NFL Defense vs Position Rankings 2026-27

Fantasy points allowed to tight ends by every NFL defense • recently

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

Best TE Matchups (Most Points Allowed)

#32 Detroit Lions 22.7 FPA
#31 Cincinnati Bengals 20.0 FPA
#30 Washington Commanders 18.3 FPA

Toughest TE Matchups (Fewest Points Allowed)

#1 Philadelphia Eagles 7.7 FPA
#2 Buffalo Bills 9.1 FPA
#3 Minnesota Vikings 9.4 FPA
Rank Team DK FPA FD FPA vs Avg 2025-26/G 2026-27/G L4 Targets Rec Rec Yds Rec TD 20+ Rec Trend
1
Philadelphia EaglesPHI
7.7
 5.8
-5.9
8.3 6.6 6.6 5.7 3.8 29.5 0.15 0.12
2
Buffalo BillsBUF
9.1
 7.3
-4.5
7.6 10.5 10.5 5.8 3.6 34.0 0.30 0.21
3
Minnesota VikingsMIN
9.4
 7.6
-4.2
10.7 9.4 9.4 6.8 3.7 48.2 0.15 0.76
4
New England PatriotsNE
10.5
 8.0
-3.1
14.2 6.2 6.2 6.7 4.7 43.6 0.19 0.46
5
Chicago BearsCHI
10.6
 8.2
-3.0
13.1 8.3 8.3 6.6 4.9 46.3 0.19 0.49
6
Los Angeles RamsLA
10.6
 8.3
-3.0
13.1 7.7 7.7 7.8 4.5 36.0 0.36 0.23
7
Jacksonville JaguarsJAX
11.3
 8.9
-2.3
15.0 7.8 7.8 6.3 4.5 44.3 0.36 0.31
8
Green Bay PackersGB
11.4
 9.0
-2.2
12.1 11.5 11.5 6.6 4.8 38.3 0.45 0.16
9
Los Angeles ChargersLAC
11.5
 9.0
-2.1
10.5 12.7 12.7 6.5 4.7 49.6 0.33 0.49
10
Baltimore RavensBAL
11.7
 9.3
-1.9
11.4 12.6 12.6 6.4 4.6 45.0 0.42 0.57
11
New York GiantsNYG
11.7
 9.0
-1.9
11.5 12.6 12.6 6.9 5.2 46.8 0.29 0.52
12
Tennessee TitansTEN
11.7
 9.3
-1.9
14.3 7.4 7.4 6.5 4.7 40.0 0.33 0.40
13
New York JetsNYJ
12.3
 9.7
-1.3
15.3 8.0 8.0 6.7 5.1 49.2 0.31 0.49
14
Kansas City ChiefsKC
12.5
 9.8
-1.1
11.2 14.1 14.1 6.8 5.3 45.4 0.42 0.47
15
Seattle SeahawksSEA
13.0
 10.2
-0.6
14.9 11.3 11.3 7.3 5.4 46.2 0.47 0.59
16
Pittsburgh SteelersPIT
13.6
 10.9
0.0
16.8 9.3 9.3 6.8 5.0 54.5 0.51 0.82
17
Carolina PanthersCAR
13.7
 11.4
+0.1
13.7 14.0 14.0 7.0 4.6 50.8 0.66 0.59
18
Atlanta FalconsATL
13.8
 11.1
+0.2
10.3 17.2 17.2 7.2 5.2 52.5 0.54 0.42
19
Houston TexansHOU
13.8
 10.3
+0.2
12.6 14.2 14.2 7.4 5.7 58.2 0.29 0.72
20
Cleveland BrownsCLE
13.9
 11.0
+0.3
12.8 14.9 14.9 7.9 5.8 59.8 0.27 0.30
21
San Francisco 49ersSF
14.1
 10.5
+0.5
15.1 11.4 11.4 8.7 6.3 56.4 0.36 0.33
22
Dallas CowboysDAL
14.2
 11.6
+0.6
12.3 17.3 17.3 6.5 5.3 52.9 0.59 0.39
23
Denver BroncosDEN
14.7
 11.5
+1.1
13.8 15.0 15.0 8.9 6.1 63.5 0.35 0.48
24
Las Vegas RaidersLV
15.1
 12.3
+1.5
10.1 21.4 21.4 6.6 5.2 43.3 0.94 0.36
25
New Orleans SaintsNO
16.1
 12.4
+2.5
12.5 21.7 21.7 8.9 6.5 64.1 0.45 0.44
26
Miami DolphinsMIA
16.3
 13.4
+2.7
16.7 16.0 16.0 7.2 5.8 67.9 0.52 1.08
27
Tampa Bay BuccaneersTB
16.5
 13.4
+2.9
16.0 15.8 15.8 7.8 5.9 61.0 0.73 0.67
28
Indianapolis ColtsIND
16.7
 12.9
+3.1
16.1 18.5 18.5 8.7 6.3 69.1 0.45 0.44
29
Arizona CardinalsARI
17.7
 14.7
+4.1
17.0 17.6 17.6 7.4 5.9 67.1 0.71 0.80
30
Washington CommandersWAS
18.3
 15.8
+4.7
16.1 21.4 21.4 6.7 4.9 63.9 1.12 0.70
31
Cincinnati BengalsCIN
20.0
 15.7
+6.4
21.6 18.7 18.7 9.8 7.2 92.0 0.47 1.41
32
Detroit LionsDET
22.7
 18.6
+9.1
13.8 34.4 34.4 10.1 7.1 82.1 1.11 1.22

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 (13.6 FPA for TEs). 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.