Bills' Defense Projected for Another 'Middling' Year in Fantasy Rankings

The 2025 season was not the Buffalo Bills' best as a defensive unit. And Pro Football Focus does not see too much changing for the unit in 2026.

In the sports analytics site's latest fantasy football defense and special teams rankings, the Bills were listed as the NFL's No. 15 DEF/ST, ranking atop Tier 4 of the seven listed tiers.

The list alludes to Buffalo parting ways with names like Joey Bosa, Tre'Davious White, and Shaq Thompson, all names who contributed over 200 snaps on the season. So, PFF

Senior Fantasy Analyst / Software Developer Nathan Jahnke shares about the youth movement he sees for the group under Jim Leonhard's tutelage.

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2026 Fantasy Football Team Defense/ST Rankings⬇️https://t.co/hvV4Y5AuNt
— PFF Fantasy (@PFF_Fantasy) July 26, 2026

"The plan is clearly youth, with both second-round picks spent on defense in edge rusher T.J. Parker and cornerback Davison Igbinosun," said Jahnke. "Plus a 2025 class in which Maxwell Hairston, T.J. Sanders and Landon Jackson all topped 500 snaps as rookies."

Jahnke suggests it is smart to hold off on using the Bills' D early in the season, waiting for the young group to come of age as the season progresses.

Understanding the ranking

On one hand, Jahnke is right. Buffalo appears to have a good-not-great unit on paper. Sanders, Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, Bradley Chubb, and second-year player Deone Walker look like a group that may be more of an ensemble where the sum of the whole is greater than its parts.

The linebacking corps is one of the biggest unknowns in football. Terrel Bernard is coming off an injury-riddled season. Dorian Williams has been an inconsistent player. And although Kaleb Elarms-Orr has been taking advantage of his opportunity thus far, he's a rookie coming into the NFL as a fourth-round pick.

As Jahnke noted, there will be a lot of youthful names playing for the Buffalo defense in 2026. Whether it's Igbinosun, Jalon Kilgore, or Toriano Pride Jr. in the secondary, or Parker and Zane Durant in the front seven, the Bills will need to see a lot of these young pieces step up defensively.

Buffalo Bills linebacker T.J. Parker (99) trains during Buffalo Bills Minicamp. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Disputing the ranking

What may make Buffalo DEF/ST owners, and Bills Mafia alike, more comfortable is knowing that they have Leonhard at the helm. Last season in Denver as its assistant head coach, the Broncos defense ranked top 10 in the NFL in points allowed, total yards, pass and rush defense, and led the league in sacks (68).

When it's all said and done, though, Buffalo should be able to rely more heavily on one of the deeper secondaries in football. Benford looks to bounce back from an off 2025 after back-to-back 80+ PFF-grade seasons in 2023 and 2024. Bishop also really came into his own at the end of 2025, and he's projected to be one of the league's breakout players for 2026.

The newest additions are not coming off of their best seasons in the NFL, but they are not too far off from highly productive seasons. Like new nickel corner Dee Alford, who is three years removed from posting a 70.0 PFF grade in 2023. Or Geno Stone, who posted back-to-back 70+ grade seasons in 2022 and 2023, as he led the NFL in picks '23.

That list includes Chubb, too, who posted 8.5 sacks last year to bounce back from a completely missed 2024 campaign.

The Bills' defense will need to grow up fast in 2026. But the team has enough talent and the guidance of a great defensive mind to be one of the top defenses

Buffalo Bills linebacker Bradley Chubb (9) trains during Buffalo Bills Minicamp. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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