It’s never too early to start thinking about your fantasy football drafts and our job here at Fantasy Life is to make sure you have everything you need to prepare.

DST isn’t the position anyone spends the most time thinking about, but it is an important one. It is also one that we can take an early look at because the most important factor, the schedule, won’t change between now and the start of the season.

Because of that, this article will primarily be focused on identifying DSTs that have a favorable early-season schedule. I am also excluding the elite DSTs like Houston and Denver because they will most likely be drafted too early in your fantasy league. The DSTs featured in this article should be good value options because they won’t get the elite defense premium, but they have a good chance to start the season hot.

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Best early-season DST schedules for Fantasy Football 2026

Los Angeles Chargers

Week 1 vs Cardinals

Week 2 vs Raiders

The early betting lines have the Chargers favored by 11.5 and 8.5 points, respectively, in their first two matchups. That is exactly the type of setup we want for a fantasy defense to be able to generate the sacks and turnovers that lead to big fantasy scores.

LAC also has a talented group of pass rushers, which helps create opportunities to score fantasy points. They added Akheem Mesidor in the NFL Draft, which bolsters an already-strong unit that features Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu. Mesidor fell in the draft due to his age, but he is considered a pro-ready prospect who should contribute right away.

The Chargers will likely face Jacoby Brissett and Kirk Cousins as the opposing QBs in these games, which are both favorable matchups from the standpoint of turnover potential. LAC should be among the highest projected defenses in both of those weeks. The only thing that isn't ideal is that they are probably a DST you only want for two weeks considering their Week 3 game is on the road in Buffalo.

Baltimore Ravens

Week 1 @ Colts

Week 2 vs Saints

Week 3 @ Cowboys

Week 4 vs Titans

Week 5 vs Falcons

Week 6 @ Browns

If you want a defense you can draft in one of the finals rounds and not have to worry about the position for more than a month, the Ravens are a great candidate. They are favorites in each of their first six games and face only one offense (Dallas) that is viewed as an above-average unit. The Saints might turn out to be a fun offense for fantasy because of their high tempo, but they aren’t a matchup that I fear for my fantasy defense.

From a personnel standpoint, the Ravens’ two major additions were Trey Hendrickson and rookie Zion Young. These moves add real talent to their pass rush, which should help their pass defense. Last season the Ravens were great against the run and struggled to defend the pass. Their secondary is largely unchanged from last season, so they will be relying on their ability to pressure opposing QBs to take some of the pressure off their CBs.

Overall, this is a talented defense that has good matchups in five of their first six games, which will make them a compelling pick late in fantasy drafts.

Kansas City Chiefs

Week 1 vs Broncos

Week 2 vs Colts

Week 3 vs Dolphins

Week 4 @ Raiders

The Chiefs had a lot of turnover in their defensive secondary this offseason with Trent McDuffie traded to the Rams and Jaylen Watson departing in free agency (also to the Rams). Kansas City replaced them with Kader Kohou in free agency and Mansoor Delane in the NFL Draft.

The rest of the Chiefs defense was relatively stable with their key players at defensive line and linebacker returning. In addition to Delane, the Chiefs also selected R Mason Thomas in the second round of the NFL Draft, which adds more depth and talent to their defensive line.

Looking at the schedule, Denver in Week 1 is not an easy matchup, but not one I am avoiding either. After that, the Colts, Dolphins, and Raiders are all positive matchups where the Chiefs should have a lead and the defensive line should be able to tee off on below-average QBs.

One major caveat here is that I am expecting Patrick Mahomes to be healthy and starting in Week 1. If he isn't, that does matter for their DST. Without Mahomes, I would be much less confident in their offense's ability to keep the ball and put up the points that force the other team to try to keep up.

Green Bay Packers

Week 1 @ Vikings

Week 2 @ Jets

Week 3 vs Falcons

How you feel about the Vikings will determine how you feel about this schedule. The Minnesota offense has upside, but it also has downside. Kyler Murray should be a significant upgrade at the QB position, but he has his limitations and the running game could be a real problem for the Vikings offense.

If you feel comfortable starting the Packers in Minnesota in Week 1 then they are a great pick because they then get the Jets and Falcons in their next two games. The Jets will be a team we target all season to stream whatever defense they are playing and the Falcons are likely to be starting Tua Tagovailoa at QB early in the year.

The major question for this defense is when Micah Parsons will return to the field and how quickly can he get back to his old self? He could miss the first four games of the season if placed on the PUP list, which would make the Green Bay DST a less attractive pick. Of all the defenses in this article, the Packers are the most likely to go undrafted, which means they could also be a Week 2 streaming option if you go a different route in your draft.

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