Cardinals D/ST or 49ers D/ST: Who Should You Start?
2026 Week 1 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.
Start the 49ers — the lineup-share and opponent scoring edges are too wide to ignore.
49ers D/ST is started in more leagues (started rank 21 to 32) and faces the lower-scoring offense (25.8 implied points to 28.5). the Cardinals's edge is opponent giveaways, 3.8 sacks allowed to 1.8. The gap is narrow.
Cardinals D/ST
D/STARIvs LAC
3.33.33.3 Projected Points
Toss-Up
49ers D/ST
D/STSFvs LAR
2.52.52.5 Projected Points
Sit
Why Cardinals D/ST
Toss-UpToss-up — a middling defensive matchup (No. 29 this week): LAC gives up 3.8 sacks and 1.2 turnovers a game, and Vegas has them at 28.5 points.
- LAC's offense gives up 3.8 sacks and 1.2 turnovers a game (2025), well above league average.
- Vegas has LAC at 28.5 points as 11.5-point favorites.
- Under-started: only 0% of leagues have them in, 32nd among defenses, against a No. 29 matchup.
Why 49ers D/ST
SitSit — a bottom-tier defensive matchup this week (No. 32): LAR protects the ball (0.9 turnovers a game), and Vegas has them at 25.8 points.
- LAR's offense gives up 1.8 sacks and 0.9 turnovers a game (2025), below league average.
- Vegas has LAR at 25.8 points as 3-point favorites.
- Over-started: 3% of leagues have them in, 21st among defenses, against a No. 32 matchup.
Head-to-head stats
| Metric | Cardinals D/ST | 49ers D/ST |
|---|---|---|
| Projected points | 3.33.33.3 | 2.52.52.5 |
| Projection rank | Proj.DST29 | Proj.DST32 |
| Started in | 0% of leagues | 3% of leagues |
| Opponent sacks allowed / game | 3.8(2025) | 1.8(2025) |
| Opponent turnovers / game | 1.2(2025) | 0.9(2025) |
| Opponent implied total | 28.5 | 25.8 |
| Home / away | Away | Away |
Signal breakdown
- 3.3 vs 2.5 projected PPR pointsCardinals D/ST +
- Started rank 32 vs 21 (0% vs 3% of leagues)49ers D/ST +
- 3.8 sacks / 1.2 TO vs 1.8 sacks / 0.9 TO per game allowedCardinals D/ST +
- Opponent implied 28.5 vs 25.8 points49ers D/ST +
- Away vs Awayeven
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