NFL DFS Week 9 D/ST Picks 2026: Top DraftKings & FanDuel Defenses

Published: Nov 06, 2026

Updated: Nov 06, 2026

It’s crazy the difference a week makes. For Week 8, we had a hefty slate of games featuring two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, squaring off in an elite matchup. Jackson gets hurt immediately, and the entire slate is flipped on its head.

And as we transition to the Week 9 NFL main slate, not only are the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens both playing in primetime in Week 9, but the starting quarterback landscape for this week is vastly different. Of the 22 starting NFL quarterbacks available to us for this slate, seven of them are priced at $5,000 or below on DraftKings. And because of that, we have some spreads that make certain matchups and DSTs appealing.

As of Friday morning, there are five teams favored by at least six points. Two of those teams are favored by at least 10 points. So we’re looking at a completely different slate this week, and the value at quarterback allows us to spend up elsewhere for expensive skill position players. As for that final piece to your NFL DFS lineup(s), we’ll start digging into the NFL DFS Week 9 DST picks to solidify your entries!

NFL DFS Week 9 DST Picks

Seattle Seahawks – DraftKings: $3,800 | FanDuel: $4,700

For the third straight game, and for the fifth time since Week 4, the Seattle Seahawks are playing at home. This is a short week for the Seahawks after taking a beating at the hands of the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football in Week 8. But overall, I still believe in this defense. And the matchup this week is far better than what they went against Monday, since Ben Johnson and the Bears are looking like the favorites in the NFC.

For Week 9, the Seahawks host the Arizona Cardinals. Both teams will start backup quarterbacks in this matchup. But in fairness to Gardner Minshew, some would make the argument he should’ve been the starter all along in Arizona.

But the Seahawks are favored by 8.5 points as of Friday morning, and the Cardinals are touting an implied team total of just 15.5 points. The Seattle defense has the second-lowest blitz rate in the NFL (21.8%), but they’re ninth in pressure rate (41.4%) according to Sam Hoppen.

I don’t want to discredit Minshew’s narrative from a week ago. He came on in relief and led a massive comeback and was rightly named the starter. But that was against the Dallas Cowboys, who have one of the weakest defenses in the league. And be mindful, the Cardinals just traded Jacoby Brissett, so the quarterback room is less crowded. They have a young, rookie quarterback in Carson Beck who they need to get a look at eventually. I don’t think Minshew has the longest leash, and the matchup in Week 9 is far more difficult for the Cardinals.

Kansas City Chiefs – DraftKings: $3,700 | FanDuel: $4,200

The Chiefs are rather pricey on DraftKings, but they’re priced down on FanDuel after a couple of poor performances the last two weeks. But to lend some context, both those matchups were on the road, and they were against contenders. For Week 9, the Chiefs are 10-point favorites at home against the New York Jets, who likely won’t have their best wide receiver since Garrett Wilson is in concussion protocol.

The Chiefs defense performs much better at home than on the road. Eight of their nine sacks on the year have come at home, and they’ve allowed just 15.3 points per game and 254.7 yards per game at home compared to 21.2 PPG and 367.5 YPG on the road.

I’m not saying you absolutely need to spend up for the Chiefs, but if you can afford them, they are in one of the best spots on the slate. Kenneth Walker’s fantasy output has dipped recently, but he’s in a good spot to possibly be in a leverage situation, and pairing him with the Chiefs DST offers a little extra correlation.

San Francisco 49ers – DraftKings: $3,600 | FanDuel: $4,600

I don’t love this play as of Friday morning, but I will say that my opinion could improve based on who is active for the 49ers. The 49ers were the DST fade for me in Week 7 as they went on the road and lost in surprising fashion to the Atlanta Falcons. But they had last week off, so they come back with fresh legs, and they’ll be at home against the Las Vegas Raiders. The 49ers are 10-point favorites, but the Raiders do have an implied team total just under 21 points, so the sportsbooks are expecting them to put up points in this matchup. And so do I.

But I want to lean into the variance of the Kirk Cousins experience. He’s having a great year, but the Raiders recently lost four straight games, although they did win last week to get to 4-4. But they have Fernando Mendoza waiting in the wings to eventually make an appearance. Cousins has thrown multiple touchdowns in all but one start this year. He’s certainly having a great year, and he’s a tremendous value quarterback on this slate where ownership could be spread out.

So again, I’m not enamored with this play at the time of publishing. But if Nick Bosa is healthy enough to return, along with the rest of the team being well rested, then we can chase the upside of this play in tournaments because they likely won’t carry much ownership. But we’ll keep an eye out for the latest injury reports and inactives this weekend and ultimately decide if we need to pivot or not.

Best NFL DFS DST Values for Week 9

Best DraftKings DST Value – New York Giants; $2,800

The Giants are a much better value on DraftKings at $2,800 than they are on FanDuel at $4,800 as the third-most expensive team. The Giants go on the road in this NFC East tilt to take on the Philadelphia Eagles, but it’s not like this road matchup requires significant travel by any means. But the beauty of this matchup is that the G-Men will take on the Philadelphia Eagles, who will start Joe Milton at quarterback.

If you know anything about Milton’s game or his style of play, you’ll know he has an absolute cannon for an arm, but even dating back to his time in college, he was reliant on those big plays to pad his stats. But I want to try to be fair to him because he last played in college in 2023, and we’ve only seen him used scarcely in the NFL. But towards the end of the 2024 season, while with the New England Patriots, he threw for 241 passing yards and a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills while rushing for another score. And last year he was used sparingly for the Dallas Cowboys.

So while I’ll be using Milton as a paydown option at quarterback for some of my lineups, I also want exposure to the Giants DST in this matchup just in case Milton is a dud and is responsible for multiple turnovers. This Philadelphia offensive line is in rough shape, so the Giants are an appealing value option for the Week 9 NFL DFS main slate.

Best FanDuel DST Value – New Orleans Saints; $3,600

I thought about going with the Washington Commanders for the FanDuel DST value recommendation. But we tried to punt using a DST against the Los Angeles Rams last week, and it didn’t quite work out with the Chargers. It wasn’t a complete disaster, but they only collected one sack and one defensive takeaway. So this week I’m aiming to be a bit less risk-averse.

The New Orleans Saints host the Cleveland Browns in their own barn this weekend. The Saints are currently favored by a field goal while this game’s implied total is on the lower end of the spectrum at just 42.5 points. The reason we’re going with the Saints is because of the matchup. Deshaun Watson is in concussion protocol, so Shedeur Sanders will get the start.

Sanders was technically invited to the Pro Bowl last year after other quarterbacks either opted out or were in the Super Bowl. But Sander’s “Pro Bowl” rookie season looked like a 56.5% completion rate, seven touchdown passes, and 10 interceptions. My one concern is that Todd Monken is probably aware of Sanders’ limitations, and they could go heavy with the ground game considering the Saints have been awful defending the run. But all in all, it’s hard to lay off the Saints as a DST; you can save salary on both sites.

NFL DFS DST Fade for Week 9

Detroit Lions – DraftKings: $3,400 | FanDuel: $4,900

The Lions are favored by seven points on the road against the Miami Dolphins. And rightly so. They should be favored, and they should win this game. But the defense is in very rough shape. You obviously feel for Jack Campbell for the injury he suffered last week, and everyone hopes he makes a full recovery. But Campbell was a 2025 First-team All-Pro, and his absence will weigh heavily on a defense that was already in very bad shape.

This defense hasn’t been the greatest asset for fantasy football or DFS. And they’re priced as a top five option on both DraftKings and FanDuel this week. The Miami Dolphins, despite being seven-point underdogs, still have an implied team total just under 22 points.

The Dolphins offense has seemed to have found a groove of late, and they’re strangely finding success without De’Von Achane. But Ollie Gordon is working well as their lead running back, and Malik Willis has completed 66% of his pass attempts with five total touchdowns in two games since Miami’s Bye week. For comparison, in Weeks 1-5, Willis completed just 56% of his pass attempts with four total touchdowns and seven turnovers.

I’m willing to lay off the Lions this week because I do expect the Dolphins to have success moving the ball and finding the end zone. And this is a classic case where there are cheaper options that probably offer a better floor/ceiling combination.

NFL DFS Week 9 DST Play of the Week

Houston Texans – DraftKings: $3,500 | FanDuel: $5,000

The Texans defense has regressed from what we’ve seen in recent years, but there’s still a chance for the occasional “ceiling” performance. But yes, they definitely have their warts. Prior to their Bye week, they allowed 27+ points to four-of-seven opponents. And those four teams each put up 399+ yards of offense.

But Houston has fresh legs for this tilt on the road with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers offense, led by Justin Herbert, has been terrible this season. Herbert has just five touchdown passes on the season compared to 10 interceptions and seven fumbles, two of which were lost. In four of seven starts this year, he’s completed less than 60% of his pass attempts.

The Texans pass rush ranks seventh or better in the NFL in pressure rate (41.8%), quick pressure rate (22.3%), non-blitz pressure rate (40.2%), and sack rate (7.7%), per Sam Hoppen. The Texans are favored by six points while the Chargers have an implied team total just north of 17 points. We’ll keep leaning into how bad the Bolts have been on offense until they make a significant change. The Texans have fresh legs and remember, they’re only 2-5. They can’t afford another loss if they want to stay in the AFC playoff picture, so you have to imagine they’re aggressive in this game.