There are two positions in fantasy football where owners will wait until the final round(s) to make their selection. That is, kickers and defense/special teams. While they are deemed of lower value, they are still important. Knowing the best options may be key to winning your league. You never know. Click here to view our kicker rankings, and read below to see our DST rankings. Tier A DST's1. Seattle Seahawks2. Houston Texans3. Los Angeles Rams4. Denver BroncosThese are the four defensive units that are expected to remain among the NFL's elite. The highest-upside unit of them all is the Rams. The team added Myles Garrett and is heavily rumored to get Aaron Donald out of retirement. That literally could be among the best defensive line duos in NFL history. In 2025, the Seahawks were the far-and-away best unit, 23 points ahead of the 2nd-ranked Texans defense. According to the power index, they are the NFL's best defense entering Week 1. Tier B DST's5. Los Angeles Chargers6. Philadelphia Eagles7. Jacksonville Jaguars8. Minnesota VikingsThese units aren't quite as dominant as Tier A, but they are still darn good. The Vikings, led by Brian Flores, were fantasy football's 5th-best unit in 2025. The Eagles fell to 9th, but on skill, they are the FPI 4th-best defense. The Jaguars were fantasy football's 3rd-best unit, and the Chargers, while finishing 2025 outside the top 5, were the FPI's 3rd-best unit. Tier C DST's9. Pittsburgh Steelers10. Kansas City Chiefs11. Baltimore Ravens12. New England Patriots13. Chicago BearsI am really excited to see what Jesse Minter can do with this Ravens defense. It is a unit that is top-10 on talent, no doubt about it. They have recently struggled with Zach Orr, but the Minter mentality may bring Baltimore back to Super Bowl contention.With better offense, the Chiefs shall improve all-around. They are the FPI's 9th-best defense. The Patriots and Bears also creep as upcoming, fringe top-10 units. They are of a higher floor than many. The Steelers have TJ Watt, so that is good. They are mediocre per the FPI, but ranked as a top-10 fantasy football defense in 2025. Benchwarmers14. Buffalo Bills15. Detroit Lions16. San Francisco 49ers17. Green Bay Packers18. Tennessee Titans19. New York GiantsThere is not much to be said here. These units fall outside of draftable range in most 10-12 team leagues. They are units relying upon their upside. The Giants have that with a stellar pass rush, despite losing Dexter Lawrence. The always-dominant 49ers have upside amid the return of Fred Warner. The Titans and Packers have it with renowned defensive coaches leading the way: Robert Saleh and Jonathan Gannon.Look the Other Way...20. New Orleans Saints21. Cincinnati Bengals22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers23. Carolina Panthers24. Dallas Cowboys25. Washington Commanders26. Atlanta Falcons27. New York Jets28. Las Vegas Raiders29. Indianapolis Colts30. Cleveland Browns31. Arizona Cardinals32. Miami DolphinsNo team here is to be desired. Surely, one or two of these units will prevail and end up being quite good. To predict it confidently is rash. Defenses have high variance, depending on factors that include sack and turnover generation, which hinges on coaching and a bit of luck. More Fantasy Sports On SI News:Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow