Ravens D/ST or Patriots D/ST: Who Should You Start?
Preliminary board2026 Week 2 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.
Verdicts sharpen as practice reports land.
Ravens D/ST gets the edge from New Orleans' mistake-prone offense
Ravens D/ST wins this call on the opponent, not the forecast: New Orleans' higher sack-and-turnover rate allowed gives Baltimore more routes to a splash play. The 0.2-point projection gap is noise for defenses, but the Ravens' stronger giveaway environment and clear lineup-share support make them the better side of a close decision. New England still has a usable floor at home against the same implied scoring environment; the risk is that Pittsburgh's cleaner ball security leaves the Patriots needing sacks to pay off.
What flips it: A late shift making Pittsburgh more giveaway-prone than New Orleans.
AI editor
Ravens D/ST
6.96.96.9 Projected Points
Patriots D/ST
6.76.76.7 Projected Points
Why Ravens D/ST
StartStart — the No. 6 defensive matchup this week: 6.9 pts projected vs NO.
- New Orleans offers Baltimore more paths to a turnover-driven ceiling.
- The home-favorite script can force the Saints into the passing situations Baltimore wants.
Why Patriots D/ST
StartStart — the No. 7 defensive matchup this week: 6.7 pts projected vs PIT.
- New England remains a sound start because Pittsburgh's low implied total limits scoring damage.
- The Patriots' path is pressure-based, making them more vulnerable if sacks do not arrive.
Head-to-head stats
| Metric | Ravens D/ST | Patriots D/ST |
|---|---|---|
| Projected points | 6.96.96.9 | 6.76.76.7 |
| Projection rank | Proj.DST6 | Proj.DST7 |
| Started in | 81% of leagues | 51% of leagues |
| Opponent sacks allowed / game | 3.1(2025) | 2.4(2025) |
| Opponent turnovers / game | 1.4(2025) | 0.9(2025) |
| Opponent implied total | 19.5 | 19.5 |
| Home / away | Home | Home |
Recent form
Ravens D/ST — last 1 week
| Week 1 | vs IND | 8.08.08.0 |
Patriots D/ST — last 1 week
| Week 1 | vs SEA | 7.07.07.0 |
Signal breakdown
- 6.9 vs 6.7 projected PPR pointsRavens D/ST +
- Started rank 6 vs 11 (81% vs 51% of leagues)Ravens D/ST +
- 3.1 sacks / 1.4 TO vs 2.4 sacks / 0.9 TO per game allowedRavens D/ST +
- Opponent implied 19.5 vs 19.5 pointseven
- Home vs Homeeven
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