Streaming Defenses: Week 6 Fantasy Options for Team Defenses

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Published on October 9, 2023

This week looks far less favorable than last for streamers, with each of the top five defenses in my weekly rankings owned in a comfortable majority of fantasy leagues. We're left to choose between lousy defenses facing lousy offenses or middling defenses facing middling offenses.

Betting odds (and history) tend to favor the first approach, though the second also can work, especially if stuff like homefield advantage, rest and injury reports are working in the defense's favor.

Note: These recommendations are limited to team defenses that are rostered on less than 60 percent of teams on Yahoo or 45 percent on ESPN. Any references to fantasy points are based on Yahoo standard scoring, which doesn't include yards allowed.

Top Streaming Options for Week 6

1. Atlanta Falcons (vs. WAS)

9% Yahoo, 3% ESPN
Team implied total: 22.25 Opponent implied total: 19.75
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 7: 13th (at TB), Week 8: 24th (at TEN)

The Falcons defense has scored three of fewer fantasy points in four straight since putting a 12-spot on the Panthers in Week 1. It hasn't been quite as bad in real life, however, with Atlanta yet to allow more than 24 points in a game this season. The lack of edge-rushing talent is a real problem, but the Falcons otherwise have their best collection of defensive talent in years — at least on paper — and also are one of the league's healthier teams on that side of the ball.

In other words,

Betting odds (and history) tend to favor the first approach, though the second also can work, especially if stuff like homefield advantage, rest and injury reports are working in the defense's favor.

Top Streaming Options for Week 6

1. Atlanta Falcons (vs. WAS)

9% Yahoo, 3% ESPN
Team implied total: 22.25 Opponent implied total: 19.75
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 7: 13th (at TB), Week 8: 24th (at TEN)

In other words, they could have an average defense going forward, which is more than enough to hold the advantage in a home game against mistake-prone Sam Howell and the Commanders. Only two teams have allowed more fantasy points this year, with Howell somehow managing to take four or more sacks in every game.

2. Minnesota Vikings (vs. CHI)

5% Yahoo, 3% ESPN
Team implied total: 24.25 Opponent implied total: 21,75
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 7: , Week 8: 20th (at GB)

The Bears did some good things on offense the last two weeks, like using more presnap motion and emphasizing DJ Moore. The Vikings, meanwhile, remain an all-offense, no-defense operation, with their one strong defensive showing coming Week 4 against the putrid Panthers. It won't get that ugly for the Bears this week, but they still tend to be a friendly fantasy matchup even when they put up yards and points thanks to Justin Fields' propensity for taking sacks and turning the ball over. I'm still open to the possibility of him improving in that regard, but I need to see more than one week of clean play to buy in. Fields still has taken three or more sacks each week this year, including the past two games in which he threw for over 600 yards and eight TDs.

3. Los Angeles Rams (vs. ARZ)

3% Yahoo, 1% ESPN
Team implied total: 27.25 Opponent implied total: 20.75
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 7: 3rd (vs. PIT), Week 8: 31st (at DAL)

The Rams' young defense has struggled against a tough early schedule, scoring no more than six fantasy points while taking on Seattle, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Philadelphia. Now they get their first chance at a home game against a vulnerable opponent, though the Cardinals surprisingly have allowed the fifth fewest fantasy points to team defenses. The chances of that holding up over the course of a season are slim-to-none, especially given that Joshua Dobbs had a poor track record for interceptions before opening this year with four straight pick-free games.

4. Las Vegas Raiders (vs, NE)

2% Yahoo, 1% ESPN
Team implied total: 22.25 Opponent implied total: 19.25
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 7: 6th (at CHI), Week 8: 32nd (at DET)

The Raiders intercepted Jordan Love twice Monday night and now get back-to-back games against teams that enter Week 6 at 1-4. The Patriots have allowed the fifth most fantasy points to defenses after getting shutout (at home) by the Saints on Sunday, and the Bears have been even friendlier overall (second most) despite routing the Commanders on Thursday. The downside, of course, is that the Raiders don't have much on defense beyond stud end Maxx Crosby, who got his fifth sack of the season in Monday's win. Consider it a fairly even matchup between lightweights, with the Raiders getting a slight edge thanks to homefield advantage and superior recent form.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars (vs, IND)

16% Yahoo, 15% ESPN
Team implied total: 25,25 Opponent implied total: 21,25
Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 7: 15th (at NO), Week 8: 8th (at PIT)

The Jaguars are at home, and solidly favored to win, but they're also facing a QB who tends to avoid big mistakes even when he doesn't play all that well. Gardner Minshew's career INT rate (1.5 percent) would be tied for second best in NFL history if he had enough attempts to qualify, and his 7.0 percent sack rate is a bit better than average. I'd feel better about all that if the Jags weren't so reliant on their offense to win games; the defense is no better than last year, and possibly a bit worse.