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RotoBaller's updated fantasy football DEF/DST rankings for 2026. These tiered team defense rankings are for redraft leagues and include the 32 defenses.
If you have played fantasy football long enough, you know spike weeks from defenses can win or lose matchups, and ignoring the position can be a critical mistake. We're here to help with our defense fantasy football draft rankings for 2026. In the complete team defense rankings below, see where the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, and Jacksonville Jaguars units stand among all others.
For more rankings sets, be sure to view our 2026 best ball fantasy football rankings, 2026 dynasty fantasy football rankings, and 2026 NFL rookie fantasy football rankings. You can also bookmark our NFL news page or the brand new NFL Injuries Report page for the latest fantasy news and injury updates.
RotoBaller's lead NFL analyst Nick Mariano has put together these updated 2026 defense rankings, which will be constantly updated throughout the offseason and all the way up until Week 1.
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2026 Fantasy Football Defense Rankings
| Tier | Rank | DEF Name | Pos |
| 1 | 1 | Houston Texans | DST |
| 1 | 2 | Seattle Seahawks | DST |
| 1 | 3 | Los Angeles Rams | DST |
| 1 | 4 | Denver Broncos | DST |
| 2 | 5 | Minnesota Vikings | DST |
| 2 | 6 | Jacksonville Jaguars | DST |
| 2 | 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DST |
| 2 | 8 | Los Angeles Chargers | DST |
| 2 | 9 | Baltimore Ravens | DST |
| 3 | 10 | Philadelphia Eagles | DST |
| 3 | 11 | Chicago Bears | DST |
| 3 | 12 | New England Patriots | DST |
| 3 | 13 | Dallas Cowboys | DST |
| 3 | 14 | Kansas City Chiefs | DST |
| 3 | 15 | New York Giants | DST |
| 3 | 16 | Buffalo Bills | DST |
| 4 | 17 | San Francisco 49ers | DST |
| 4 | 18 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DST |
| 4 | 19 | Tennessee Titans | DST |
| 4 | 20 | Green Bay Packers | DST |
| 4 | 21 | Indianapolis Colts | DST |
| 4 | 22 | Cleveland Browns | DST |
| 5 | 23 | Atlanta Falcons | DST |
| 5 | 24 | Detroit Lions | DST |
| 5 | 25 | Las Vegas Raiders | DST |
| 5 | 26 | New York Jets | DST |
| 6 | 27 | New Orleans Saints | DST |
| 6 | 28 | Carolina Panthers | DST |
| 6 | 29 | Arizona Cardinals | DST |
| 6 | 30 | Miami Dolphins | DST |
| 7 | 31 | Cincinnati Bengals | DST |
| 7 | 32 | Washington Commanders | DST |
Fantasy Football Defense Player News
Jalen Ramsey, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said that safety Jalen Ramsey (knee) will be activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list on Monday and will return to training camp practice for the first time this summer, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. The 31-year-old eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro will most likely be eased back into practice after missing all of camp to this point, but barring a setback with his knee, he figures to be ready for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sunday, Sept. 13, against the Atlanta Falcons.
The former fifth overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016 from Florida State is heading into his 11th year in the NFL. He was a Pro Bowler in 2025 in his first year in the Steel City, recording a career-high-tying 88 tackles (53 solo), a career-high three sacks, one interception, and eight pass breakups in 17 starts. Ramsey is not in his prime anymore, but he proved last year that he is still very effective as a veteran defensive back for Pittsburgh's defense.
Bud Clark, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks safety Bud Clark (ankle) suffered a broken ankle in the 19-16 preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans. On the first defensive snap, Clark was injured and carted off with an air cast on his right ankle. Head coach Mike MacDonald told reporters postgame that the second-round pick is expected to miss several months.
With the 2026 second-round pick likely to miss a substantial amount of time, Ty Okada is set to fill his position, while second-year Nick Emmanwori could be forced to play more free safety once he's healthy. It's possible Clark could return if he doesn't require surgery, but it's still a tough blow for the Seahawks defense, which was hoping for solid production from the rookie.
Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars two-way player Travis Hunter took all 20 of his snaps in training camp practice on Sunday on defense in 11-on-11 team drills, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN. Hunter has now taken 249 total snaps during training camp, with 183 coming on defense, 65 on offense, and one on special teams. DiRocco notes that these numbers do not include the team's joint practice with the New Orleans Saints.
The 23-year-old former second overall pick last year out of Colorado did not suit up for the team's second preseason game on Friday against the Carolina Panthers, and he has been listed as a starting cornerback and a backup wide receiver on the Jaguars' preseason depth chart. The former Heisman Trophy winner caught only 28 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown in seven games as a rookie before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Hunter is fully healthy now, but his fantasy stock in both redraft and keeper leagues has plummeted since it looks like he might only be a gadget player on offense going forward.
Trevon Diggs, Seattle Seahawks
Former Dallas Cowboys two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs is signing an undisclosed one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN. While waiting for former Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold's situation to play out, the Seahawks will add Diggs, who played with the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in 2025, racking up 27 tackles (20 solo) in nine total games. The 27-year-old was originally a second-rounder by Dallas in the 2020 draft out of the University of Alabama.
Diggs made back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2021 and 2022, when he recorded a total of 14 interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) in 33 games played in Dallas. He has struggled to stay healthy since he tore his ACL in September of 2023, and he had additional surgery on his knee in December of 2024. Diggs will provide corner depth in Seattle, but he has played in only 22 games in the last three seasons.
Who Should I Draft Fantasy Football Tool
Read more about the free Who Should I Draft tool here.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to draft...
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 Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Draft? You may have noticed our Who Should I Draft? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2026 fantasy football drafts. You'll see NFL player tiles with bye weeks, stats, and projections, ADPs, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research and updates them constantly throughout the preseason. 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.
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 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 Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars:
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