Welcome to Week 4 of the NFL streaming and DL Streaming 101.
The early-season choppy DL waters continued for streamers and studs alike in Week 3, with several big names letting managers down, such as Trey Hendrickson (4 pts), Byron Young (3 pts), TJ Watt (2.75 pts), and Alex Highsmith (0 pts). Week 3 streamers had similar struggles, as evidenced by the highest whiff rate (10%) and lowest boom rate (0%) so far in 2026. Still, there were some high points too, as four of the five players I identified in the educated dart throw category (š) scored between 10-20 points. The overall average just squeaked past Week 1 to avoid being the worst of the season, at 6.18 points per player. The season-long summary is provided below:
Help is hopefully on the way in Week 4 as I have begun modeling points allowed to the DT or DE position over the past three weeks as a small weight in my evaluations. While no players hit the rarified air of Tier 1 this week, the pool of 11 Tier 2 plays is our most robust thus far in 2026. Here is a player in each tier that warrants further examination:
Featured DL Streamers
DE Cameron Thomas, ATL (ššš)
While teammate ZaāDarius Smith has rightly gotten the attention of fantasy managers with his 2.5 sacks through Weeks 1 and 2, Week 3 demonstrated why I prefer Thomas most weeks, as he outscored his more widely rostered teammate 18.1 to .75. The suggestion to consider Thomas a strong streaming option is more than simply āriding the hot handā as a deep dive into two of my modeling criteria unveils.
Snap shares are the main thing you should look at in any fantasy football, and IDP is no exception. Despite Week 3 being a blowout win (and the return of teammate Bralen Trice), Thomas saw his highest snap share (68%) and count (45) of the season. The fewest total snaps Thomas has played in a single game (34 in Week 1) is more than the most snaps Smith has played in a game in 2026 (33 in Week 3). The potential return of Samson Ebukam this week might throw a wrench in Thomasā ability to hit better percentages, but hopefully the Falcons realize what they have (Thomas is the 2nd-best-graded defender in Atlanta per PFF) and continue to find ways to keep him on the field.
As mentioned above, the opponent points allowed by position is the smallest weight in my regression model, but some numbers are too large to ignore. The Falcons play the Saints on Monday Night Football in Week 4, a team that has given up the most fantasy points to opposing edge rushers this season (48.15 per game). The Saints have been allowing pass-rushing success against left and right tackles, evidenced by the fact that they allowed over 13 fantasy points to both primary edge rushers in each of their last two games and supported by the fact that their tackles rank 61st and 62nd (out of 70) in overall PFF grade. Thomas has split time on the left and right and, given favorable matchups and increasing snap shares/counts, he should have plenty of opportunities to score fantasy points to wrap up your Week 4.
DT Maliek Collins, CLE (šš)
Maliek Collins was having a career year for the Browns in 2025 before a serious quad injury cost him the final six weeks of the season. Last season, he had eight sacks on 28 pressures in 291 pass-rush snaps, for a rate of one pressure per 10.4 snaps and one sack per 3.5 pressures. In 2026, he has played 77 pass-rush snaps, generating 8 pressures (a pressure-per-snap rate of 9.65) but no sacks. Put together with an increasing workload in terms of snap share and snaps in each game this season, there is reason for optimism that Week 4 might be the week where Collins captures his first QB sack against a Steelers team which has been a favorable fantasy matchup for opposing interior defenders (allowing the fifth most points to the position).
Despite this excitement, Collins is only a Solid (Deeper) play for one primary reason: his underlying metrics are not nearly as strong as they were in 2025. That aforementioned 10.4 snaps per pressure and 3.5 pressures per sack rate came in a year where his overall pass rush grade was 87.2. While his snaps-per-pressure rate may be better in 2026, his pass rush grade has dipped to a respectable 61.6, and he has yet to eclipse 80 in any of the first three games this season. He is a 31-year-old player coming off an injury, so the grades may follow, but when I see stats (such as snaps per pressure) outpacing his performance (PFF pass rush grade), I proceed with some caution.
DE Kingsley Enagbare, NYJ (š)
The Jets have one of the most confusing edge rooms in the NFL for fantasy managers to navigate. The room includes first-round pick David Bailey, newly acquired (and well-paid) Joseph Ossai, perennial boom-or-bust DPR Will McDonald, and Enagbare, whose 1-year deal was more lucrative than many expected at $9 million. Of these players, Bailey is the only one to average over 70% of snaps per game and would be the preferred play, but he is too highly rostered at 64.7% of IDP leagues to be included in this article. If we are going to steam a Jets edge, that leaves Enagbare, McDonald, and Ossai as educated dart throws.
The āeducatedā in that phrase carries a great deal of weight in this series. Of these three options, Enagbare wins in Week 4 for two reasons: snaps and performance. Joseph Ossaiās Jets debut redistributed snaps, resulting in a 10% loss of Enagbare and an 8% loss for McDonald. In terms of the pecking order, this left Enagbare as the second-most-deployed edge rusher (behind Bailey) and moved McDonald to fourth. This is a fluid situation, but Enagbare gets the edge on snaps (for now). In terms of performance, Ossai struggled mightily in his return from injury, earning a 37.8 overall grade with only his coverage score breaking 60. In Week 3, with the full four-man rotation, Enagbare led the group in overall grade, tackling grade, and pass rush grade and was only number two to Bailey in run defense, with both boasting solid numbers (73.7 to 70.7). If you would rather avoid the Jetsā edge room, that is fully understandable, but if you need to utilize one of their three streamers in Week 4, my lean is to Enagbare.
Full Week 4 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).
Be sure to subscribe to The IDP Show on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.
