Week 9 Defense tiers
- Tier 1 (9.3 to 9.3): Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks
- Tier 2 (8.5 to 7.4): Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and 1 more
- Tier 3 (6.9 to 6.1): Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and 2 more
- Tier 4 (5.5 to 4.7): Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Indianapolis Colts
- Tier 5 (4.1 to 3.3): Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets
Tiers break at the big drops in projected points.
Week 9 Defense rankings
| # | Player | Team | Opp | Proj pts | Pts allowed | Sacks | Takeaways | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City Chiefs | KC | NYJ | 9.3 | 19.0 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 2 | Seattle Seahawks | SEA | ARI | 9.3 | 14.5 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 3 | Denver Broncos | DEN | @CAR | 8.5 | 20.3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 2 |
| 4 | Houston Texans | HOU | @LAC | 8.5 | 18.0 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 2 |
| 5 | Chicago Bears | CHI | TB | 8.4 | 20.8 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 2 |
| 6 | New Orleans Saints | NO | CLE | 8.1 | 20.8 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 2 |
| 7 | New York Giants | NYG | @PHI | 7.8 | 18.3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 2 |
| 8 | San Francisco 49ers | SF | LV | 7.7 | 21.3 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 9 | Detroit Lions | DET | @MIA | 7.6 | 21.8 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 10 | Jacksonville Jaguars | JAX | @BAL | 7.5 | 15.3 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 2 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Rams | LAR | @WAS | 7.4 | 21.0 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 2 |
| 12 | Cleveland Browns | CLE | @NO | 6.9 | 22.3 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 3 |
| 13 | Cincinnati Bengals | CIN | @ATL | 6.8 | 24.8 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 3 |
| 14 | Dallas Cowboys | DAL | @IND | 6.8 | 22.8 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 3 |
| 15 | New England Patriots | NE | GB | 6.7 | 21.8 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 3 |
| 16 | Buffalo Bills | BUF | @MIN | 6.6 | 21.0 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 3 |
| 17 | Green Bay Packers | GB | @NE | 6.4 | 24.8 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 3 |
| 18 | Minnesota Vikings | MIN | BUF | 6.4 | 24.5 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 3 |
| 19 | Philadelphia Eagles | PHI | NYG | 6.4 | 21.3 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 3 |
| 20 | Carolina Panthers | CAR | DEN | 6.2 | 23.3 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 3 |
| 21 | Atlanta Falcons | ATL | CIN | 6.1 | 27.8 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 3 |
| 22 | Baltimore Ravens | BAL | JAX | 5.5 | 25.3 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 4 |
| 23 | Los Angeles Chargers | LAC | HOU | 5.5 | 22.5 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 4 |
| 24 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TB | @CHI | 5.3 | 26.8 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 4 |
| 25 | Washington Commanders | WAS | LAR | 4.9 | 26.5 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 4 |
| 26 | Indianapolis Colts | IND | DAL | 4.7 | 28.8 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 4 |
| 27 | Arizona Cardinals | ARI | @SEA | 4.1 | 27.0 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 5 |
| 28 | Miami Dolphins | MIA | DET | 3.7 | 28.8 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 5 |
| 29 | Las Vegas Raiders | LV | @SF | 3.6 | 31.3 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 5 |
| 30 | New York Jets | NYJ | @KC | 3.3 | 28.5 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 5 |
Byes: PIT, TEN. Opp: @ means away.
Projections from Sleeper’s public API, updated November 4, 2026. Players ruled out are left off; injury statuses change late in the week. Data, not betting advice.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the top defenses in Week 9?
Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos are the top three defenses in Week 9, projected for 9.3, 9.3, 8.5 points in that order (as of November 4, 2026).
How are Week 9 defenses ranked?
By projected fantasy points in Sleeper’s standard weekly projections. Defense points come from projected sacks, takeaways and points allowed. Scoring for K and D/ST is the same in PPR, half-PPR and standard.
Who is the best streaming defense in Week 9?
On projected points allowed, Seattle Seahawks (vs ARI) has the lowest projection at 14.5 points allowed, and it ranks #2 of 30 defenses on total projected points. Check which defenses are free in your league first.
Which teams are on a bye in Week 9?
PIT, TEN are on a bye in Week 9, so their players are not ranked.
When do the Week 9 Defense rankings update?
Every day, and again on Tuesday when the next week opens. Injury statuses change late in the week, so check before kickoff. Data as of November 4, 2026.
More Week 9 tools
Deciding between two players? Use the start/sit tool · Week 9 start/sit cheat sheet · Week 9 waiver wire · start or sit by player.