Three days into free agency, the defensive board looks nothing like it did last week. Cornerbacks changed cities. A $112 million pass rusher landed in a new conference. Three starters walked out of Seattle in the same week. Most fantasy managers are still drafting defenses based on rankings that were set before any of it happened.
We ran every defensive move against our projection models. Here are the DSTs worth buying, the ones to fade, and the sleeper that belongs on every draft board.
3 Defenses to Start
Philadelphia Eagles DST
149.0 projected fantasy points. 8.76 points per game. The highest DST projection in our entire model, and Philadelphia is going at ADP 148 -- the eighth defense off the board.
Then they added Tariq Woolen.
The 6-foot-4 cornerback came over from Seattle, joining Mitchell and Cooper DeJean to give Philadelphia arguably the best cornerback trio in the league. The Eagles already owned the top projection before the signing. Now they have a former starter adding lockdown coverage on the outside.
ADP 148 for the highest-projected defense in our system. We have them as a top-3 unit and the market has them outside the top 7. That gap closes fast.
Minnesota Vikings DST
126.5 projected points and 7.44 PPG put the Vikings inside the top five in DST production. Their rank: 14th. Their ADP: 172.
Top-five projected output, drafted like a mid-tier streaming option.
Reports indicate Kyler Murray's signing with Minnesota is imminent. If that deal lands, the offense upgrades significantly -- more leads, more pass-rush opportunities for a defense already producing top-5 numbers. Even without Murray, 126.5 projected points at ADP 172 is a value play we take every time.
Baltimore Ravens DST (The Sleeper)
30 sacks in 2025 -- third-fewest in the NFL. That was Baltimore's pass-rush production last season. Then they signed Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million deal after the Maxx Crosby trade fell through.
Hendrickson posted 17.5 sacks in 2024. Baltimore also added safety Jaylinn Hawkins.
The Ravens are not in our top 20 DST rankings right now. Our projections have not priced in the Hendrickson signing yet. Neither has the market. That means Baltimore's defense is essentially free in every draft, and you are getting a unit that just added the most productive pass rusher available in free agency.
Unranked today. Stash them late and move on.
3 Defenses to Sit
Seattle Seahawks DST
104.5 projected points, rank 6, ADP 140. Those numbers look fine until you realize they were built before Seattle lost three defensive starters in the same week.
Tariq Woolen signed with Philadelphia. Boye Mafe went to Cincinnati. Coby Bryant left for Chicago. One starting corner, one starting edge rusher, another starting corner -- all gone.
The 104.5 projection is stale. The sixth-place rank is stale. At ADP 140, you are paying for a defense that no longer exists. Hard fade until the numbers catch up.
New England Patriots DST
Rank 2. Projected 39.6 points. 2.33 PPG.
The consensus says New England is the second-best defense to draft. Our projection model puts them 19th out of 20 DSTs in projected points -- only Jacksonville projects lower. That is not a small gap. That is two different realities.
At ADP 124, New England is the second DST off the board. You are paying a premium for a defense that projects to produce fewer than 2.5 fantasy points per week. Let someone else chase the name.
Cleveland Browns DST
Rank 7 at ADP 144 sounds reasonable until you see the underlying numbers: 55.2 projected points and 3.25 PPG. That projection ranks 18th out of 20 DSTs in our model. Cleveland's offense has significant questions heading into 2026, and limited offensive production means short drives and a defense that lives on the field.
At 3.25 PPG, Cleveland is streamer material, not a drafted asset. Spend that pick on a position player.
The Bottom Line
Free agency carved the DST board into clear winners and losers this week. Philadelphia's projection lead is real and the market is asleep on it at ADP 148. Minnesota is a top-5 defense being drafted as a top-15 afterthought at ADP 172. Baltimore costs nothing and just added the best pass rusher in the class.
On the flip side, Seattle's roster exodus killed their ranking overnight. New England's rank-versus-projection gap is a trap for the unwary. Cleveland's offensive limitations drag the whole unit down.
Rebuild your DST strategy with these updated values at fantasygpt.org before the market corrects itself.
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