2026 Fantasy Football DST Preview and Early-Season Streamers

Hey, have you figured out what you’re going to do with the last pick in your 2026 fantasy football draft yet? I’m sure it’s either going to be either a kicker or a DST, probably. The end of the selection process is typically the best time to address these largely streaming-based positions. Not much of a point in worrying about it any sooner/anywhere in the early rounds.

But there’s no point in just glossing over either spot on your roster either. The Seattle Seahawks contributed double-digit points frequently in ESPN’s standard DST scoring last season, and that output is roughly on the same level as any solid flex player. There’s plenty of upside to be had out of the DST spot if you know what you’re doing, and thankfully, your buddy Herms is someone that’s been pretty good with DSTs in the past.

Allow me to introduce a new weekly article series that focuses on the other side of the football:

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First and foremost, Herms knows a thing or two about defense. It’s kinda “my thing,” I guess? The industry’s largest accuracy rankings competition doesn’t just hand out awards like candy to anyone who asks for ‘em either, so check out these bad boys —

These are the credentials on the ol’ résumé. FTNers should feel reasonably confident in not only my DST rankings, but also how accurate my colleagues Jeff Ratcliffe and Tyler Orginski have been in past ECR competition, and in just how much film that my other Crossing Routes Podcast co-host Jeremy Popielarz grinds to arrive at his conclusions. If you’re not following our site rankings, then I’m not sure what the point of playing 2026 fantasy football is, to be honest.

You’ve seen the badges; my acumen speaks for itself. Wanna know how Herms approaches the DST position for fantasy purposes? Allow me to outline (at least some of) my process here now:

• To some degree, fantasy managers can roll with the understanding that there’s a strong correlation between IRL defensive prowess and fantasy success. Not much of a difference between the two things in terms of how it manifests on the scoreboard. Of course, there are exceptions that prove every rule, but if you know X team is one of the most feared units in the NFL, then I’ll bet their fantasy box scores look pretty darn good.
• DSTs that force frequent disruption (pressure rate) and bring home results in the form of sacks and turnovers are going to be way more helpful than “bend don’t break” collectives. Most fantasy scoring systems for defense operate with a sliding points scale for yardage allowed and things of that nature — it’s nice to not give up a ton of big plays or opposing touchdowns, but that all merely establishes a scoring floor. The largest point rewards come from either planting the QB in the ground or thieving their passes.
• Quality DST units that return the majority of their starters and retain their defensive coordinator from the previous season give me more confidence than squads with a lot of offseason turnover. There’s something to be said for continuity. Defenses are one large organism, and unless a new coordinator is a genuinely big upgrade, or there’s been a large overhaul of a previously iffy position group, I’m going to feel better trusting teams that bring proven fire power back for another season over teams with heavy churn.

That’s the big TL;DR of Herms’ approach to the position — if you know a DST is extremely good for actual NFL football, then it’s probably going to work for the pretend version of the sport, too. Feel confident in rosters that’ve got cohesion and a smart coach in their corner. Teams with strong track records of going out, causing disruption, and taking the ball away are mint.

Now, let’s get into some more nitty gritty analysis about the NFL teams that sit atop my 2026 DST rankings, and then outline a handful of units that I’m particularly excited about for both early season utilization, and potentially long-term outlook if everything clicks right:

The Cream of the Crop: C.H. Herms’ Top DSTs in 2026

1. Denver Broncos

FTNers, we were one broken wrist away from this team giving us an all-timer of a defensive battle in Super Bowl LX. All due respect to the New England Patriots, but let’s be real: What the Broncos bring to the table on defense should be horrifying to all opponents who have to line up against ‘em… and they’re returning most of the key pieces of last year’s unit. Good luck!

Of course, those Seahawks deserve all the credit in the world. Mike Macdonald’s dudes went out there and finished 2025 with the best defensive DVOA (-24.1%) in the NFL. But you know who had the highest adjusted sack rate? The Broncos (12.0%) — Vance Joseph’s valiant stallions also finished with the second-best pressure rate (34.2%) justbehind the Cleveland Browns (34.9%), and the only reason that happened wears horns on the side of his helmet now.

Plus, you know which secondary allowed the lowest rate of catchable air yards? The Broncos (58.7%), and that was with shutdown corner and 2024 NFL AP Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II missing almost the entire month of November. Having to deal with the likes of Riley Moss, Jahdae Barron and Ja’Quan McMillian through the air is still a massive headache. Getting anything done against this Denver collective ought to be considered high achievement.

I’m reluctant to say the Broncos have zero issues to worry about (because they totally have some issues to worry about), but not on any level that’s going to shake my confidence in their ability to run it back as a supremely stout unit. This defense remains quietly equipped. Herms wishes John Franklin-Myers hadn’t departed for the Tennessee Titans, too, but they added reasonably well this offseason (veteran lineman Malcolm Roach is low-key dope), and those ‘backers headlined by Nik Bonitto are still fierce. Call it banking on Joseph or whatever.

But if you want the major selling point, Denver’s schedule allows for some really nice pockets for bigly booms. Just get past September and we’re gonna have a good time! Fantasy managers are looking at matchups against the middling Arizona Cardinals, two stabs at whatever the hell the Las Vegas Raiders might sorta be, a little Carolina Panthers/New York Jets/Miami Dolphins action, and a Black Friday game against the Pittsburgh Steelers all before Christmas. Yoinks!

2. Los Angeles Rams

Brother… it’s Myles Garrett + Byron Young + Poona Ford + Aaron Donald comin’ at you.

How’s anyone going about stopping that? [pauses] Yeah, I don’t really know either. Ask me how much a 35-year-old future Hall of Famer not egregiously far removed from being, like, the best defensive tackle in the NFL stepping away for a couple of years concerns me — not a ton, to be honest! I’ll be skeptical of Donald just as soon as he gives anyone a reason to be. Oh, and LA is plug-and-playing CBs Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson into their secondary? Dude.

I’d be willing to bet Chris Shula wakes up every morning and just laughs his ass off. Under his tutelage, these Rams have improved from finishing 22nd in defensive DVOA (+3.4%) in 2023 to sitting as the fourth-best unit (-12.4%) in the league in 2025, and they just added the reigning and two-time NFL AP Defensive Player of the Year award winner to a trenchline that already registered the fourth-highest QB hit rate (17.4%) last year? Dear lord, man.

Oversimplifying things typically isn’t the best approach for analysis. We run the risk of not taking at least a slightly inquisitive look into exactly how “high-end” this linebacking corps can be otherwise, but that’s more weedsy wandering than’s even necessary. The Rams are insanely talented. If a defense’s most obvious “weakness” (which isn’t even actually bad at all) can be this prominently overshadowed by two of the Monstars from Space Jam and copy-pasting the former bookends of Steve Spagnuolo’s Kansas City Chiefs secondary, then I think we’re fine.

3. Houston Texans

I’m lower than consensus, but it’s mostly just because a.) I think the offense is going to have a hard time keeping DeMeco Ryans’ dudes off the field, and b.) I’m still uncertain as to whether they did enough to truly fortify the interior, but Houston is still an extremely good team on D.

Keeping them out of the top couple of spots is more nitpicky than massive criticism; don’t take this as Herms implying that a Texans defense that finished with the fifth-lowest catchable target rate (62.2%) while allowing the seventh-fewest receiving yards per game (205.1) to opposing offenses in 2025 is ‘bout to fall off. It’s just that Houston aren’t “impossible” to run against:

• 2025 stuffed rate: 18.8% (19th)
• 2025 adjusted line yards per attempt: 3.2 (23rd)
• 2025 win yards per attempt: 2.0 (25th)

All great marks, indeed, but not overwhelmingly stingy. Surrendering the fourth-fewest total rushing yards (1,593) last year masked those measures a little bit if we’re being honest. But the good news, however, is that rookie DT Kayden McDonald will likely be a strong contributor alongside 32-year-old Sheldon Rankins — methinks Ryans’ got this potential quagmire in the bagmire. Still, it’s not wholly unwarranted concern. Gotta see ‘em do it on the field first.

Otherwise? Hey, if C.J. Stroud can get more done behind the Texans’ marginally improved offense line (we’ll see how rookie G Keylan Rutledge does), then it’s all gucci. Taking a flyer on former Cleveland Browns veteran Wyatt Teller as a depth piece on the interior is a pretty underrated move in my estimation. But… like… remember how much Stroud struggled in 2025? We can’t be expected to think this ecosystem is going to magically improve significantly.

Hell, we’ve already got wideout Jayden Higgins out for the season — how comfortable do you feel knowing that Pats castoff Kayshon Boutte is Houston’s de facto WR2? Even if David Montgomery helps take this backfield back over the Mendoza Line, any overwhelming faith in this offense’s ability to keep their defensive brethren consistently fresh in 2026 is misguided.

Draft this DST confidently anyway. Don’t hear what I’m not saying; this is just why they’re third and not the undisputed top unit in my book. The Texans are an incredibly scary front led by All-World EDGE Will Anderson Jr. with a vaunted secondary that’s bringing ex-Eagles safety Reed Blankenship into the fold for the upcoming campaign. Ain’t no weekly cake walk.

4. Seattle Seahawks

Lol, c’mon dude.

You think we’re gonna go any further without seeing the most overwhelming defense of the decade finally make their appearance? This secondary added TCU safety Bud Clark with the 64th pick in the NFL Draft somehow — he “left me floored all week” at this past Panini Senior Bowl to the degree that he earned an entire subsection in this article published well before I definitively knew I’d be writing about DSTs weekly in 2026. I just thought that highly of Clark!

Forgive me for not going much further. Macdonald retooled the heck outta this team over the course of the offseason. Despite shedding a few key cogs from the title photos, fantasy managers should have no reason to believe these fictional birds won’t continue soaring. Keeping the Seahawks out of medal is more about likely regression from a deep Super Bowl run and acknowledging dudes like Boye Mafe left. Fortunately, however, the replacements are good!

5. Philadelphia Eagles

… And they just keep getting away with it?!? Seriously, how does Howie Roseman do this every single year? Like, yeah, adding veteran LB Jonathan Greenard and former Seahawks CB Riq Woolen into the mix isn’t quite “Drafting Nolan Smith Jr. at 30th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft” levels of holy guacamole, but it’s a tasty recipe for an already stout defense.

Philly’s tough, dude. Opposing offenses are going to have to throw at the aforementioned Woolen, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean for four quarters every single weekend. Greenard joins a linebacking corps already including Zach Baun and an ascending Jihaad Campbell (who was Herms’ hipster pick to be Defensive Rookie of the Year last season despite being an off-ball guy) as the other pieces. Plus, the minute we start doubting Vic Fangio’s genius is the day that we all must turn in our Ball Knowers membership cards.

The Eagles jumped from having the No. 24 adjusted sack rate (7.4%) in the NFL back in 2023 without their current defensive guru in tow to finishing 11th last season (8.1%) — trending upward in pressure rate from 27.3% (also 24th) to 32.5% (eighth) over the same span should also tell us something. Fangio knows what he’s doing and “only” lost Reed Blankenship at safety; might not be a liability if talented 2025 second-rounder Andrew Mukuba is ready to make the jump. Other than being forced to play the Dallas Cowboys twice, where’s the issue?

Like, sure, it’s a “young” defense. Inexperience can undoubtedly manifest itself in troublesome ways over the course of an NFL season. Still, with Roseman’s track record, and with Fangio’s incredible résumé as one of the most disruptive defensive coordinators known to man, it’d be a bit strange to dismiss the Eagles simply because their abundance of back-filled talent has to actually play together now in greater numbers. This is quite literally what they planned for.

Chicago Bears

• Week 1: @ CAR
• Week 2: vs. MIN
• Week 3: vs. PHI
• Week 4: vs. NYJ
• Week 5: @ GB
• Week 6: @ ATL

Herms is a firm believer in vibes. If a team’s got a defense with an established coordinator, a little more “upside” in their favor than legitimate solutions for their flaws, and enough of an early runway to build potential steam, then that sounds like a real humdinger. Dennis Allen isn’t walking into 2026 with a substandard group by any means. Linebacker’s kinda weird, yeah, and it’s a less effective front sans Gervon Dexter Sr.… but the Chicago secondary could be cool!

Rookie Dillon Thieneman could be an ace in the hole, and perhaps his veteran counterpart at safety Xavier Woods could be somewhat of a bounceback candidate after getting hurt last year while they wait for injured ex-Seahawk Coby Bryant to debut in 2027. Woods was lowkey a dawg with the Carolina Panthers, man! Having a shot at three of the NFL’s iffiest passing attacks to open the season with them dudes is low-key tough. Risky, but could be fun!

Other than a couple of legit question marks with the Minnesota Vikings (who might not be good if Kyler Murray is any degree of meh) and the Eagles (who are probably going to lean fairly ground-heavy now that former Green Bay Packers assistant Sean Mannion’s been installed at offensive coordinator), it’s not a bad lineup for Dennis Allen to get after. It’s also only a potential one-week issue if Herms is wrong — you’re at no fault for dumping after they play Bryce Young.

Detroit Lions

• Week 1: vs. NO
• Week 2: @ BUF
• Week 3: vs. NYJ
• Week 4: @ CAR
• Week 5: @ ARI
• Week 6: Bye

The Lions have been one of the NFL’s most formidable defenses several years running. Sure, Dan Campbell’s pride had a bit of a rough go in 2024 dealing with the prolonged absence of EDGE Aidan Hutchinson (five games played due to multiple leg fractures), but Detroit’s adjusted sack rate ascended to seventh in the league (8.8%) last season upon their superstar’s return to healthy play. Wanna know something else that’s neat? Fifth-lowest avoided sack rate (1.1%).

But, if we’re being fair here, getting back to generating stronger force toward QBs without current New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn is still a big Lions goal yet to be achieved. Detroit only finished 14th in pressure rate (30.6%) in their inaugural effort with Kelvin Sheppard at DC — they’ve gotta find a way to get those motors running again. But hey, I’ll bet on Derrick Moore being That Guy to wreak havoc oppo Hutch if Brad Holmes believes it to be true.

Remains to be seen what safeties Brian Branch (Achilles) and Kerby Joseph (knee) can do once each eventually returns from PUP, however. I’m hesitant to be overly trustworthy in an objectively depleted secondary that won’t get back to full strength until after their off week. Still, their replacements are suitable, and just look at that stretch of early contests. That ought to do the trick just fine besides the Josh Allen part. Detroit is always worth a shot (and shoutout Dilla).

Los Angeles Chargers

• Week 1: vs. ARI
• Week 2: vs. LV
• Week 3: @ BUF
• Week 4: @ SEA
• Week 5: vs. DEN
• Week 6: @ KC

So, losing Jesse Minter sucks. There’s no way around that. Baltimore Ravens fans should be extremely excited about what that dude’s gonna be able to do with his gaggle of incredibly talented defensive backs. But while Minter’s absence will objectively hurt Los Angeles, that whole Harbaugh pipeline thing is real, man. I’m reasonably optimistic about new defensive coordinator hire Chris O’Leary — bro has been in understudy mode since he was in college.

TL;DR O’Leary played wide receiver at Indiana State 2010-2014, a school where Minter coached on the defensive side. The Terre Haute native then followed Minter to Georgia State as a graduate assistant in 2015 and even joined his mentor with the Bolts in 2024 as safeties coach. But just like Minter and other former John Harbaugh protegé Mike Macdonald, O’Leary turned back toward academia to receive coordinator experience in lieu of more assistant reps.

Sure, it’s difficult to glean much from how well O’Leary’s unit performed at Western Michigan last year. I’m not sure fantasy managers should apply any information sourced from the MAC with heavy weight to begin with. He fits the mold, though. Look up his career timeline and you see what O’Leary is doing. Jim Harbaugh hiring this guy makes a lot of sense. The Chargers will likely board the struggle bus after Week 2 while O’Leary learns, but what an easy start.