Welcome to Week 3 of the NFL streaming and DL Streaming 101.
Week 2 was a nice bounce-back for many of you brave enough to stream DL in your IDP leagues. Dre’Mont Jones and two other streamers suffered in-game injuries, but among those who played, the scoring average rose from 6.16 points in Week 1 to 8.3 points in Week 2. That average was highest in Tier 2 with an average of 9.96, followed by Tier 3 at 8.95, with Tier 4 lagging (far) behind at 1.08. The hit rate rose to 33%, including a massive hit rate of just over 7%. Season-long results are provided below:
Week 3 still has a limited number of elite options, but that is likely to change starting in Week 4. I typically model fantasy points allowed to find exploitable matchups, but I rely on three-week windows for that metric. Still, while next week we will likely see more higher-tier options, the market is also wising up to some players, making them ineligible for this article (players must be available in roughly 80% of leagues or more to be considered streaming options). There are plenty of exciting Week 3 DL streaming options (15 DT, 15 DE), including a top-tier interior defensive lineman whom I will be actively rooting against on Sunday, a young player with a massive opportunity, a potential redemption story, and a rookie looking to make a splash on limited (but present) opportunities.
Featured DL Streamers
DT Keeanu Benton, PIT (🎓🎓🎓🎓)
Let’s be clear, given my love of the Bengals and unadulterated hatred of the Steelers, I am desperately rooting for this pick to be wrong. Despite my heart leading me one direction, my head (and the numbers) paint a promising picture for the newly paid Steelers big man. Benton has yet to fill up the stat sheet this season (two tackles, four assists through two games), but positive regression is likely coming for three reasons.
Benton’s snap share went up from 58% in Week 1 to 65% in Week 2.
Benton is the second-highest-graded pass rusher in the NFL…all of the NFL (better than Hutchinson, Watt, Simmons, etc.)
Benton has only four pressures and zero QB sacks.
The Bengals have done a good job of protecting Joe Burrow but have allowed the 3rd-most fantasy points to opposing DTs thus far in 2026, including two 15+ point performances against the Texans last week, and have yet to face a tandem like Benton and stalwart Cam Heyward.
DE Elijah Ponder, NEP (🎓🎓🎓)
While the extent of Dre’Mont Jones's absence remains unknown, Elijah Ponder’s increase in raw snap volume from 39 to 54 in Week 2 is encouraging, particularly when coupled with his snap shares this season (78% in Week 1, 77% in Week 2). Ponder made headlines (and a splash) with a defensive TD in Week 2, but what many are missing is the rest of his performance (a sack, 3 TFL, and 2 assists).
His solid grades point to a good likelihood that his volume will translate into further production in stickier stats. With Jones out, Ponder becomes the edge rusher to roster in New England as he leads the remaining group in snap share, defensive grade, tackling grade, pass rush grade, and coverage grade (all in the 60-70 range). In short, he is likely not leaving the field much. He also draws a favorable individual matchup this week in Anton Harrison, who grades out as tackle 31 (out of 66).
DT Jowon Briggs, NYJ (🎓🎓)
I was cautiously optimistic in Week 1 that Briggs’ stellar play from 2025 would lead to increased usage in 2026, since the rest of the interior defensive line consisted of T’Vondre Sweat and a few journeymen (David Onyemata and Harrison Phillips). I was wrong. Onyemata played 70% of snaps in Week 1, Phillips played 54%, and Briggs played a disheartening 20% on his way to a zero-point performance.
With Onyemata injured (now on IR) in Week 2, Briggs’ usage jumped to 56%, and his performance spiked as well, resulting in a 12.8-point fantasy day that included a QB sack. On a limited sample size of just 45 snaps this season, Briggs is the 7th-highest-rated DT overall according to PFF and is one of only three at the position with run defense and pass rush grades exceeding 75.0 (Dexter Lawrence and Tyliek Williams being the other two). Past usage keeps Briggs as a Tier 3 play (for now), but a continued upward trend in snaps, coupled with another 10+ point fantasy performance, might make Briggs hard to stream in the near future.
DE Akheem Mesidor, LAC (🎓)
And now for the dart-throw portion of the article: Akheem Mesidor is a player my offseason IDP After Show co-host Jake Kohlhagen and I like a lot long-term, but we preached patience for 2026. Stuck behind Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack, Mesidor will likely have to wait until 2027 for a full-time role. Despite this, he has played over 30 snaps (over 47%) each of his first two games and has certainly flashed.
In a very talented rookie edge group, Mesidor stands out through two games as the leader in sacks, hits, overall grade, and is third in run defense and second in pass rush grade (the two grades I model into my projections). Playing a designated pass rusher comes with inherent risks, but Mesidor has been equally spelling Tuipulotu (who draws a tough individual matchup this week) and Mack (who draws a very favorable matchup). If the Chargers can stay competitive (which I recognize is a very big IF against the Bills), Mesidor will have plenty of opportunities to keep his hot start going.
Full Week 3 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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