Darkhorse Candidates to Finish as the Overall DT1 in 2026
These under-the-radar defensive stars could outperform their ADP and emerge as league-winning DT1s during the 2026 fantasy football season.
Each year, some players come out of nowhere to deliver huge fantasy seasons, especially in IDP leagues, given the relative instability of NFL defenses, as proven by players like Zack Baun (2024) and Jayron Kearse (2021), and by IDPs like Andrew Van Ginkel (2024) and Quincy Williams (2023), who came very close to finishing as IDP1s in previous years.
The defensive tackle position, much like the EDGE group, is not going to see as much variance at the top of the yearly finishers, with many of the past overall DT1s already drafted inside the top-10 at their position. This is partly because the number of viable IDP options at defensive tackle is already small, and with a reliance on stable underlying pass-rush metrics playing the other role, we almost always have a good idea of who the best options will be. That being said, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible for positive sack variance to swing in favor of an unexpected high-end pass rusher breaking through, which will be the primary focus in finding a potential darkhorse DT1 for 2026.
These darkhorse options are all going outside the top 10 at their positions, according to our ADP IDP-only best-ball drafts, which have been running regularly throughout this offseason. Big-3 Scoring referenced throughout this piece can be found here.
Edge and defensive interior players share similar traits when it comes to which ones emerge as elite IDPs each season, though, as will be highlighted below, certain differences can lead to DT1 seasons compared to our ED1 options.
Depending on the scoring system, the top-performing DTs in IDP may rely more on sacks or tackles, whereas in Big-3 Scoring, pass-rushing prowess is crucial to success.
This is evidenced by four of our five past DT1s finishing no worse than the 90th percentile in Expected Sacks and posting at least 8.5 sacks on the year.
The lone exception is 2023’s DeForest Buckner, who finished just outside the top 90th percentile in Expected Sacks and only managed 6.5 actual sacks on the year. However, he also recorded the most tackles (73) among our past top five DTs.
While a balance between tackles and sacks is ideal so that our IDPs aren’t overly reliant on either, given the scoring system and the importance of pushing for double-digit sacks, we’ll lean more toward sacks as our guiding light.
Just three of last year’s top-12 DTs delivered more than 60% of their fantasy points from tackles, including Quinnen Williams, Cameron Heyward, and Jordan Davis.
2021’s Heyward was the perfect combination of tackle and sack production for the position, and the most balanced of our past four DT1 performers.
Zach Allen came the closest to 2021 Heyward with his 8.5-sack, 51-tackle season in 2024, acting as a workhorse at the position, matching Brown’s 89% snap share from the year before.
89% of snaps is certainly on the high end for any defensive lineman, and, as Heyward proved in 2021, while snaps are crucial, hovering around 80% should be the ideal threshold.
Both Brown and Wilkins ranked among the top in their positions in tackles versus expected during their DT1 seasons, generating elite tackle rates that led to position-leading tackle totals and helped offset their lower pass-rush upside.
With all of these criteria in mind, we can turn our attention to the top candidates to finish as the darkhorse DT1 this coming season.
Byron Murphy II, Seattle Seahawks
Murphy is currently my DT1 in dynasty, though that hasn’t necessarily translated to his redraft value yet, since he’s being drafted as the DT12 in 2026. After a quiet rookie season, Murphy delivered a breakout season in 2025, delivering seven sacks, over 50 total tackles, and finishing as the overall DT9 in Big-3 Scoring. However, IDP managers are obviously expecting a decline in play in 2026, given he’s being drafted lower than that, but I’m here to shine an optimistic light on Murphy entering Year 3, which could be even better from an IDP standpoint.
Murphy took a massive leap in Year 2, finishing in the top 90th percentile in Expected Sacks and Tackles Versus Expected, while delivering a strong 76.6 pass-rush grade (13th). Murphy’s potential coming out of college, as a former first-round pick, suggests an arguably higher ceiling, and Year 3 is certainly the time we could see that potential realized. Murphy is a 99th-percentile scorer in my IDP Prospect Model, suggesting he’s checked every box necessary to become a consistent top IDP performer annually. Should Murphy continue to progress as an NFL player and pass rusher, as is expected for most highly drafted defensive linemen, there’s no reason to expect seven sacks to be his ceiling; he should comfortably be in the conversation for double-digit sack potential at the position.
Helping Murphy’s case is that he’s also a strong tackler at the position, as evidenced by an elite 94th-percentile finish in Tackles versus Expected. With any increase in playing time, up from his 70% snap share in 2025, Murphy’s potential to rack up close to 60 tackles, combined with elite pass-rush ability, should easily create a top-10 IDP with even more upside. Murphy is right on the fringe of qualifying for this list as DT12 in ADP, so he isn’t an unknown or a true discount in drafts, but I believe his upside is as close to that DT1 overall as we can expect in this range.
Milton Williams, New England Patriots
After an elite pass-rushing season in 2024, Williams landed a massive contract with the Patriots with high expectations for him as a true team DT1, which ideally would have translated immediately to IDP. Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve late in the year, costing him five games and limiting his IDP potential. However, even during Williams’ active games, he wasn’t quite hitting as expected, but there’s untapped potential in his underlying metrics that warrants a better rank given his DT16 ADP.
Williams’ elite IDP potential comes primarily from his work as a pass rusher; he was previously a top-two player at his position in that regard, according to PFF pass-rush grades (2024). This led to a 91st-percentile finish in Expected Sacks in 2024, and even with five missed games in 2025, he finished at the 81st percentile in that regard but at the 90th percentile in Expected Sacks per game. Even without a top-two PFF pass-rush grade last year and with the missed time, Williams’ pass-rush metrics, combined with a career-high weekly snap share, are enough to put him in contention for double-digit sacks.
Williams’ playing time is a big reason for his improved IDP potential, which isn’t unexpected considering the Patriots’ investment in him; he should be more than just a designated pass rusher. Averaging 60% of snaps last year was a big jump from his norm, but with a fully healthy season and another year with the team, he should push for more work and add more as a tackler as well. Williams’ 74th-percentile finish in Tackles versus Expected in 2025 and a 91st-percentile finish as a rookie in that metric suggest he can be efficient enough in the tackle department to help push him over the top as an IDP if he also delivers on his high-end pass-rush potential. Mid-range DT2 value in drafts is one that Williams should be able to outperform at the very least, and a good high-ceiling target for DT-required formats.
Kobie Turner, Los Angeles Rams
Full disclosure: Turner was on this list for me last year as my top pick, and I typically don’t like repeating names, but given his DT11 ADP and the overwhelming lack of true candidates at the position, I’m compelled to go back to him to deliver in 2026. And Turner did outperform his ADP last season, finishing as the overall DT8 in Big-3 Scoring despite being drafted DT11 that offseason. Since IDP managers haven’t changed their minds about him this offseason compared to last, it’s my job to keep beating the drum for why he deserves more praise and higher expectations as an IDP.
Turner set new career highs in PFF pass-rush grade (84.6), win rate (13.7%), and pressure rate (11.5%) in 2025. This resulted in a new career-high mark in Expected Sacks as well, finishing in the 97th percentile in that key metric. For a player who has come close to delivering double-digit sacks every year that he’s been in the league, the underlying metrics and positive predictive nature of those numbers should help him get there. Especially coming off a career-low seven-sack season, there’s certainly more untapped potential with Turner heading into Year 4.
This goes the same for Turner’s tackle potential, as he also finished with a career-low 41 total tackles this past season, and a number well worth betting on to improve. This was an area that took a hit for Turner in 2025, after finishing at the 91st percentile in Tackles versus Expected in 2023 and the 87th percentile in 2024; he managed just a 47th-percentile finish in 2025. With 2025 looking like an outlier compared to his previous seasons, it’s fair to expect some positive regression for Turner as a tackler, which, when combined with his double-digit sack potential, should have him comfortably outperforming his current ADP.
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