NFL Defense vs Position Rankings 2026-27

Fantasy points allowed to running backs by every NFL defense • recently

QB RB WR TE
●Elite Matchup (Target)
●Good Matchup
●Average
●Tough
●Avoid

Best RB Matchups (Most Points Allowed)

#32 Carolina Panthers 28.4 FPA
#31 New York Jets 27.6 FPA
#30 Miami Dolphins 27.4 FPA

Toughest RB Matchups (Fewest Points Allowed)

#1 Houston Texans 16.5 FPA
#2 Minnesota Vikings 17.1 FPA
#3 Atlanta Falcons 17.4 FPA
Rank Team DK FPA FD FPA vs Avg 2025-26/G 2026-27/G L4 Rush Yds Rush TD Targets Rec Rec Yds Trend
1
Houston TexansHOU
16.5
 14.4
-5.5
19.9 11.8 11.8 75.0 0.37 4.9 3.7 23.7
2
Minnesota VikingsMIN
17.1
 14.9
-4.9
20.4 13.0 13.0 88.5 0.41 4.8 3.3 23.8
3
Atlanta FalconsATL
17.4
 15.0
-4.6
22.0 13.1 13.1 76.2 0.26 6.1 4.2 25.6
4
Jacksonville JaguarsJAX
17.6
 15.1
-4.4
18.4 16.8 16.8 62.8 0.43 5.8 4.9 35.1
5
Seattle SeahawksSEA
17.8
 15.1
-4.2
18.7 17.0 17.0 74.1 0.16 6.2 5.2 32.2
6
Kansas City ChiefsKC
19.3
 17.2
-2.7
19.4 19.0 19.0 77.5 0.70 4.4 3.7 25.9
7
Los Angeles ChargersLAC
19.9
 17.2
-2.1
19.1 21.8 21.8 93.0 0.66 5.5 3.5 24.7
8
New England PatriotsNE
19.9
 17.3
-2.1
19.6 19.5 19.5 87.4 0.59 5.1 4.0 28.1
9
Los Angeles RamsLA
20.1
 17.1
-1.9
20.8 17.4 17.4 87.5 0.24 7.0 5.2 36.7
10
Tampa Bay BuccaneersTB
20.4
 17.4
-1.6
23.0 17.8 17.8 68.2 0.43 6.3 5.4 46.1
11
Detroit LionsDET
20.6
 18.0
-1.4
19.7 20.7 20.7 91.0 0.71 5.4 4.0 23.1
12
Philadelphia EaglesPHI
20.8
 18.7
-1.2
23.8 16.8 16.8 103.7 0.56 4.2 3.2 26.4
13
Cleveland BrownsCLE
20.9
 18.3
-1.1
22.2 17.1 17.1 103.3 0.46 5.2 4.4 23.6
14
Las Vegas RaidersLV
20.9
 18.5
-1.1
23.1 17.5 17.5 95.5 0.67 5.1 4.2 28.2
15
Washington CommandersWAS
21.0
 18.3
-1.0
26.8 11.6 11.6 93.1 0.60 4.9 3.5 29.8
16
Tennessee TitansTEN
21.1
 18.8
-0.9
22.0 21.7 21.7 94.7 0.80 4.3 3.3 27.0
17
Chicago BearsCHI
21.2
 18.6
-0.8
21.8 21.0 21.0 100.8 0.44 4.6 3.5 30.8
18
Pittsburgh SteelersPIT
21.4
 18.5
-0.6
20.2 23.0 23.0 106.6 0.29 5.7 4.3 33.1
19
Baltimore RavensBAL
21.9
 19.0
-0.1
23.4 20.9 20.9 81.7 0.78 6.3 5.2 30.4
20
Denver BroncosDEN
22.3
 19.8
+0.3
17.2 29.7 29.7 95.3 0.56 5.8 4.0 29.4
21
San Francisco 49ersSF
23.3
 20.3
+1.3
24.0 21.7 21.7 96.2 0.59 6.5 5.5 31.8
22
Arizona CardinalsARI
23.6
 21.1
+1.6
27.0 17.1 17.1 110.4 0.88 4.7 3.4 28.3
23
New Orleans SaintsNO
24.1
 21.0
+2.1
21.5 28.2 28.2 107.1 0.92 4.3 3.9 28.7
24
New York GiantsNYG
24.4
 21.6
+2.4
26.7 22.0 22.0 107.4 0.65 4.8 4.3 27.8
25
Cincinnati BengalsCIN
24.6
 20.9
+2.6
29.4 20.2 20.2 94.0 0.54 6.2 5.2 43.8
26
Indianapolis ColtsIND
24.8
 21.6
+2.8
20.5 30.1 30.1 101.0 0.98 5.4 4.0 32.0
27
Dallas CowboysDAL
25.5
 22.5
+3.5
26.0 25.3 25.3 101.0 0.95 5.0 4.6 33.9
28
Buffalo BillsBUF
25.7
 23.0
+3.7
24.9 27.5 27.5 99.1 0.85 5.8 4.4 28.7
29
Green Bay PackersGB
26.6
 24.0
+4.6
22.0 31.7 31.7 114.8 1.30 4.5 3.8 28.2
30
Miami DolphinsMIA
27.4
 24.1
+5.4
25.5 30.3 30.3 100.5 0.84 5.0 4.6 33.7
31
New York JetsNYJ
27.6
 24.8
+5.6
28.7 23.8 23.8 97.2 0.91 5.4 4.1 36.3
32
Carolina PanthersCAR
28.4
 24.9
+6.4
24.8 32.5 32.5 123.8 1.15 5.3 4.5 31.1

How These 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.

vs Average and Trend

vs Avg compares a defense to the league mean for the position (22.0 FPA for RBs). The trend arrow flags defenses drifting softer or tougher over their last four games.

Defense vs Position FAQ

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), Washington Commanders (24.2 FPA), Dallas Cowboys (23.8 FPA).

Which defenses allow the most fantasy points to running backs?

Current softest matchups for RBs: Carolina Panthers (28.4 FPA), New York Jets (27.6 FPA), Miami Dolphins (27.4 FPA).

Which defenses allow the most fantasy points to wide receivers?

Current softest matchups for WRs: Washington Commanders (40.8 FPA), Detroit Lions (39.1 FPA), Atlanta Falcons (37.5 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.