5 Breakout Defensive Linemen to Target in IDP Leagues in 2026

Aug 12, 2026

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

An important reminder at the top: I'm the captain here, so I get to determine who fits the ambiguous 'breakout' qualifications, with arbitrary lines in the sand to drive my point home.

Some of these players are younger, and some are a little older, but the goal is to find value your league mates might not see.

Opportunity is the golden goose of all fantasy scoring, whether it's offensive-only or IDP. In IDP leagues, regardless of your league's scoring format, top-tier defensive linemen are the most bankable commodity in the game. Defensive linemen are unique because their value is often tied to their skill level. We can't forget about opportunity, but at the end of the day, when the player is on the field, it comes down to his ability to beat the player or players in front of them.

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2026 IDP - Breakout Defensive Linemen

Abdul Carter

This one is a no-brainer. The stat sheet for Abdul Carter's rookie season was less than impressive, and while that matters more than anything else in fantasy, we have to be forward-thinking. Despite finishing with just four sacks, Carter's pass rush win rate ranked fifth in the league, according to ESPN Analytics, tied with Myles Garrett at 21%. NextGenStats credit Carter with 44 quick pressures last season, the second-most in the entire NFL.

I worked on building an expected sack metric this offseason, which factors in a handful of underlying metrics that are far more useful for projecting future performance than simply looking at prior-year stats, and Carter's play landed him at 9.4 expected sacks last season. In Year 2, with a cleaner role and a better coaching staff, I think we see Carter pass the 10-sack threshold if he's able to stay healthy. He's a borderline top-12 pick in IDP leagues this season.

Dallas Turner

Here's another easy click to make early in drafts this year. Dallas Turner spent most of his 2024 rookie season watching and learning from the vets ahead of him, but injuries opened up more playing time for him in 2025, and he delivered. With Jonathan Greenard now in Philadelphia, there's a clear path for Turner to step into a massive workload and build off of an impressive finish to his 2025 campaign.

Turner showcased his elite burst in the second half of the year, finishing with 6.5 sacks over the final eight games of the season. Turner got better as the season went along, with multiple quick pressures (less than 2.5 seconds) in each of his final three games. Turner also showed a tackle floor, which bolsters his IDP floor in fantasy, with seven games of 5 or more tackles. Turner is DE-10 for me right now, and has legit Defensive Player of the Year upside if Minnesota can exceed expectations with Kyler Murray under center.