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Defense and special teams units are usually one of the final starting positions taken in most fantasy football drafts, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be valuable. Last season, the Seattle DST was the most productive unit in fantasy leagues, scoring 179 points. The Texans, Jaguars, Broncos and Rams were also among the top five defenses based on points.
The 2026 offseason has already seen plenty of movement among defensive players through trades, free-agent moves and NFL draft additions, which will obviously increase or decrease the value of the overall units. The biggest moves include the Rams acquiring CB Trent McDuffie from the Chiefs, the Ravens signing Trey Hendrickson, the Panthers signing Jaelan Phillips and a slew of potentially impactful additions from the 2026 NFL draft.
With that being said, here are my updated, post-NFL draft 2026 fantasy football defense rankings. I’ll be updating these often throughout the offseason, so keep checking back!
2026 Fantasy Football Defense Rankings
|
RK |
Player |
Pos |
Team |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Texans |
DST1 |
HOU |
|
2 |
Seahawks |
DST2 |
SEA |
|
3 |
Broncos |
DST3 |
DEN |
|
4 |
Rams |
DST4 |
LAR |
|
5 |
Eagles |
DST5 |
PHI |
|
6 |
Patriots |
DST6 |
NE |
|
7 |
Vikings |
DST7 |
MIN |
|
8 |
Steelers |
DST8 |
PIT |
|
9 |
Jaguars |
DST9 |
JAC |
|
10 |
Ravens |
DST10 |
BAL |
|
11 |
Bills |
DST11 |
BUF |
|
12 |
Lions |
DST12 |
DET |
|
13 |
Chargers |
DST13 |
LAC |
|
14 |
Chiefs |
DST14 |
KC |
|
15 |
Packers |
DST15 |
GB |
|
16 |
Browns |
DST16 |
CLE |
|
17 |
49ers |
DST17 |
SF |
|
18 |
Colts |
DST18 |
IND |
|
19 |
Falcons |
DST19 |
ATL |
|
20 |
Saints |
DST20 |
NO |
|
21 |
Panthers |
DST21 |
CAR |
|
22 |
Bears |
DST22 |
CHI |
|
23 |
Giants |
DST23 |
NYG |
|
24 |
Buccaneers |
DST24 |
TB |
|
25 |
Titans |
DST25 |
TEN |
|
26 |
Cowboys |
DST26 |
DAL |
|
27 |
Dolphins |
DST27 |
MIA |
|
28 |
Commanders |
DST28 |
WAS |
|
29 |
Jets |
DST29 |
NYJ |
|
30 |
Cardinals |
DST30 |
ARI |
|
31 |
Bengals |
DST31 |
CIN |
|
32 |
Raiders |
DST32 |
LV |
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MICHAEL FABIANO
Michael Fabiano is a fantasy football analyst for Sports Illustrated. His weekly rankings and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em articles are must-reads for fantasy players. He is also the co-host of the Fantasy Dirt Podcast on SI. Before joining SI in August 2020, he worked for CBS Sports, NFL Network and SiriusXM. He also contributes to Westwood One Radio. Fabiano was the first fantasy analyst to appear on one of the four major TV networks and is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.
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