Many leagues have tossed D/STs to the side, but I still enjoy looking at all the mediocre quarterbacks who are just itching to throw a pick-six or two to a defense I just picked up off the waiver wire. There’s no reason to reach in your draft for a D/ST, as ADP and total fantasy points scored don’t coincide all that much. There are just too many variables that can keep a good defense from putting up a lot of points. Turnovers are too random, while also being a huge part of the scoring.
The Ravens decided to get back to their defensive mindset by bringing in defensive guru and new head coach Jesse Minter and signing Trey Hendrickson, while also getting a healthy Nnamdi Madubuike back. Add in Kyle Hamilton, Nate Wiggins, Malaki Starks, and Marlon Humphrey and you have a star powered defense if they can stay healthy. They also start off with a decent schedule, facing the Colts, Saints, Cowboys, Titans, Falcons, and Browns. I’d probably try to stream a defense when they face the Cowboys, but otherwise, you have a strong month and a half of easy matchups.
The Bengals have often been known for having bad defenses, but they went to work this offseason to change the narrative. The acquisition of Dexter Lawrence was huge, but they also added Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen, Bryan Cook, and Cashius Howell. Yes, Trey Hendrickson is gone, but they still have one of the best cover corners in the game with D.J. Turner, and as long as Joe Burrow can stay healthy, the defense should be able to play with a lead, which is always better for the pass rush, which is vital in D/ST scoring. Cincinnati also has the second easiest schedule per Vegas win totals. Week 1 they host the Buccaneers and then travel to Houston. They aren’t the matchups I would target, but if you’re not into streaming D/STs, they aren’t awful.
The Lions were pretty unlucky last year with turnovers and injuries. They get a fairly easy start to the season though, as they are at home against the Saints, who will be without Jordyn Tyson and Alvin Kamara. I like the Saints as a bit of a sleeper offense, but they could get blown out of the water in Week 1. This pick could go into the Week 1 streamers section as well, but overall the Lions have one of the easiest schedules in the league. After the Saints, they then have a matchup against Josh Allen and the Bills, but after that game they face the Jets, Panthers, and Cardinals. They make for a good base defense that you can pivot off of in really tough matchups.
Matchups, matchups, matchups. That’s the name of the D/ST game and if you, like me, rather play matchups than stick with one D/ST, you need to pay close attention to the schedule.
The Jags are currently going as the eleventh D/ST off the board. They are an okay pick for the season, but for streamers, they are a great pick, as they get the Browns in Week 1. Deshaun Watson is awful and that’s really all you need to play the Jaguars in Week 1. After that though, they are a drop, as their schedule gets tougher, fast — @Broncos, vs. Patriots, @Bengals, then vs. Eagles. I don’t want any part of that schedule.
The Raiders are at home to kick off the 2026 season and get a nice matchup against the Malik Willis led Dolphins. It’s a matchup between two not great teams, and you could also probably stream the Dolphins, but I like the Raiders at home a bit more.
