him all spring, but as of this writing, he has missed the past four days of camp with a quad injury. I'm willing to take big swings at defensive back because the opportunity cost is minimal if you miss, and Bishop is one of the high upside swings I'm interested in.

Carolina Panthers

It originally looked like this would be a battle for the second linebacker spot next to Josey Jewell, but after Jewell's surprising release last month, this situation is a bit clearer as the season approaches. Free agent signee Christian Rozeboom is wearing the green dot, playing ahead of second-year linebacker Trevin Wallace.

Wallace will still have value in deeper leagues, but DC Ejiro Evero used two backers on just 71.6% of the snaps last season, so it's not a high-volume role. That could increase this season, considering Evero was forced to use third and fourth-string starters all over the field last season. This is Rozeboom's job for now, but both he and Wallace should be rostered.

Chicago Bears

There's no clear camp battle here, but the talk of switching roles for T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds is pretty intriguing. Edmunds has seen his IDP value plummet over the past two seasons, despite playing a near-every-down role in Chicago. Under former head coach Matt Eberflus, Edmunds played in the middle, a role that often requires the linebacker to drop in coverage, a fitting role for him due to his length. With new DC Dennis Allen mixing up weak-side and middle linebacker snaps for both players, I'm interested to see how this impacts them in 2025. For now, I'm cautiously optimistic that Edmunds can improve, while remaining bullish on Edwards due to his year-over-year consistency.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals aggressively restructured their linebacker room heading into the 2025 season. They moved on from Germaine Pratt, signed Oren Burks in free agency, and then used two picks in the first four rounds of the draft to select off-ball linebackers. The first of those two draft picks, second-round pick Demetrius Knight Jr., has emerged as the clear LB2 in Cincinnati.

Burks has flashed in limited roles with San Francisco and last season with Philadelphia, but every report out of Bengals camp has included a positive note about Knight and his fit in this defense. We're speculating on how new DC Al Golden will use his LB2, or how often he'll be in a sub package on base downs, but I'd expect a solid workload for Knight, who has 3-down chops based on his coverage skills and ability to rush the passer.

Cleveland Browns

From an IDP standpoint, the exciting news out of Cleveland is that high upside rookie Carson Schwesinger is wearing the green dot and set for an every-down role straight from the jump. 4for4Bets subscribers should be excited too, since I suggested a bet Defensive Rookie of the Year bet on the UCLA rookie earlier this summer, back when it was 60/1, and it's now down to 30/1 in most spots.

The question that we need answered for IDP is who will play next to Schwesinger. After Jordan Hicks retired, it seemed like Jerome Baker would be next in line for a spike in snaps, but the Browns' depth chart is not that clear right now. Baker was listed as a backup, behind Devin Bush and Mohamoud Diabate. I'm not particularly high on Baker, but I think he's better than Bush and Diabate, and it's a situation to monitor over the coming weeks. In deep leagues, I'd still draft Baker ahead of Bush and Diabate, but it might just be a situation to avoid altogether outside of the deepest of leagues.

Dallas Cowboys

This is another spot where a leader has emerged, with elite tackling machine Jack Sanborn as the leader in the clubhouse to be Dallas' LB1 this season. Sanborn had a leg up on the competition after playing for new DC Matt Eberflus the past few seasons in Chicago, and he's played himself out of this workload time share as camp kicked off. He's undervalued in drafts right now, with most still treating this entire linebacker room as a big question mark.

There are questions at LB2, which is an important battle considering Eberflus's 98.7% LB2 usage last season in Chicago, the highest in the league. Veteran Kenneth Murray was signed this offseason and appears to be the frontrunner, with Marist Liufau, Damone Clark, and rookie Shemar James in the mix as well. Last year's breakout backer, DeMarvion Overshown, is still recovering from a mid-season knee injury. Murray is currently being drafted as the LB1, going six spots ahead of Sanborn in FantasyPros linebacker rankings. He's the favorite to play that LB2 role, but miles behind Sanborn from a per-snap production standpoint.

Denver Broncos

There's really nothing to see here. Though Denver's initial depth chart has Ja'Quan McMillian listed as the nickel corner, it's unlikely that he'll be ahead of first-round pick Jahdae Barron once September rolls around. Denver just needs to stay healthy, and they'll remain one of the best defensive units in the NFL. Barron is one of my favorite late clicks at defensive back this season.

Detroit Lions

The depth at defensive end opposite of Aidan Hutchinson is interesting, but the answer is unlikely to impact 99.9% of IDP leagues. This team is top-heavy as it pertains to IDP assets, with an elite contributor at every level (Hutchinson, Jack Campbell, and Brian Branch), but not much else that we can trust in terms of weekly contributions. That's no knock on Kerby Joseph, but his 2024 IDP value was tied up in interceptions, and that's as unstable as it gets.

Green Bay Packers

The offseason signing of Nate Hobbs, who has worked primarily as a slot cornerback with the Raiders since coming into the league, was a curious one to me until it became clear they want to use Hobbs as a perimeter corner, leaving Javon Bullard in the slot. Playing on the outside is bad news for Hobbs' IDP potential, as is the knee injury that'll keep him out of most of training camp and possibly early-season games.

At this point, any shuffling on the back end will likely not impact any of the key IDP assets, like Bullard, Evan Williams, and Xavier McKinney, who should all be drafted in your IDP leagues this season.

Houston Texans

The first Texans depth chart release may have cleared up this camp battle. There's solid depth at linebacker here, with Azeez Al-Shaair locked in as the LB1. There are a handful of interesting names behind him, including Christian Harris and E.J. Speed, but it looks like Henry To'oTo'o will get the first shot at the 75-80% snap share in Houston's defense.

E.J. Speed (LB52) is ranked significantly higher than To'oTo'o (LB70) and Harris (LB74) right now on FantasyPros, which is clearly a mistake. We'll see how this one plays out, but for now, To'oTo'o is a nice value in deeper leagues.

Indianapolis Colts

It looked like Jaylon Carlies was going to be a trendy breakout pick this season, but he's been dinged up a bit during training camp, and things are far less clear than they were a month ago. In fact, Colts beat reporter Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star said on August 14th:

"I'd expect Bachie and Ajake to split this role next to Franklin with Carlies mixing in when he's healthy, which he hasn't been for several practices now. Carlies is also a pass-down player as a converted safety."

New DC Lou Anarumo stated, "I'm excited the way they run around," Cam (McGrone), Double A (Austin Ajiake). Obviously, Z (Zaire Franklin) is just working back into it. JC (Jaylon Carlies), once he gets back. So, we like to play a lot of players, and we will. So we'll see how that all shakes out. But I'm very excited about that group."

Carlies was an IDP hack on Sleeper's platform, with both LB and S eligibility. Things are a lot less clear now, and this situation needs to be monitored because Anarumo's history in Cincinnati shows that he'll likely pick one guy for the LB2 role instead of this rotation, as discussed in camp.

Jacksonville Jaguars

While we're all fascinated to see how much Travis Hunter plays on both sides of the ball, there's a camp battle for both starting safety positions, according to Jacksonville's first depth chart. The depth chart lists four players: Eric Murray, Darnell Savage, Andrew Wingard, and Antonio Johnson. I'd be most surprised if Eric Murray wasn't a starter and the best IDP asset from this group. He's going very late (DB90) in drafts right now, but I think he has more upside than that if he can earn a box-friendly role in this defense. The other three are far less interesting right now, and it feels like a three-man battle for the one spot.

Kansas City Chiefs

One of the camp situations that I'm most interested in over the next couple of weeks is with the perennial AFC Champs, the Kansas City Chiefs. Trent McDuffie is one of the best cornerbacks in the league, but he's far more intriguing for IDP'ers if he's manning the slot against three receiver sets. The offseason addition of Kristian Fulton makes that more likely, with Fulton and Jaylen Watson handling the outside in this scenario. McDuffie would stay on the field in any formation, but his role as the slot when the Chiefs are in nickel allows Chammari Conner to return to safety, a position much more suited to his skill set and size.

I'm also very bullish on second-year safety Jaden Hicks, who flashed strong tackling upside in his limited snaps last season. Hicks and Conner, along with McDuffie in the slot, would make for a very IDP-friendly secondary. The wrinkle here is the health of Fulton, which is never assured, and the presence of both Bryan Cook and Mike Edwards, two players who've handled plenty of starting safety snaps for the Chiefs over the past few seasons. Hicks was playing ahead of Cook down the stretch last season, and Edwards is returning to Kansas City after bouncing around in Tennessee and Tampa Bay, so he's likely not a factor here. Still, it's a situation with more questions than answers right now.

Personally, I'm ahead of the market on Hicks, McDuffie, and Conner. I'll continue to advocate for big swings at defensive back, and this is a great example of that. All three of these players have the ability to far exceed their current ADP.

Las Vegas Raiders

After scooping him up from Cincinnati, it was assumed Germaine Pratt would lead the Raiders' revamped linebacker room, but early in camp, it appeared DC Patrick Graham had tapped veteran Elandon Roberts for the early green dot role in camp. Roberts, who's coming off a pretty inefficient 2024 season in Pittsburgh, has never been an every-down backer, though he's had a few seasons with strong tackle production on early downs.

Then came the Raiders' preseason opener. Roberts played behind both Pratt and Devin White, who has bounced around and struggled to earn playing time since leaving Tampa Bay. This is a situation to monitor over the coming weeks.

Los Angeles Chargers

I'm worried about Junior Colson. The Chargers' first depth chart listed "OR" for multiple positions, including backup quarterback, tight end, safety, and cornerback. They could've done that at linebacker, but they didn't. And even if they did, it doesn't appear that Colson would've been included. Daiyan Henley was in a tier by himself, with Junior Colson listed as the third LB2 option, behind recently arrested Denzel Perryman and Troy Dye.

With DC Jesse Minter using his LB2 on just 57.9% of the snaps, this might be a fruitless job to win, regardless. The Chargers love to use Derwin James as a hybrid linebacker, and with depth at safety with Alohi Gilman and Elijah Molden, they can get away with it without giving away too much size up front or coverage skill on the back end. Perryman and Dye are also fairly irrelevant outside of the deepest of leagues.

Los Angeles Rams

There appeared to be a lot of ambiguity in this linebacker room this summer, but Nate Landman has emerged as the clear LB1 here, with green dot responsibilities and rave reviews from camp. The LB1 battle was an important one to get resolved because DC Chris Shula uses a lot of sub-packages, with the Rams LB2 playing just 67.4% of the time in 2024.

Three players, Omar Speights, Troy Reeder, and Chris Paul Jr., are working in camp to be the next man up. I was a big fan of Chris Paul Jr. during the pre-draft process, and I think he's an interesting dynasty stash given the limitations of the players ahead of him here. Speights is likely next in line and should be rostered in deeper leagues.

Miami Dolphins

When you have one of the worst secondaries in the league, you're going to have some camp battles, and that's definitely what's taking place in Miami. The cornerbacks are a bigger issue, but the safeties offer more IDP upside, and there's a job to be won next to Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Both Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu have been dealing with injuries, which complicates this. Ashtyn Davis suffered a lower leg injury in late July, but appears to have avoided anything severe, and Melifonwu was out of the lineup until August 3rd, missing the start of camp with an injury. Davis was listed as a starter on Miami's first depth chart release, but this situation remains fluid. Melifonwu could earn snaps in the slot as well, but veteran Mike Hilton was recently signed, so that's another situation to monitor.

Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota doesn't have a clear camp battle that's noteworthy for IDP'ers right now. I'm interested to see what Dallas Turner's impact can be in Year 2, though his path to playing time remains crowded. For deeper leagues, Theo Jackson is a name to watch in the secondary. Jackson will step into the deep safety role vacated by Cam Bynum, who was very productive for fantasy despite his less-than-ideal alignment. Jackson should only be on your radar in the deepest of leagues, but the coaching staff is very pleased with his performance so far in camp.

New England Patriots

The Patriots overhauled their defense on all three levels. Robert Spillane is the clear LB1 and green dot, but it looks increasingly like the LB2 role is locked up as well, with Christian Elliss's versatility flashing in camp. There was talk that Jack Gibbens had a leg up to be Spillane's running mate due to his familiarity with head coach Mike Vrabel's system in Tennessee, but Gibbens is behind both Marte Mapu and Jahlani Tavai on the initial depth chart. New England beat reports seem to think Tavai is the only option to unseat Elliss at this point, which seems unlikely.

New Orleans Saints

I'm not sure the Saints' free safety is going to carry a lot of IDP value this season outside of the deepest of leagues, but I want to cater to all league shapes and sizes. After Tyrann Mathieu retired, it looked like rookie Jonas Sanker would be a deep league sleeper at the position, but the Saints quickly jumped into the free agent pool, adding former Colts S Julian Blackmon, who immediately jumped to the top of the depth chart. Sanker is an interesting stash in dynasty leagues because he does have a box-heavy skill set and played in the box often in college.

New York Giants

The Giants have an incredibly talented defensive front, and while there's certainly enough snaps to go around to help everyone's IDP value, I am interested to see how the addition of Abdul Carter impacts the mix. Brian Burns shouldn't be impacted at all, and neither should Dexter Lawrence, who's working along the interior of the defensive line, but a big part of Kayvon Thibodeaux's value over the past few seasons is his higher-than-usual snap rate.

Thibodeaux has fallen short of expectations with the Giants, and injuries were a big part of that last season, but it's easier to put up stats for IDP leagues when you play close to 1,000 snaps, which is what Thibodeaux did in 2023. Perhaps he can be more explosive and less of a zero against the run if he's fresh, but the days of him playing 85-90% of the snaps for the Giants are likely over, given how well Abdul Carter is playing this preseason.

New York Jets

It looks like fourth-round rookie Malachi Moore has played his way into a role for Aaron Glenn's Jets, with talk that Moore has a 'Brian Branch-like' skill set that Glenn is enamoured by. The Jets' safety room seemed like a pretty straightforward situation, with vets Tony Adams and Andre Cisco penciled in as the starters. But with Moore's strong play and versatility, I'd make him the favorite to lead the safety room in snaps this season. Cisco is a better fit at free safety, so he'd likely get the starter reps there if Moore wins the job. It's a messy situation because Adams could have value in a box-heavy role. Watch this space.

Philadelphia Eagles

From an IDP standpoint, the Eagles LB2 situation is interesting, though it looks like rookie Jihaad Campbell will hold it down while Nakobe Dean battles back from his late-season knee injury. Campbell is a special talent, a size and speed freak who is a matchup issue anywhere he lines up. He could easily take this job and never give it back, but the Eagles will find starter-level snaps for him even if Dean returns quicker than expected.

The more early-season relevant IDP nugget here surrounds Cooper DeJean. DeJean is like Campbell in a sense. They're both freakishly good athletes who can play and win anywhere that DC Vic Fangio wants, and with the growing concerns about Philadelphia's perimeter cornerback play, there's a chance that DeJean plays outside sooner than later. He's a great IDP asset in the slot and as a safety on base downs, but DeJean's IDP value plummets if he's moved outside full-time.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers should have four new starters on defense this season, but there's not a lot of camp drama here. This is one of the best defenses in the league, loaded with IDP contributors on all three levels. I'm ready for the Payton Wilson breakout.

Seattle Seahawks

When I'm talking about swinging for the fences in drafts when you're targeting defensive backs, Nick Emmanwori is exactly what I mean. The second-round rookie looks more like a linebacker than a safety, yet moves like he's a gadget slot receiver and returner. I don't know exactly what his role or early-season snap share will look like after he primarily worked out of the slot in his preseason debut, but his fit as a box-heavy strong safety next to Julian Love makes too much sense. Coby Bryant is penciled in as the starter on their current depth chart, but I'm willing to take a chance on Emmanwori because the upside is incredibly high.

San Francisco 49ers

Talanoa Hufanga left for Denver in free agency, and Malik Mustapha is likely out for at least six weeks as he recovers from a late-season ACL tear, so there are two openings in the starting lineup in San Francisco. Beat reporters are penciling former Giant Jason Pinnock in for one spot, with Ji'Ayir Brown and Richie Grant the top two contenders for the other spot. I love the idea of adding Pinnock late and then Mustapha with your last pick.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

No one has stepped up to battle SirVocea Dennis for the LB2 role here, so he's a great value in drafts right now with very little depth behind him. The training camp battle that's interesting for the deepest of IDP leagues is at nickel, with Tykee Smith moving from the slot to safety this season.

Third-round pick Jacob Parrish has shown out in training camp, and head coach Todd Bowles has been outspoken about how quickly Parrish is learning and adjusting to the role. Parrish plays bigger than his frame, not afraid to mix it up and run-fill despite his smaller frame. This has been an IDP-friendly role, with Bowles loving to bring pressure from all over the field. In deeper leagues where cornerbacks are required, Parrish is a fun last pick.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans used two linebackers on 85.8% of their defensive snaps last season, so their LB2 competition is IDP-relevant. Cody Barton is the clear LB1 and green dot, and the leader in the clubhouse for the LB2 gig belongs to one of the 2024 rookies. Surprisingly, it's not to last year's fourth-round pick, Cedric Gray, but instead James Williams Sr., a converted safety from Miami, who they selected in the seventh round. Williams is especially valuable in leagues hosted on the Sleeper platform, where he has defensive back eligibility.

Washington Commanders

There's a camp battle for one of the Commanders' starting cornerback positions, with rookie Trey Amos looking like the favorite over free agent addition Jonathan Jones. That's not something we're concerned with for IDP. Jeremy Reaves has played well in camp and would make for an interesting look if he could take the SS role from Will Harris, but he looks like the third safety here.