In fantasy football, defensive backs are the easiest part of IDP by a country mile. There are at least five DBs on almost every snap, making them abundant and easy to add off the wire, even in the deepest leagues.
Only six of the Top-24 scoring DBs were CBs in 2025 and 2024. Safeties get more tackles and chances at the ball by playing in traffic, and in doing so, they get more chances for points. CBs are a little trickier; what we are looking for are targets against. The three types of CBs that get targeted are CBs that cover No. 1 targets, CBs that are across from elite corners, and bad CBs that get picked on.
Riley Moss led the league in targets (opposite Surtain) and finished as CB11; Nate Wiggins was 2nd (covering No. 1s) and finished as CB12; Marlon Humphrey (worst season of his career) was 3rd and finished as CB5. The correlation is a little obvious, but it is frustrating that some of the best CBs like Surtain (DB135 PPG), Stingley (DB144), and Gardner (DB163) don’t hold value because they aren’t challenged. There are consistent performers among DBs, but most have wildly different outcomes.
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Fantasy Football IDP: Defensive Back Draft Strategy
*Overall IDP rank in parentheses
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
Caleb Downs (7) – Downs is one of the highest-drafted safeties in recent history and will play all over the field, but mostly in the Slot. He is a great tackler, can blitz, and will be in traffic and on the field all the time. The Cowboys have one of the highest-powered offenses in the NFL. There should be turnover opportunities to couple with a targeted rookie and the high snap volume. This is probably too high, but DB is where we take risks in fantasy football.
Jalen Thompson (28) – I love Thompson going to Dallas! He has averaged between 9.1 and 10.7 PPG over the last five seasons. Thompson will play in the box in front of some questionable LB play and depth as well. There should be a lot of tackle opportunities here.
Malik Hooker
DaRon Bland (38) – Bland has had injuries over the last two seasons, but he did have 9.7 fantasy football PPG in each of the last two seasons and had a crazy 2023, finishing DB6 with 9 INTs. 9.7 PPG would have been DB26 overall last season, and Bland is still likely to be covering #1s for Dallas this season
Cobie Durant
Shavon Revel
New York Giants
Tyler Nubin (18) – The only question on Nubin through his first two seasons is staying healthy. He ended 2024 with an ankle injury and 2025 with a neck injury. He has already been practicing in OTAs and has averaged 9.8 PPG over his first 26 games, putting him in DB2 range.
Jevon Holland (71)
Dru Phillips (33) – Phillips gives us a nice floor as the Slot CB and is likely the most targeted CB for the Giants.
Paulson Adebo (34) – Adebo was targeted only 4 times fewer than Phillips and has a crazy-high 9.6 PPG floor over the last three seasons.
Greg Newsome
Philadelphia Eagles
Marcus Epps (96)
Andrew Mukuba
Michael Carter II
Cooper DeJean (22) – DeJean jumped to fantasy football DB2 (22nd) in his 2nd season. Quinyon Mitchell and DeJean were both targeted 82 times last season, with DeJean allowing 52 catches to Mitchell’s 36. The extra receptions, coupled with his playing more in the slot and near the line, led to 93 tackles for him, compared to only 45 for Quinyon.
Quinyon Mitchell
Riq Woolen
Washington Commanders
Nick Cross (10) – Cross has averaged over 10 fantasy football PPG and finished 2nd overall in the last two seasons. I still have him as a DB1, but I wonder whether a new team with Sonny Styles and Leo Chenal ahead of him gives him fewer opportunities. Either way, the floor is high, as is Cross’s ceiling.
Will Harris
Quan Martin
Mike Sainristil (36) – Sainristil is going to have a very high ceiling because he has been targeted 182 times in his first two seasons. He’s not a ‘must roster’ if your league has two starting DBs, but he has the ceiling to be.
Trey Amos (66)
Amik Robertson
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Dillon Thieneman (8) – The Bears let their safeties walk, and Thieneman is expected to step in as the Day 1 SS. Like fellow rookie Downs, I expect Thieneman to move around, but he will mainly play in the box and get a lot of tackles in traffic.
Coby Bryant (49) – I expect Bryant to improve his awful 2025 missed-tackle rate of 21.5%. I don’t like to rely on TOs, but Bryant has thrown 7 interceptions over the last two seasons and had a lot of near misses. 2025 was his first season with a full assortment of snaps, and I think there’s room for growth.
Cam Lewis
Tyrique Stevenson (98)
Jaylon Johnson
Kyler Gordon
Detroit Lions
Brian Branch – DB29 as a rookie, DB3 in 2024, but tore his Achilles late in 2025. He had surgery in December, and I’m not optimistic for this season. I don’t mind taking wild swings at the DB or S positions as a whole, but there is no reason to invest in fantasy football players that might start on the PUP, in my opinion. I don’t want to waste an IR spot on a DB spot unless the IR spots are unlimited.
Kerby Joseph – Joseph is in the same situation as Branch; he averaged over 10 PPG the last two seasons, but he missed the last 13 games with a knee injury. Joseph also opted not to have surgery, still wasn’t ready for OTAs, and has no clear timetable to return.
Christian Izien
Chuck Clark
D.J. Reed (56)
Terrion Arnold (92)
Roger McCreary
Green Bay Packers
Xavier McKinney (6) – McKinney is one of the most consistent DBs over the last 5 seasons. He has finished DB30 or better in four of those seasons, with the outlier being 2022, when he played only seven games due to injury. This ranking might be a bit aggressive, but I love the floor in an inconsistent position.
Evan Williams (47) – Williams is an ascending talent who moved all over the formation. If your league is going to be this deep into rosterable DBs, I like him as a ceiling shot.
Keisean Nixon (78)
Carrington Valentine
Javon Bullard
Minnesota Vikings
Josh Metellus (42) – Metellus has lost steam after finishing as DB5 overall in 2023. He was still DB29 in 2024, but a preseason shoulder injury bothered him throughout 2025, and he missed 3 games. Metellus is already healthy after surgery and practiced in full at OTAs. There are a lot of snaps for Metellus, which gives him a solid floor for production.
Jay Ward
Theo Jackson
Byron Murphy (58)
James Pierre (62)
Isaiah Rodgers (66)
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Jessie Bates (14) – DB 2, 5, and 17 overall from 23-25 for Bates in the three seasons he has been with the Dirty Birds. Bates has had 332 tackles and 13 INTs over those seasons. He is one of the most consistent performers.
Xavier Watts (19) – Watts was DB17 Overall as a rookie! Watts is very inconsistent in scoring, but he had 10 games scoring over 9 points as a rookie. I didn’t see every snap of Watts as a rookie, but I saw him miss a few INTs by a hair. There is a lot of ceiling here.
A.J. Terrell (61)
Mike Hughes
Billy Bowman
Carolina Panthers
Tre’von Moehrig (15) – Moehrig has been better for 3 straight seasons, culminating in a DB3 Overall finish in 2025. He has been improving in production with fewer snaps in each of the last 3 seasons. The move to the Panthers saw Moehrig play more snaps in the slot, in the box, and on the line than in any season of his career.
Nick Scott (76)
Mike Jackson (45) – Jackson has had over 1000 snaps in 3 of the last 4 seasons and has DB4, DB3, and DB2 finishes in those seasons. Jackson had his best season in coverage and has benefited from playing across from studs like Witherspoon and Jaycee Horn. Jackson has been targeted at least 85 times in those seasons, and we can assume he will finish with a lot this year as well.
Jaycee Horn
Chau Smith-Wade
New Orleans Saints
Justin Reid (59)
Jonas Sanker (83)
Julian Blackmon
Kool-Aid McKinstry (35) – McKinstry had a nice DB29 overall finish in his first season as a starting CB. McKinstry might be a little different this season as the starting CB. He had the 10th-most snaps among all DBs, the 2nd-most snaps as a CB behind only Riley Moss, and was the 11th-most targeted player in the NFL. I expect more of the same in 2026.
Quincy Riley
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tykee Smith (11) – Tykee had his first season as a full-time starter and finished as the #5 Overall scorer. Smith was the No. 1 DB in scoring until Week 13, when left with a concussion/shoulder injury and wasn’t the same after that. Before the limp to the finish line, Smith had at least 9.8 points.
Antoine Winfield (17) – Winfield has been a Top-30 DB in four of the last five seasons, with the lone outlier an injury-plagued season. He will continue to have an extremely high floor.
Jacob Parrish (79)
Zyon McCollum
Benjamin Morrison
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
Budda Baker (5) – Baker has finished as the fantasy football DB14 or better in four of the last five seasons. The Cardinals’ defense is still rough and going to be on the field a lot this year, and Baker will continue to reap the benefits.
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (90)
Garrett Williams (85)
Will Johnson (97)
Denzel Burke
Los Angeles Rams
Kam Curl (3)– 2025 saw Curl finally play every game in a season. He hasn’t missed much time overall, but one game apiece in four seasons since entering the league in 2020 and five games in 2022. Curl also had highs in solo and assisted tackles, and should see even more opportunities this season playing behind Garrett and Donald if he comes back.
Kamren Kinchens (52)
Quentin Lake (20) – Lake broke out as the primary Slot CB for the Rams in 2024, and he averaged the 5th-most points among DBs last year. Lake didn’t miss a snap before an elbow injury ended his season in Week 11. Lake is in a good spot to have a very high floor again this season.
Trent McDuffie (80)
Jaylen Watson (89)
San Francisco 49ers
Upton Stout (72)
Renardo Green (90)
Deommodore Lenoir
Seattle Seahawks
Nick Emmanwori (2) – Emmanwori was the No. 1 DB in scoring from Week 9 to the end of the season in his first season in the NFL. He averaged 11 PPG, which was 7th. The Seahawks didn’t make many changes to their secondary or defense, so I expect another big season from Emmanwori.
Julian Love (41) – Love took a massive hit from his shoulder injury last season. The Seahawks also drafted Bud Clark in the 2nd round, but he can be moved all around the formation. Love still has a high ceiling after finishing as a DB1 three seasons in a row before being so limited, but the injury and competition move his floor a bit lower.
Bud Clark (83)
Ty Okada
Devon Witherspoon (25) – Witherspoon has had an incredibly high floor in his 3 seasons, with PPG averages of 12.3, 9.4, and 9.7. The rookie CB rule really propelled him to a DB1 in his first year, but he has missed 7 games over the last two seasons and still averaged over 9 PPG. Witherspoon covers #1s and is a great tackler, so the floor remains very high even with missed time.
Josh Jobe
AFC East
Buffalo Bills
Cole Bishop (29) – Bishop had a cleanup procedure on his knee in the offseason and hasn’t participated in practices yet, but is expected back for camp. Bishop was cruising to a DB1 finish through the first 11 weeks at DB7 overall, but was DB105 overall from Week 12 to the finish line. I’m guessing the knee problems started around then, and he’s going to have a strong 2026.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson (44) – The floor is extremely high for CJGJ. He has averaged at least 8.3 PPG and has averaged over 11 twice. There is a lot of runway for a huge year with questionable LBs in front of him, but he has missed so many games, 28 over the last 5 seasons (half in 2023). He’s more likely a premium waiver add than a draftable fantasy football asset unless we are starting more than 3 DBs.
Christian Benford (55)
Maxwell Hairston
Dee Alford
Miami Dolphins
Chris Johnson (53) – Johnson has enormous upside this season, and I want him in any league that requires two CBs. Johnson is probably the No. 1 CB for Miami from the jump, so he will cover the top wideouts as he makes the leap from San Diego State to the NFL. The floor is just as big because this step up might be a bit much to start with.
JuJu Brents
Jason Marshall Jr.
New England Patriots
Kevin Byard (16) – Byard has finished three of the last five seasons as a DB1 and has a low of DB24 overall. He has one of the highest floors of any DB. New England is a new environment that might be different, but Byard has carried this floor with 3 different teams, and I don’t expect a ton to change.
Craig Woodson
Marcus Jones (48) – Jones had a career-high in snaps, but still lower than expected (722) for a DB24 overall finish. He should continue to increase snaps and should see a lot of targets. All 3 CBs are strong for NE, but Gonzalez had the 3rd-lowest REC% Allowed (46.1%) and is becoming harder to throw to. Jones also provides the occasional TD as a returner.
Carlton Davis III (69)
Christian Gonzalez
New York Jets
Minkah Fitzpatrick (9) – Minkah is on his 3rd team in three years, but I really love this landing spot in New York. The Jets offense looks rough, and Klubnik is likely to see some starts, too. The Jets’ defense is going to be on the field a lot, just like last season. The Jets were 31st in TOP (28:14) last season, and 2026 should be similar.
Dane Belton – Belton finished 19th last year but finds himself in a tougher spot for snaps after the Jets traded for Fitzpatrick.
Andre Cisco
D’Angelo Ponds (32) – Ponds gets the benefit of the rookie CB rule, and at 5’8, they are going to go after him early. Ponds is also moving to the slot, which will be an adjustment, but Ponds is a willing tackler and had the 4th highest tackle grade among 277 qualified FBS CBs in 2025.
Nahshon Wright (64) – Wright had a magical 2025, but the 5 INTs and 3 FR aren’t likely to be duplicated. He had 10 games of 10+ points but only 3 without one of those TOs. He’s likely to be more middle of the pack, but 80 tackles with the occasional TO is a nice floor
Brandon Stephens (58)
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Kyle Hamilton (1) – Hamilton finished as DB1 in each of the last three seasons and continues to be the absolute highest-floor player. The defense is changing in Baltimore, but Hamilton is a Swiss Army knife that can do anything Weaver asks.
Malaki Starks (71)
Nate Wiggins (40) – Wiggins was the 2nd-most targeted CB in 2025, and that was in his first year as a starter. Wiggins will continue to cover #1s and brings a very high floor.
Marlon Humphrey (77) – Humphrey has finished as a DB2 in each of the last two seasons, but his play was so bad last year that I’m afraid he gets pushed to the bench. Humphrey had the lowest Coverage Grade among the 77 qualified CBs and the 2nd-worst Overall Defensive Grade.
Chidobe Awuzie
Cincinnati Bengals
Jordan Battle (30) – Battle had an outstanding first year as a full-time starter in Cincinnati, finishing with 125 tackles and 4 INTs, leading to a DB9 Overall finish. The reason I don’t have him higher in my rankings is that his role will likely push him to play in the box a little more. The move should be better for tackles but not so much for interception opportunities.
Bryan Cook (95)
Dax Hill (99)
DJ Turner
Jalen Davis
Cleveland Browns
Grant Delpit (50) – This is probably a bit low, but Delpit has declined in fantasy football PPG for 3 straight seasons. He was able to play in every game last season, but his variance was wild. Delpit had 3 games over 17 points but also 6 under 5 points. There should be a lot of snaps for Delpit, but his steady decline, coupled with the wild swings, makes me not want to invest.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (100)
Ronnie Hickman Jr.
Tyson Campbell (37) – Campbell was flipped to Cleveland in Week 6, and his value sank like a stone. The first 5 weeks in Jacksonville provided 37 targets at Campbell,l and he was DB9 Overall and 14th in PPG. In weeks 6-17, he was DB43 Overall and 57th in points. Campbell should still be covering #1 WRs for the Browns, but he allowed the lowest reception percentage, and both Ward and Harden are easier targets.
Denzel Ward
Myles Harden
Pittsburgh Steelers
DeShon Elliott (27) – Elliott has averaged over 12 PPG the last two seasons in Pittsburgh. However, Elliott only played 5 games in 2025 and will need to stay on the field to provide us with production. Elliott has never played a full season and has missed 7 games from 21-24 before missing the final 12 in 2025. He tackles everything and has a very high floor, but is likely to miss games. Elliott will provide points to start, but have a backup plan ready.
Jaquan Brisker (57)
Jalen Ramsey (39) – Ramsey has been down the last three seasons after back-to-back Top-10 seasons in 21 and 22. He did have his best season of the last three with a DB33 Overall finish, and the Steelers plan to move him around in the ‘Star’ position. Chinn was DB12 Overall in 2025 in this position under Graham, and Moehrig was DB16 in 2024 and DB39 in 2023. I like the idea of Ramsey playing in the Slot with Dean and Porter on the field; it should lead to a lot of tackles and INT opportunities.
Jamel Dean (51)
Joey Porter Jr. (80)
AFC South
Houston Texans
Jalen Pitre (31) – Pitre started as the DB1 in his rookie season. The three seasons that followed haven’t been as productive, but he hasn’t finished below 9.1 PPG in any of them. Pitre has missed 10 games over those 3 seasons because he hits as hard as anyone.
Reed Blankenship (54)
Calen Bullock (63)
Kamari Lassiter (21) – Lassiter finished as DB4 Overall in his first year as a full-time starter. Lassiter ended up with the 9th most targets in the NFL because he lines up across from Stingley. Lassiter also had 4 INTs and should continue to provide a few with all of those targets. If anything happens to Stingley, QBs will avoid Lassiter, but until then, the floor is very high.
Derek Stingley
Indianapolis Colts
Cam Bynum (46) – Cam has been a Top-30 DB for 3 straight seasons and has 1,000+ snaps in 4 straight seasons. He will have another extremely high-floor season, with the other Indianapolis Safeties fighting for playing time.
AJ Haulcy
Hunter Wohler
Kenny Moore II (86)
Charvarius Ward (93)
Sauce Gardner
Jacksonville Jaguars
Antonio Johnson (43) – Johnson graded as the best defensive back according to PFF, but he only had 660 total snaps. He is going to get a full assortment of snaps in 2026 with Wingard off to the Cardinals. It’s probably a bit early,y but 5 INTs with way more snaps gives Johnson a very high ceiling.
Eric Murray (88)
Travis Hunter (65) – Hunter is still only a viable option if his offensive points count. Even if he ends up getting a lot of snaps at CB, he won’t be targeted frequently after a few INTs, and he never had more than 36 tackles in College.
Montaric Brown
Jourdan Lewis
Tennessee Titans
Kevin Winston (75)
Amani Hooker (94)
Alontae Taylor (23) – Taylor is going to Tennessee and will continue to be one of the most targeted CBs in the league. Taylor has had over 1000 snaps in the last two seasons and finished DB11 in 2024 and DB16 in 2025.
Cor’Dale Flott
Marcus Harris
AFC West
Denver Broncos
Talanoa Hufanga (13) – Hufanga has only played 17 games in two of the last 5 seasons, but he made it clean through last year and finished DB7 Overall. The only other fully healthy season was 2022, and he was DB6 Overall. Hufanga has the injury downside, but the upside is close to an automatic DB1 if he stays healthy.
Brandon Jones (74)
Riley Moss (24) – Moss was the most targeted player in the league last season and the 6th-most targeted in 2024. Moss had the 9th most tackles among CBs and had the most PDs in the NFL.
Ja’Quan McMillian (60)
Pat Surtain II
Kansas City Chiefs
Chamarri Conner (25) – Conner has steadily climbed from 205th to 52nd to 12th overall among DBs as his snaps have increased from 306 to 573 to 1021. The Chiefs will be relying on him more this season with so many changes in the secondary.
Alohi Gilman (67)
Nohl Williams (88)
Mansoor Delane – Delane will be on the field a lot as a rookie, and normally, I would rank a rookie with guaranteed playing time high because they get targeted. Delane had the 6th-lowest Rec% Allowed in CFB last season and was 39th out of 277 in 2024. QBs will learn to target someone else quickly
Kader Kohou
Las Vegas Raiders
Jeremy Chinn (12) – Chinn has averaged 10+ PPG in each of the last two seasons. There might be a slight drop from 2025, with the Raiders getting better on offense and adding LBs. In every season that Chinn has played at least 15 games,s he has had 107+ tackles.
Isaiah Pola-Mao
Darien Porter (70)
Eric Stokes
Taron Johnson
Los Angeles Chargers
Derwin James (4) – James’s DB14 Overall finish last season was his lowest in the past 5 seasons; only Hamilton has a higher floor. James has had at least 93 tackles, 1 INT, and 2 Sacks every season, and I expect more of the same.
Tony Jefferson
Elijah Molden
