Welcome to Week 8 of DL Streaming 101!
Let’s start by looking back at Week 7, guided by a line from a 2021 pop hit: “God, it’s brutal out here.”
Regardless of the metric used, Week 7 was brutal for streaming DL. This week featured the highest rate of 0-point outings by streamers (16.67%), as well as the lowest rates of 9+ (13.33%) and 20+ (0%) point performances of the season. The only part of the model that performed to expectations (kinda) was the tiering of players, as Tier 2 averaged higher than Tier 3, which averaged higher than Tier 4. The overall average for the week was a paltry 4.31.
The reason I opted for the Olivio Rodrigo line over something that more directly reflects the shame I feel for that total is that DL's overall state was absolutely brutal in Week 7. That average of 4.31 was higher than the scores of studs like Will Anderson, Nik Bonitto, Abdul Carter, Trey Hendrickson, Alex Highsmith, Laiatu Latu, and Jared Verse. Only nine DL broke 20 in Week 7 (tying a season low), and only 26 scored above nine Big 3 fantasy points (a new season low).
Here are the season-long streaming metrics after seven weeks:
Four teams are on bye once again, but we have a familiar name sneaking back into Tier 1 (despite a down Week 7). This week, I’m focusing on four defensive tackles. The market tends to hold defensive ends longer, which makes interior defenders much more streamable in the DL pool (as shown by eight of my top ten streamers this week). As usual, all players are available in roughly 75% of IDP leagues or more, but I’m always sure to include a few names for the true 16-team, five-position, start-11 IDP degenerate leagues out there!
Featured DL Streamers
DT Alim McNeill, DET (🎓🎓🎓🎓)
Going into the Lions bye week, McNeill was DL22 (DT7), averaging 12.49 points per game. A bye week and a disappointing two-assist performance in Week 7 have dropped him all the way down to DL42 (DT16), but he remains an elite streaming option that is being significantly overlooked.
Using Week 7 as an example, a 1.5 fantasy point performance is enough to get many managers to drop McNeill. Box score-based roster decisions are something I never advocate, and he is a great example of why. This ‘down’ game saw McNeill play 78% of snaps (52 overall) and generate a phenomenal six pressures (tied for 2nd most in the NFL last week) on an underlying PFF pass rush grade of 70.9. For the season, McNeill’s 363 snaps rank 9th in the NFL among DL, and his 29 pressures are good for 11th overall DESPITE only playing six games due to the Lions’ bye. Last week’s on-field performance wasn’t a fluke; the fantasy production was.
McNeill and the Lions play the undefeated Vikings in Week 8, and only the Bears have allowed more fantasy points per game to opposing defensive tackles over the past four weeks (side note: the Lions still have both of their games against Chicago ahead of them). As much as I hate to pick on a fellow Penn State alum, Vikings guard Will Fries has been among the worst at the position in pass blocking this season and may have a long day ahead of him against McNeill.
DT Zach Sieler, MIA (🎓🎓🎓)
If you play in DT-required leagues of significant size, you are likely as surprised as I am to see Sieler’s name included this week. Sieler has had a great game (25.25 points in Week 4), three good games (9.25 in Week 1, 8.25 in Week 3, and 10.25 in Week 7), and two duds (3.5 in Week 5 and .75 in Week 2). This volatility is likely what makes him available at a high enough rate to be included this week, but his name recognition and talent suggest one good game, and he will no longer be accessible for streaming purposes.
To be clear, Sieler’s on-field performance is way down from his past heights. His season-long grade of 45.3 is a full 15 points below his 2025 mark and 13 points below his career worst. With on-field metrics slumping and IDP performance volatile, it makes sense that he is a streaming option this week. Three factors make him a good streaming option this week:
His overall grade is pulled down by his run defense score (which gets the least weight in my model). His pass rush grade of 61.7 with 13 pressures tells a more optimistic story.
Despite his overall play, the Dolphins do not seem eager to get him off the field. The return of 2025 first-round pick Kenneth Grant from injury has reduced snaps for Zeek Biggers and Jordan Phillips, but Seiler’s share actually ticked up (to 83%) in Week 7.
The Dolphins take on the Patriots in Week 8, a matchup that has been tough for opposing interior defenders. However, New England will once again have to shuffle its interior, with guard Alijah Vera-Tucker on injured reserve and fellow starter Ben Brown still making his way back from injury.
DT Adetomiwa Adebawore, IND (🎓🎓)
The Colts defensive tackle likely gained a great deal of fantasy attention thanks to a two-sack performance in Week 7, but he was originally excluded from this article due to a 49% snap share (a season high). With the Colts’ trade of DeForest Buckner, I am comfortable projecting Adebawore with enough snaps to move him into the streaming conversation now (hence 31 players in this week’s list). Buckner has vacated 353 snaps (the 4th-most among all interior defenders in 2026), creating a vacuum for Adebawore, Grover Stewart, Jerry Tillery, and Tim Smith to fill. While I’m not comfortable projecting that Adebawore will reach Buckner’s 80-90% rates, I think he will get the majority of these opportunities and am excited to see what he can do with them.
I expect Adebawore to be the primary beneficiary of Buckner’s departure for two reasons. First, veteran Grover Stewart will also likely see an uptick, but with usage already ranging from 50-70% this season, there is more limited room for snap growth. Second, Adebawore is not only the best pass rusher on his team after Buckner’s exit, but he also held that title before. On 120 fewer pass-rush snaps, Adebawore only trailed Buckner by five pressures and one sack and significantly out-graded him (86.3 to 73.7). Among players with at least 100 snaps on the season, this grade of 86.3 ranks seventh among all defensive linemen in 2026. Time will tell if some of this success was due to staying ‘fresh’ on low snaps, but my interest is officially piqued.
DT Adam Butler, LVR (🎓)
Raiders defensive tackle Adam Butler was featured several times in this series last year but has been in a four-man rotation, limiting his fantasy viability. On Wednesday, this became a three-man rotation with the Raiders releasing Jonah Laulu, who had played 110 snaps on the season. Tonka Hemingway is working his way back from an injury that cost him Week 6 and saw him limited to 29% of snaps in Week 7. Suddenly, the path for Butler to play meaningful snaps is clearer than ever. Butler played over 70% of snaps across nine games in 2025, clearly demonstrating his durability. When in educated dart-throw territory, the bets are usually focused on opportunity or talent. Butler clearly falls into the latter category but has enough of the former to warrant consideration in deep, DT-required leagues.
Full Week 8 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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