NFL DFS Week 2 D/ST Picks 2026: Top DraftKings & FanDuel Defenses

Published: Sep 18, 2026

Updated: Sep 18, 2026

Week 2 of the NFL season is here, and we get a deeper 13-game slate to work with for our NFL DFS Week 2 DST picks. I like to think Week 1 went rather well! We recommended the Jaguars and Steelers, who were more expensive options that each returned over a dozen fantasy points. And I rarely try to predict a pick-six, but we got one last week with Pittsburgh. Even our value play on DraftKings, the Cincinnati Bengals, look to be much improved with some new personnel, and I do believe they’re no longer the defensive laughing stock of the NFL.

All in all, it was a nice way to kick off the season, and we’ll keep that momentum heading into Week 2. And it’s not even just the Sunday main slate that’s appetizing. There’s an eight-game slate in the early window and then five games in the afternoon. We’re given some variety for this weekend’s action, so let’s take a look at our top NFL DFS DST options on DraftKings and FanDuel!

NFL DFS Week 2 DST Picks

San Francisco 49ers – DraftKings: $3,800 | FanDuel: $5,000

The 49ers enter the latest main slate as the most expensive option for our NFL DFS Week 2 DST picks, and for good reason. They will host the Miami Dolphins in the afternoon window as the biggest favorites on the slate. As of Friday morning, the 49ers are favored by 13.5 points, and the Dolphins have an implied team total of just 15.5 points.

When you consider the massive gap in talent between these two squads, this tweet from Doug Clawson really sums it up; the Dolphins roster has just one combined Pro Bowl selection while the 49ers have 54. Now that’s not just an overall lack of talent, but also represents the youth of Miami’s roster. The Dolphins are one of the youngest teams in the NFL, and that also means they lack experience.

So we can certainly target that. The Raiders don’t have a great defense by any stretch of the imagination. And yet, they held Miami to just 13 points and under 300 yards of total offense. Not to mention, they also forced two turnovers and collected five sacks. Miami’s on the road for the second consecutive week to start the season, while the 49ers are well-rested after getting a couple extra days off following their opener in Australia.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – DraftKings: $3,600 | FanDuel: $4,800

The Bucs defense truly wasn’t anything special a week ago against the Bengals. They gave up 27 points, but the fantasy performance was salvaged by a pick-six late in the third quarter. Fortunately for Tampa, they draw the lowly Cleveland Browns, who are set to play in the hot, humid state of Florida for the second straight week.

Deshaun Watson is currently going through it as he battles a fanbase that hates him, and he consistently chooses his words poorly when speaking to the media. And when Sunday rolls around, he fails to justify the Browns giving him such a massive contract. Last week, in a negative game script, Watson attempted just 22 passes. He completed 16 of them for 205 yards and a touchdown. But he was also intercepted once, and he did have a fumble, but he was able to recover it on his own. But Watson also took five sacks, which isn’t surprising since the Browns came into this season projected to have one of the worst offensive lines in the league.

The Bucs enter this matchup as sizable home favorites (-8.5), and the Browns have an implied team total of just 16.5 points. In terms of personnel and scheming, I don’t think the Bucs are an elite option over the course of a whole season, but they’re in play for our NFL DFS Week 2 DST picks.

Baltimore Ravens – DraftKings: $3,300 | FanDuel: $4,600

We should all be very excited about what Jesse Minter’s defense can possibly do this season. The Ravens looked outstanding last week against the Indianapolis Colts. The Ravens ranked third among all 32 NFL teams last week in defensive EPA/drop back (-0.41), and it’s all thanks to his heavy use of Cover 2 and Cover 3 defensive schemes. This video from Cody Alexander really highlights and breaks down how Minter effectively uses a 3-Safety structure to set up a five-man blitz package.

This week the Ravens are at home, and they’re 7.5-point favorites against the New Orleans Saints. The Saints got off to an awfully slow start a week ago, but they made adjustments and turned it on in the second half against the Detroit Lions. Minter is a bit of a defensive wizard, and I’m not sure any adjustments this week will matter.

The Ravens had a blitz rate of 43.4% last week, and while that doesn’t come close to what Brian Flores was calling in Week 1 for Minnesota, Minter’s defense still ranked top five in terms of blitz rate a week ago. I truly was tempted to go with the Ravens as my DST play of the week. And who knows, maybe by Sunday I’ll make the switch. But this team is going to be a weekly high-upside option for our NFL DFS DST picks.

Best NFL DFS DST Values for Week 2

Best DraftKings DST Value – Minnesota Vikings; $2,600

The matchup is a bit scary, especially because it’s against the Chicago Bears, who are fresh off dropping 59 points against the Carolina Panthers. But the Panthers defense may just be terrible from top to bottom, and they are featured as my fade for our NFL DFS Week 2 DST picks. But this is the Minnesota Vikings at a very friendly price tag. Are they on the road? Yes. Are they underdogs? Also yes. Is the implied total on the higher end of the spectrum for this slate? Again, yes.

But if you’re on DraftKings and you’re digging around for value, you can take comfort knowing that Brian Flores is going to send the blitz as often as he can. Last week against the Green Bay Packers, the Vikings defense blitzed on nearly 80% of their defensive snaps, which correlated to a near 50% pressure rate, 23 quarterback pressures, and 15(!) quarterback hits.

Obviously, this week is a much stiffer test. Ben Johnson is an offensive mastermind, and the development of Caleb Williams has been something to appreciate dating back to last season. If the Vikings were $3,000+ on DraftKings, I’d probably lay off due to the game environment. But if I have a lineup that I really like and don’t want to make any compromises with the skill position players, then I’m fine rostering the Vikings, knowing that Flores is going to send heavy, consistent blitz packages.

And before moving on to the FanDuel DST Value, I do want to acknowledge the Jacksonville Jaguars at just $2,400 on DraftKings. The Jags do draw the Denver Broncos, who are coming off a short week after taking a beating Monday night. But the game is in Denver, so it’s at elevation, which can mess with the visiting team’s cardio if they aren’t used to the conditions. I do like the Jaguars, and maybe I’ll upgrade them a little bit more as we draw closer to the Sunday main slate. But there are some “trap” elements to this matchup, and I don’t expect the Broncos to put up a dud in back-to-back weeks. But if you aren’t keen on using the Vikings as your value play on DraftKings, then pivoting to the Jags is perfectly fine, and they open up a little extra salary for your NFL DFS lineups.

Best FanDuel DST Value – New York Jets; $3,100

I’m not opposed to using the Vikings on FanDuel. But in terms of “value,” they are priced in the bottom-third tier on DraftKings, whereas on FanDuel they’re in the middle of the pack. But at just $3,800 on FanDuel, that is a perfectly fine price point, and I’d be happy to utilize them on that platform.

But if you need a punt on FanDuel, then I might lean into the Jets. The Jets host the Green Bay Packers Sunday afternoon. Remember all those blitz numbers from the last section for the Vikings? All those statistics from Week 1 came against these very same Packers who don’t have a very strong offensive line. And the Jets are coming off a performance against the Tennessee Titans where they were top 10 in pressure rate in Week 1.

The Vikings essentially wrote the playbook last week on how to disrupt Green Bay’s offense. Matt Lafleur is a terrific player designer. But he’s not the greatest play caller or at “managing” a game. The offensive line for Green Bay isn’t doing them any favors. Jordan Love ranked 30^th in completion percentage over expected (-9.7%), and he was 25^th in EPA/Play (-0.15) according to Sam Hoppen. If the Jets can deliver a similar game plan and put pressure on Jordan Love, then they might just have a path to value, and this is a home game in the Meadowlands as well.

NFL DFS DST Fade for Week 2

Carolina Panthers – DraftKings: $2,700 | FanDuel: $3,300

I know that because of the matchup, the Carolina Panthers could emerge as a popular value option on DraftKings and FanDuel. I want to pump the brakes a little bit. Sure, this could be a great opportunity for Bryce Young on the offensive side because he historically plays very well against the Atlanta Falcons. But this is a road game, and the Panthers defense just gave up 59 points and 552 yards of offense to the Chicago Bears.

Cooper Rush got the start in Week 1 and struggled from the outset. He threw a couple of picks and barely completed over 50% of his pass attempts against the formidable defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Michael Penix has been practicing this week, and he might get the start if he’s cleared by the team’s medical staff.

Just because the Falcons offense looked awful against a better defense last week, I don’t want to treat that as scripture and assume the same could happen this week. Bijan Robinson still had himself a day with eight receptions on 10(!) targets. It was a bit of a down week for Atlanta’s pass catchers, but I don’t want to overreact to one game where the team had to use arguably their third-string quarterback. The Panthers defense is not great, and I will aim to avoid using them in this road matchup.

NFL DFS Week 2 DST Play of the Week

Philadelphia Eagles – DraftKings: $3,700 | FanDuel: $4,900

I’m going to attempt to run it back with Philadelphia this week purely because of the matchup. I thought last week was one of those matchups where, on paper, the Eagles could have potentially delivered at least five sacks, and that obviously wasn’t the case. They only got one and didn’t take advantage of the weak offensive line for Washington.

As we wrap up this week’s NFL DFS Week 2 DST picks, I’m going back to the well because this week’s matchup is certainly better. The Tennessee Titans are a mess on both sides of the ball, but especially on offense. The Jets are not a great team, but they were able to hold the Titans to under 200 yards of offense and just 10 points. Pressure rates can be a bit subjective across the industry, and they tend to vary from site to site. But according to Fantasy Points, the Jets had a 46.2% pressure rate against this Titans offensive line, which ranked inside the top five for Week 1.

Cam Ward is still young, and usually you see progress being made during your second season in the NFL. Whatever the issue is, he ranked 24^th among starting quarterbacks in Week 1 in EPA/Play (-0.12), and he was 26^th in average depth of target (5.9) according to Sam Hoppen. I’m viewing this as a potential smash spot for the Eagles, and with pricing still rather soft, you should be able to fit them into your lineups.