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Divisional Round NFL playoffs fantasy football team defense rankings (2026). Set winning lineups with our Divisional Round weekend rankings for fantasy football.
The NFL playoffs are heating up, and DFS and fantasy football are still ongoing. We're back with our Divisional Round fantasy football team defense rankings for 2026 to help you with your tough calls. In the full set of DST rankings below, we'll find out where the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and Denver Broncos defenses stand, among the other four defenses for Round 2 of the NFL postseason.
Our DEF fantasy football rankings for the Divisional Round are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find key fantasy football outlooks from our RotoBaller staff, as well as the "Who to Start?" tool. Also, be sure to check our fantasy football news for this week. There are always key injuries and developments to keep track of, so check back throughout the week for updates.
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Divisional Round Team Defense Rankings for Fantasy Football
| D/ST Tier |
D/ST Rank |
D/ST Name | Pos. |
| 1 | 1 | Seattle Seahawks | DST |
| 1 | 2 | Houston Texans | DST |
| 1 | 3 | New England Patriots | DST |
| 1 | 4 | Denver Broncos | DST |
| 2 | 5 | Buffalo Bills | DST |
| 2 | 6 | Los Angeles Rams | DST |
| 3 | 7 | San Francisco 49ers | DST |
| 3 | 8 | Chicago Bears | DST |
Divisional Round Team Defense Outlooks for Fantasy Football
Jordan Poyer, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer (hamstring) is considered week-to-week and will not play on Saturday in the Divisional Round against the hosting Denver Broncos, according to Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News. Poyer won't be available this weekend after injuring his hamstring in Sunday's Wild-Card victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. It remains to be seen if the 34-year-old veteran will be able to return for the AFC Championship next weekend if the Bills knock off the Broncos.
It's a notable loss for the Bills' defense this weekend, as Poyer has 70 tackles (31 solo), half a sack, three pass breakups, and one interception this year. Jordan Hancock will step into a starting role for Buffalo's secondary against Denver with Poyer sidelined.
Akhello Witherspoon, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (shoulder) is going on Injured Reserve after aggravating and re-breaking his scapula injury from earlier this year, according to head coach Sean McVay. The Rams will not have Witherspoon in their secondary for the rest of the postseason after he was injured in Saturday's Wild-Card win over the hosting Carolina Panthers.
It's a tough break for the 30-year-old defensive back, who will become a free agent when the new league year begins in March. Witherspoon finished his third year in L.A. with just eight tackles (six solo), one interception, and two pass breakups in his six regular-season games played due to his shoulder injury.
Christian Gonzalez, New England Patriots
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said that cornerback Christian Gonzalez (head) is in the league's concussion protocol after getting injured in Sunday night's Wild-Card victory over the visiting Los Angeles Chargers, according to Mark Daniels of Mass Live. "How long that lasts, I don't know," Vrabel said. Gonzalez's status for the Divisional Round is now up in the air, and he'll have to pass through the NFL's five-step protocol to be cleared to play on Sunday against either the Pittsburgh Steelers or Houston Texans.
New England's defense was firing on all cylinders against a banged-up Bolts offensive line on Sunday night and held the Chargers to just one field goal. If the Patriots don't have Gonzalez in the fold this weekend, though, it will be a big downgrade for their secondary against either Pittsburgh or Houston.
Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (ankle) is unlikely to have his practice window opened this week, head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Sunday. Warner is working his way back from a dislocated and fractured ankle that he suffered back in Week 6. The injury was initially expected to sideline him for the entire season, but he is ahead of schedule and now has a chance to return during the playoffs. With that being said, it sounds like he won't be ready for the Divisional Round.
Warner is on injured reserve, so the Niners would have an opportunity to open his practice window before activating him. Once his window is opened, he has 21 days to practice without being activated. The 49ers have made it this far without Warner on defense, and now, it looks like they'll have to survive at least one more week. Instead, his next chance to play will likely be the NFC Championship, should San Francisco advance that far.
TJ Edwards, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards (leg) suffered a fractured fibula during Saturday's Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers, head coach Ben Johnson announced. He will miss the remainder of the NFL playoffs. Edwards was carted off during the second quarter with his leg in an air cast.
The 29-year-old was an impact defender during the regular season, amassing 67 tackles, two tackles for loss, one interception, and half a sack through 10 games (10 starts). Going forward, he'll likely be replaced on defense by D'Marco Jackson, a 2022 fifth-round pick who made four tackles (including one tackle for loss) on Saturday night.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Divisional Round fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding defenses such as the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and Denver Broncos. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups.
Divisional Round Player Decisions. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for the Divisional Round. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, we've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Divisional Round Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for the Divisional Round (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Divisional Round Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Divisional Round searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool:
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