Fantasy Football Player Outlooks for The 2026-26 Season

The Texans generally played tough defense in 2024, but they weren't good in the red zone and made just one house call on 24 takeaways, ultimately ranking 14th in both real-life points allowed (21.9 per game) and fantasy points scored (7.6 per games). It was a more promising year if one dissects the pieces, with 2022 third overall pick Derek Stingley becoming an elite cover man / a First Team All-Pro, and edge rushers Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter combining for 23 sacks. The team's most important players performed as expected, at least on the defensive side, but their supporting cast was plagued by everything from injuries to suspensions to age-related decline. Houston didn't make any big-money additions on defense this offseason, with the biggest moves being a trade for S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and a one-year contract for LB E.J. Speed. It's enough talent to get by when all three superstars are healthy, but the Texans likely will run into problems if Anderson, Hunter and Stingley combine for a lot of missed games.

Mike Macdonald's first season as head coach in Seattle didn't live up to its early promise, but the overall product on defense nonetheless was much improved relative to the final few years of Pete Carroll's tenure. The Seahawks tied for seventh in D/ST fantasy scoring thanks in part to five touchdowns, ranking 11th in points allowed, 13th in yardage, 16th in takeaways (18) and t-8th in sacks (45). They had five players with at least four sacks and 12 QB hits, and four of them are back for 2025, joined by free-agent addition Demarcus Lawrence and (potentially) Uchenna Nwosu, who has played just 12 games since his 9.5-sack breakout in 2022. The secondary is led by 2023 fifth overall pick Devon Witherspoon, who excels in the slot or outside and has solid starters alongside him -- CB Riq Woolen, S Julian Love and S Coby Bryant. Things look less promising from a purely fantasy standpoint, as the Seahawks play in a tough division and may take a step back on offense without QB Geno Smith and WR DK Metcalf.

Denver finished 2024 as the NFL leaders in sacks (63), defensive TDs (five) and D/ST fantasy points (179), after finishing 20th or lower in those same categories -- and most others -- the year before. Shutdown corner Patrick Surtain had his best season yet in 2024 and got a DPOY Award out of it, while the front seven had six players with at least five sacks, including four that had 18-plus QB hits. Edge rushers Nik Bonitto (13.5 sacks) and Jonathan Cooper (10.5) are back for 2025, as are DL Zach Allen (8.5 sacks, 40 QB hits), S Brandon Jones (115 tackles) and nickelback Ja'Quan McMillian (10 PDs) -- all playing under veteran, blitz-happy defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. S Talanoa Hufanga and LB Dre Greenlaw were the big offseason additions, coming over from San Francisco after major injuries in 2023 led to reduced contributions in 2024. A return to peak performance for those two would make Denver's defense truly dominant, and even lesser contributions might be enough to keep them near the top of the league for fantasy, especially if No. 20 overall pick Jahdae Barron quickly boosts the secondary.

Six defenses scored more fantasy points during the 2024 regular season, but only the Chargers allowed fewer real-life points than the Eagles, and no team allowed fewer yards. Philadelphia had 26 takeaways, sixth most, but returned just one of those for a touchdown and tied for 13th with 41 sacks. The pass rush stepped up at the end with 16 sacks in four playoff games, and rookie nickelback Cooper DeJean had a pick-six during the Super Bowl. Fellow rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, the 22nd overall pick, was arguably better than long-time No. 1 corner Darius Slay by the end of the year. Slay won't be back in 2025, nor will DT Milton Williams, edge rusher Josh Sweat or S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, each of whom topped 500 defensive snaps last year. Still, the Eagles have star players and early draft picks at all three levels, playing under veteran coordinator Vic Fangio on the heels of a championship run. This is one of the few defenses actually worth drafting, and as good a bet as any to lead all D/STs in fantasy scoring.

The Rams wasted no time addressing their defensive front after Aaron Donald's retirement last offseason, drafting edge rusher Jared Verse in the first round and lineman Braden Fiske in the second. Verse was named Defensive Rookie of the Year, with Fiske recording a team-high 8.5 sacks and second-year pro Kobie Turner adding 8.0 (after 9.0 his rookie year). The front seven is in good hands under second-year defensive coordinator Chris Shula, but the cornerbacks have been an annual concern since Jalen Ramsey's LA heyday, with the plan for 2025 entailing a revival of 2023 first-round bust Emmanuel Forbes and/or squeezing another season out of 30-somethings Darious Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon. While they lack top talent at linebacker and in the secondary, the Rams should field a well-coached defense with a good pass rush, which is at least enough to make them a strong streaming choice for favorable matchups.