NFL defense vs position rankings 2026-27

Fantasy points allowed to tight ends by every NFL defense · Updated recently

Build NFL lineups against these matchups Best NFL lineup Mon, Oct 19: 173.3 pts on DraftKings by applesauce 281 · Every scored slate
Softest vs TE Detroit Lions DET 24.5 Cincinnati Bengals CIN 19.6 Arizona Cardinals ARI 19.4
Toughest Minnesota Vikings MIN 7.9 Green Bay Packers GB 10.1 Los Angeles Rams LA 10.1
●Elite matchup ●Good ●Average ●Tough ●Avoid
Points allowed Windows Per game allowed
Rank Team This week DK FPA FD FPA vs avg 2025-26 2026-27 Last 4 Targets Rec Rec Yds Rec TD 20+ Rec Trend
1
Minnesota VikingsMIN
vs IND Will Mallory 5.8
7.9
 6.2
-6.1
10.7 7.6 5.4 6.0 3.5 37.7 0.12 0.47
2
Green Bay PackersGB
@ DET Sam LaPorta 13.8
10.1
 7.8
-3.9
12.1 9.8 8.7 6.7 4.6 37.4 0.30 0.11
3
Los Angeles RamsLA
@ LV Brock Bowers 15.6
10.1
 7.9
-3.9
13.1 8.3 8.6 7.2 4.5 35.6 0.27 0.28
4
Seattle SeahawksSEA
vs KC Travis Kelce 11.3
10.2
 7.8
-3.8
14.9 8.9 5.7 6.7 4.8 38.6 0.25 0.41
5
Los Angeles ChargersLAC
 Bye
10.4
 8.2
-3.6
10.5 11.2 8.9 5.8 4.3 51.2 0.19 0.68
6
Baltimore RavensBAL
vs CIN Mike Gesicki 6.5
10.7
 8.5
-3.3
11.4 10.6 10.2 5.9 4.2 38.5 0.40 0.32
7
Philadelphia EaglesPHI
vs DAL Jake Ferguson 6.2
11.2
 8.9
-2.8
8.3 11.7 15.0 6.7 4.7 44.0 0.35 0.32
8
New York GiantsNYG
@ HOU Dalton Schultz 7.9
11.4
 8.8
-2.6
11.5 12.3 10.8 7.5 5.2 44.8 0.28 0.56
9
Houston TexansHOU
vs NYG Isaiah Likely 11.3
11.9
 9.0
-2.1
12.6 11.1 10.3 7.2 5.2 44.6 0.32 0.50
10
Dallas CowboysDAL
@ PHI Dallas Goedert 11.7
12.1
 9.5
-1.9
12.3 12.9 11.0 6.4 5.1 47.2 0.35 0.41
11
Buffalo BillsBUF
 Bye
12.3
 9.8
-1.7
7.6 15.2 15.0 7.6 4.9 61.0 0.17 0.87
12
Tennessee TitansTEN
vs CLE Harold Fannin Jr. 9.0
12.4
 9.9
-1.6
14.3 10.5 11.0 6.9 4.9 42.1 0.47 0.40
13
San Francisco 49ersSF
@ ATL Kyle Pitts Sr. 8.2
12.5
 9.3
-1.5
15.1 9.4 11.2 8.4 5.9 51.3 0.25 0.35
14
New York JetsNYJ
vs MIA Greg Dulcich 6.0
12.6
 9.9
-1.4
15.3 9.8 11.8 7.3 5.2 50.5 0.33 0.37
15
Jacksonville JaguarsJAX
 Bye
12.7
 10.2
-1.3
15.0 11.8 12.2 7.4 4.9 42.0 0.57 0.22
16
Atlanta FalconsATL
vs SF George Kittle 17.4
13.4
 10.4
-0.6
10.3 15.8 13.3 7.9 5.7 54.8 0.38 0.41
17
Indianapolis ColtsIND
@ MIN T.J. Hockenson 8.7
13.6
 10.8
-0.4
16.1 13.8 10.5 7.5 5.0 49.7 0.54 0.31
18
Chicago BearsCHI
vs NE Hunter Henry 10.5
13.8
 11.2
-0.2
13.1 13.1 16.8 7.0 5.3 56.5 0.47 0.63
19
Denver BroncosDEN
@ ARI Trey McBride 15.8
14.3
 11.3
+0.3
13.8 13.3 15.2 8.2 5.5 57.5 0.50 0.54
20
New England PatriotsNE
@ CHI Colston Loveland 10.6
14.5
 10.9
+0.5
14.2 13.0 18.1 8.5 6.0 59.2 0.36 0.61
21
Pittsburgh SteelersPIT
@ NO Juwan Johnson 8.6
14.5
 11.8
+0.5
16.8 11.7 14.8 7.0 5.3 54.7 0.50 0.87
22
Cleveland BrownsCLE
@ TEN Gunnar Helm 4.6
14.7
 11.7
+0.7
12.8 14.9 17.2 8.4 5.9 55.9 0.51 0.45
23
Carolina PanthersCAR
vs TB Cade Otton 9.4
15.1
 12.3
+1.1
13.7 16.0 17.1 8.4 5.5 58.1 0.61 0.66
24
Tampa Bay BuccaneersTB
@ CAR Darren Waller 6.1
15.5
 12.4
+1.5
16.0 15.7 12.5 8.2 5.9 54.5 0.67 0.47
25
Las Vegas RaidersLV
vs LA Tyler Higbee 10.3
15.8
 12.7
+1.8
10.1 17.9 21.7 7.4 6.0 49.9 0.82 0.51
26
Kansas City ChiefsKC
@ SEA AJ Barner 7.7
16.3
 12.9
+2.3
11.2 20.0 20.7 9.3 6.6 62.8 0.54 0.75
27
New Orleans SaintsNO
vs PIT Pat Freiermuth 9.1
16.7
 13.1
+2.7
12.5 18.4 22.1 8.8 6.4 68.3 0.48 0.81
28
Miami DolphinsMIA
@ NYJ Kenyon Sadiq 5.7
19.3
 15.4
+5.3
16.7 20.4 23.2 8.2 7.0 74.2 0.67 1.13
29
Washington CommandersWAS
 Bye
19.3
 16.2
+5.3
16.1 21.5 21.3 8.1 6.0 70.3 1.01 0.71
30
Arizona CardinalsARI
vs DEN Evan Engram 5.8
19.4
 16.0
+5.4
17.0 19.3 22.3 8.4 6.6 71.9 0.89 0.78
31
Cincinnati BengalsCIN
@ BAL Mark Andrews 8.9
19.6
 15.3
+5.6
21.6 17.2 20.2 9.8 7.3 92.0 0.37 1.28
32
Detroit LionsDET
vs GB Tucker Kraft 12.2
24.5
 20.0
+10.5
13.8 32.5 33.7 10.6 8.2 86.7 1.19 1.08
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About these rankings

How the ratings work

FPA (Fantasy Points Allowed)

Every player game is scored with official DraftKings and FanDuel scoring (including DK yardage bonuses), then the position group is totaled per game. Higher FPA means a softer defense to target.

Season Blend

Ratings blend this season's games (season-to-date plus a last-4-games moving average) with the 2025-26 baseline. The current season takes over quickly: after 4 games the blend is 50/50, and by midseason it is mostly 2026-27 data.

Moving Averages

The 2025-26/G, 2026-27/G, and L4 columns show the raw windows feeding the rating, so you can see exactly why a defense ranks where it does.

Who They Faced

Open any row (the arrow at its end, or hover the team name on a desktop) for the defense's last five games against tight ends: the opponent, the players who faced them, and the DraftKings and FanDuel points each one scored, from the same box scores the optimizer grades with. The This week column names the next opponent and its top projected TE, linked to that team's props board.

vs Average and Trend

vs Avg compares a defense to the league mean for the position (14.0 FPA for TEs). The trend arrow flags defenses drifting softer or tougher over their last four games.

Questions

What is NFL Defense vs Position (DvP)?

Defense vs Position measures how many fantasy points and raw stats each NFL defense allows to a specific position (QB, RB, WR, TE). It is built from real box scores: every player at that position who faced the defense, summed per game and averaged.

How are fantasy points allowed calculated?

We score every player game with official DraftKings and FanDuel scoring, including DraftKings 100-yard and 300-yard bonuses, then total the position group per game. FPA is the per-game average of those totals.

Which defenses allow the most fantasy points to quarterbacks?

Current softest matchups for QBs: Detroit Lions (25.6 FPA), Dallas Cowboys (22.4 FPA), Washington Commanders (22.3 FPA).

Which defenses allow the most fantasy points to running backs?

Current softest matchups for RBs: New Orleans Saints (27.5 FPA), New York Jets (27.2 FPA), Buffalo Bills (25.8 FPA).

Which defenses allow the most fantasy points to wide receivers?

Current softest matchups for WRs: Detroit Lions (39.3 FPA), Dallas Cowboys (39.1 FPA), Atlanta Falcons (38.1 FPA).

How is this different early in the season?

Ratings blend this season's games (season-to-date plus a last-4-games moving average) with the 2025-26 baseline. The current season takes over quickly: after 4 games the blend is 50/50, and by midseason it is mostly 2026-27 data.

Put these matchups to work

Pair the softest defenses with our NFL weekly projections, attack them in the DFS lineup optimizer, or shop the numbers on the player props board. Check the weekly schedule to see who draws each matchup next.