Happy New Year, and welcome to a new semester of DL Streaming 101 for the 2026 NFL season!
In future weeks, I’ll break down how things went for the week and season at the start of each article. Here is a quick refresher of how and why I do what I do for anyone new to the series (welcome!):
My ratings are based on a combination of player metrics and ratings as well as opponent ratings (described here).
This is my fifth year breaking down DTs and my third year focusing on DEs. I pride myself on transparency and, to be transparent, my DT calls tend to outperform my DE calls, but I have made some tweaks this offseason to try to improve the latter.
Each week, I’ll select 20-40 streaming options at DT or DE from the list of players rostered in less than 20% of IDP leagues. Roughly half of these options will be rostered in less than 10% of IDP leagues to help those of you in larger formats and/or leagues that use true five-position IDP. These will always be after most waivers have been run so they are true streamers!
I will continue to use ratings (and sort within groups) as I have done in the past:
Ideal players are those whom I would start in virtually any format. (🎓🎓🎓🎓)
Solid players are guys I would be comfortable playing in leagues with 16-24 starters at the position. (🎓🎓🎓)
Solid (deeper) players are better plays for your leagues with best-ball elements or where there are 28+ starters at each position. (🎓🎓)
Dart-throw players have significant red flags (usually due to usage) but also have increased potential to boom due to pass-rush ability and/or advantageous matchups. (🎓)
Week 1 will be our shortest list of the season due to our reliance on past data, but we still provide 20 names (with underlying metrics) below. Before getting you to the list, I want to highlight a few players that I will be starting this week for closer examination.
Featured DL Streamers
DT Vita Vea, TB (🎓🎓🎓)
Despite many people thinking of Vea as a pure space filler due to nose tackle stereotypes, the Buccaneers made Vea the sixth-highest-paid DT in the NFL this offseason (tied with Alim McNeil, whom I have already written far too much about over the years). Vea boasted a 77 pass rush grade in 2026 per PFF (9th best among qualified DTs) and routinely played over 70% of snaps. Vea is widely available because these grades have not always translated to production, but there is reason for optimism in 2026 (starting in Week 1).
For the season, a deeper look at Vea’s four sacks in 2025 (22nd most among DTs) reveals an unsustainably low pressure-to-sack ratio as he got near the QB on 51 occasions (7th most among DTs). For reference, Seattle’s Byron Murphy graded slightly lower (76.6 pass rush) had one fewer pressure (50) but more than double the sack output (9).
While this speaks toward positive season-long regression, the Week 1 matchup looks like a good place to start this improvement as the Buccaneers take on my beloved Bengals, who have struggled against nose tackles such as Travis Jones (17 fantasy points allowed in Week 13, 14.5 in Week 15) and were the 7th-best matchup for opposing DT from Weeks 13-17. Given the Bengals did not address the offensive line this offseason (other than to bring in Dexter Lawrence to practice against), this could be a solid opportunity for Vea to begin his 2026 campaign.
DT T’Vondre Sweat, NYJ (🎓🎓🎓)
Another very large DL (a full 20 lbs heavier than Vea) primed for big things in 2026 (and Week 1) is the new New York Jet T’Vondre Sweat. Sweat was acquired from the Titans this offseason for ED Jermaine Johnson. The metrics for Sweat are similar to those for Vea in the story above. Sweat posted a 74.1 pass rush grade and a 9:1 pressure-to-sack ratio. The biggest difference is that Sweat played roughly half as many snaps after missing 5+ games with injury, resulting in only 18 total pressures and 2 sacks.
Despite this limited number of snaps, Sweat is an example of why I don’t model pass rush ability alone but also use run defense as a secondary criterion. Sweat ranked 99th in snaps among DTs, but his 79.2 run defense grade was good for 4th overall, and his 34 combined tackles ranked 53rd. Sweat has a Week 1 revenge game against the Titans in what looks to be among the most competitive games on paper that the Jets are likely to have this season (Titans -1.5 as of this writing), making him a nice floor play with more sack upside than he will likely see in the near future.
DE Jacob Martin, TEN (🎓🎓)
Moving to the other side of this matchup, the final player I highlight this week is also a new addition to his team. Jacob (Jake on some platforms) Martin was the less splashy addition to the Titans' defensive line this offseason, a free-agent acquisition from the Commanders. Martin’s grades are good, not great, but two factors make him a viable Week 1 streaming play.
First, the Titans have two young edge rushers waiting in the wings: 2026 first-round pick Keldric Faulk and 2025 second-round pick Oluwafemi Oladejo. This bodes poorly for Martin’s playing time as the season progresses, as he is playing on a 2-year, 9 million dollar contract. For Week 1, he is likely to play some of his highest snap counts given his seniority and familiarity with new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s system, as the two overlapped in Indianapolis. The second reason for Week 1 optimism is the opposing New York Jets. While the Jets have a strong tandem of offensive tackles, they gave up DE points in bunches to some pedestrian rooms in 2026, including 32.6 fantasy points to DE in Week 16 (NO), 44.15 in Week 12 (BUF), and 68.4 in Week 5 (DAL). Martin is a high-risk play, but given he is rostered in less than 5% of IDP leagues (and is dual-desi on Sleeper), he is viable and available.
Full Week 1 DL Streamer List
Good luck, and if you have any questions about deep DL plays, my office is always open by replying to this article or reaching out on Twitter (@ProfessorIDP).
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