Rankings
Top 40 Linebackers: 2026 IDP Season Projections
Linebacker is the most reliable position in IDP — tackle volume shows up every week in a way sacks and turnovers don't. This board reflects that: the gap between 1st and 40th is smaller here than at any other defensive position.
By Kenny Flermoen · August 5, 2026
This is the second post in our new IDP series, following Top 40 DL. Same scoring template: 1.5 points per solo tackle, 0.75 per assist, 4 per sack, 5 per interception, plus smaller bonuses for pass deflections, forced fumbles, and tackles for loss. This ranks who scores the most IDP points in 2026, not who's worth the most in a trade.
Top 40 LB — 2026 Projected IDP Points
| Rank | Player | Team | IDP FP | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordyn Brooks | MIA | 219.3 | 12.9 |
| 2 | Fred Warner | SF | 209.1 | 12.3 |
| 3 | Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | CLE | 207.6 | 12.2 |
| 4 | Blake Cashman | MIN | 206.7 | 12.2 |
| 5 | Carson Schwesinger | CLE | 204.8 | 12.0 |
| 6 | Foye Oluokun | JAX | 203.7 | 12.0 |
| 7 | Zaire Franklin | GB | 202.3 | 11.9 |
| 8 | Jack Campbell | DET | 199.4 | 11.7 |
| 9 | Bobby Okereke | NYG | 199.2 | 11.7 |
| 10 | Roquan Smith | BAL | 199.2 | 11.7 |
| 11 | Ernest Jones | SEA | 198.4 | 11.7 |
| 12 | Lavonte David | TB | 195.7 | 11.5 |
| 13 | Robert Spillane | NE | 195.1 | 11.5 |
| 14 | Zack Baun | PHI | 194.7 | 11.5 |
| 15 | T.J. Watt | PIT | 194.6 | 11.4 |
| 16 | Tremaine Edmunds | NYG | 193.0 | 11.4 |
| 17 | Tyrel Dodson | MIA | 192.3 | 11.3 |
| 18 | Quay Walker | LV | 192.2 | 11.3 |
| 19 | Nakobe Dean | LV | 192.1 | 11.3 |
| 20 | Quincy Williams | CLE | 191.7 | 11.3 |
| 21 | Nick Bolton | KC | 190.9 | 11.2 |
| 22 | T.J. Edwards | CHI | 190.8 | 11.2 |
| 23 | Demario Davis | NYJ | 189.9 | 11.2 |
| 24 | Germaine Pratt | IND | 189.4 | 11.1 |
| 25 | Kyzir White | SF | 188.8 | 11.1 |
| 26 | Troy Andersen | ATL | 187.7 | 11.0 |
| 27 | Kaden Elliss | NO | 186.3 | 11.0 |
| 28 | Alex Singleton | DEN | 186.1 | 10.9 |
| 29 | Andrew Van Ginkel | MIN | 185.6 | 10.9 |
| 30 | Brian Burns | NYG | 185.1 | 10.9 |
| 31 | Edgerrin Cooper | GB | 183.8 | 10.8 |
| 32 | Micah McFadden | NYG | 183.5 | 10.8 |
| 33 | Nate Landman | LA | 183.1 | 10.8 |
| 34 | Terrel Bernard | BUF | 179.1 | 10.5 |
| 35 | Patrick Queen | PIT | 178.7 | 10.5 |
| 36 | Jamien Sherwood | NYJ | 178.3 | 10.5 |
| 37 | Cedric Gray | TEN | 178.0 | 10.5 |
| 38 | Demetrius Knight Jr. | CIN | 177.1 | 10.4 |
| 39 | Devin Lloyd | CAR | 176.2 | 10.4 |
| 40 | Devin White | LV | 176.1 | 10.4 |
Ranked by projected 2026 IDP season points: 1.5 per solo tackle, 0.75 per assist, 4 per sack, 5 per interception, plus deflections, forced fumbles, and tackles for loss. This is a scoring projection, not a trade value ranking.
One trade explains two roster spots at once
Zaire Franklinranks 7th here on a team he didn't play for last year, and the move only makes full sense next to Quay Walkerat 18th. Green Bay traded for Franklin in March, sending Indianapolis a defensive lineman in return, specifically because Walker was about to leave in free agency. Walker signed with the Raiders days later. It's a clean, direct swap — one team's departing green-dot linebacker replaced almost immediately by another team's, and both players landed inside this top 20. Franklin arrives with real production behind him too: he led the NFL in tackles in 2024 and earned his first Pro Bowl nod that season, so Green Bay isn't just filling a role, it's betting on a proven, ranked producer.
A scoring quirk worth asking your data team about
T.J. Watt, Brian Burns, and Andrew Van Ginkelall function as edge rushers first, the same role that put Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby atop last week's DL board. Here, all three score in the LB bucket instead. We flagged the reverse case in the DL post — edge rushers with linebacker depth-chart labels who still score as DL — and this looks like the same inconsistency running the other direction. We don't have full visibility into why the bucket assignment differs between these two groups of players who look similar on paper, so we're not going to guess at a reason here. If you play in a league that separates DL and LB rosters, check where your platform slots each of these three before assuming this board matches your settings.
Model any of these players against your own roster on the Dynasty Trade Calculator — IDP support is expanding there alongside this series.
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FAQ
- How are these IDP rankings calculated?
- Projected 2026 season points under our IDP scoring template — 1.5 per solo tackle, 0.75 per assist, 4 per sack, 5 per interception, plus smaller bonuses for pass deflections, forced fumbles, and tackles for loss. It's a scoring projection, not a dynasty trade value score.
- Why does linebacker have a tighter point spread than defensive line?
- Tackle volume is more consistent week to week than sacks or turnovers, and most starting linebackers see a full defensive snap share regardless of game script. That consistency compresses the range between the best and 40th-best options at the position.
- Why do some edge rushers score as linebackers here instead of defensive linemen?
- Our IDP bucketing doesn't always match a player's on-field role one-to-one — some players who primarily rush the passer are scored in the LB bucket rather than DL. Check how your own league's platform classifies a specific player before assuming this board lines up with your roster settings.