#136 overall · CIN · 109.0 projected half-PPR pts · -20.0 Draft Value
Cincinnati Bengals — 2026 Fantasy Outlook
The case for drafting him
The Cincinnati Bengals DST is a unit you draft when your roster construction forces your hand late. Over the past three seasons, the defense has averaged 38 sacks, 15 interceptions, 12 forced fumbles, and 8.7 fumble recoveries per year — a turnover profile that keeps a floor under the fantasy scoring. The 2024 season added a safety and three defensive touchdowns, and the three-year average of 2.3 defensive touchdowns shows the unit finds the end zone with some regularity. If you need a streaming-eligible defense to close out your draft, the Bengals have the raw playmaking history to be on the list.
What the model projects
The projection is 109.0 half-PPR fantasy points for the 2026 season. That places the Bengals DST at DST16 and #136 overall, landing in Tier 9. The draft value is -20.0, meaning the unit projects below replacement level at the DST position on a 12-team half-PPR baseline. The numbers are what they are: this is a below-replacement projection, not a featured asset.
| INT | Sacks | FF | FR | TD | Saf | PA | Half-PPR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 17 | 44 | 11 | 9 | 2 | — | 384 | 119.0 |
| 2024 | 15 | 36 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 434 | 120.0 |
| 2025 | 13 | 34 | 11 | 7 | 2 | — | 492 | 97.0 |
| 3-yr avg | 15 | 38 | 12 | 8.7 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 436.7 | 111.8 |
The range of outcomes
The three-year trend in points allowed tells a clear story: 384 in 2023, 434 in 2024, 492 in 2025. A defense surrendering more points each season is a headwind for fantasy scoring, and the sack total has also declined from 44 to 36 to 34 over that same stretch. Interceptions have dipped from 17 to 15 to 13. The unit's best-case scenario leans on a reversal of those trends — a bounce-back in sacks and turnovers closer to the 2023 peak. The downside is a continuation of the current trajectory, which would push scoring further below the replacement line.
How to draft him
The Bengals DST carries no market ADP — the unit is not being drafted consistently enough across platforms to register one. That tells you everything about where this defense sits in the draft community's pecking order. At DST16 and #136 overall with a -20.0 draft value, this is a late-round or post-draft streaming option, not a planned pick. Note the bye week falls in Week 6; build your streaming plan around that gap. Draft him only if you are filling a final roster spot and need a name on the board.
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Questions drafters ask
The projection is 109.0 points, a draft value of -20.0, and a rank of DST16 and #136 overall — all below replacement level on a 12-team half-PPR baseline. There is no market ADP registered for this unit, which reflects how the broader draft community is treating it. It is a streaming candidate, not a planned selection.
Over the last three seasons (2023–2025), the unit averaged 38 sacks, 15 interceptions, 12 forced fumbles, 8.7 fumble recoveries, and 2.3 defensive touchdowns per year. Points allowed have risen each season: 384 in 2023, 434 in 2024, and 492 in 2025.
Week 6. Plan your streaming rotation accordingly — you will need a replacement defense for that week.
Sacks have declined over the three-year window: 44 in 2023, 36 in 2024, and 34 in 2025, for a three-year average of 38. The trend is downward, which is a factor in the below-replacement projection.