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Most fantasy football defensive team draft strategies say to pick your team based on a Week 1 matchup or a favorable stretch to start the season. You then adjust from there based on acquired knowledge of how this year differs from last year.
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With most of Week 1 behind us, we’ve collected some data on how to apply learnings from the opening weekend and push our ratings forward for each D/ST.
Keep scrolling for the Week 2 D/ST fantasy football rankings, including the best pickups for your league to keep streaming the optimal defensive team matchups.
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Week 2 D/ST Fantasy Football Rankings
|
Rk |
Tr |
D/ST |
TM |
OPP |
|
1 |
1 |
Philadelphia Eagles |
PHI |
@ TEN |
|
2 |
1 |
Baltimore Ravens |
BAL |
vs NO |
|
3 |
2 |
Seattle Seahawks |
SEA |
@ ARI |
|
4 |
2 |
San Francisco 49ers |
SF |
vs MIA |
|
5 |
2 |
Green Bay Packers |
GB |
@ NYJ |
|
6 |
3 |
Denver Broncos |
DEN |
vs JAC |
|
7 |
3 |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
PIT |
@ NE |
|
8 |
3 |
Los Angeles Rams |
LAR |
vs NYG |
|
9 |
3 |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
JAC |
@ DEN |
|
10 |
4 |
Houston Texans |
HOU |
vs CIN |
|
11 |
4 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
TB |
vs CLE |
|
12 |
4 |
Los Angeles Chargers |
LAC |
vs LV |
|
13 |
4 |
Kansas City Chiefs |
KC |
vs IND |
|
14 |
5 |
New England Patriots |
NE |
vs PIT |
|
15 |
5 |
Dallas Cowboys |
DAL |
vs WAS |
|
16 |
5 |
Cincinnati Bengals |
CIN |
@ HOU |
|
17 |
5 |
New York Giants |
NYG |
@ LAR |
|
18 |
6 |
Minnesota Vikings |
MIN |
@ CHI |
|
19 |
6 |
Carolina Panthers |
CAR |
@ ATL |
|
20 |
6 |
Chicago Bears |
CHI |
vs MIN |
|
21 |
6 |
Las Vegas Raiders |
LV |
@ LAC |
|
22 |
7 |
Buffalo Bills |
BUF |
vs DET |
|
23 |
7 |
Detroit Lions |
DET |
@ BUF |
|
24 |
8 |
New York Jets |
NYJ |
vs GB |
|
25 |
8 |
Atlanta Falcons |
ATL |
vs CAR |
|
26 |
8 |
Cleveland Browns |
CLE |
@ TB |
|
27 |
8 |
Miami Dolphins |
MIA |
@ SF |
|
28 |
8 |
Tennessee Titans |
TEN |
vs PHI |
|
29 |
8 |
Indianapolis Colts |
IND |
@ KC |
|
30 |
8 |
New Orleans Saints |
NO |
@ BAL |
|
31 |
8 |
Arizona Cardinals |
ARI |
vs SEA |
|
32 |
8 |
Washington Commanders |
WAS |
@ DAL |
Best Week 2 Fantasy D/ST Pickups from the Waiver Wire
Pick up these defensive teams and reference their Yahoo Fantasy Sports roster percentage.
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- 49ers (9%)vs. Dolphins: They might’ve benefitted from the Australia trip, but the Niners looked like their vintage selves, with a healthy Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, and newly acquired Osa Odighizuwa providing stability. They should pester the skittish Malik Willis.
- Chiefs (12%) vs. Colts: With Daniel Jones seemingly not caught up physically after his offseason recovery from a torn Achilles, the Chiefs should give him trouble. They might wilt against Jonathan Taylor, but a few sacks and turnovers forced could be enough to counter that.
- Buccaneers (3%) vs. Browns: Matching up your D/ST with Deshaun Watson feels like a solid strategy, even with a middling defense like Tampa Bay. Lose out on more potent takeaway machines? Throw a dart here.
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This story was originally published September 14, 2026 at 7:33 AM.