You were just sitting there, playing the Vikings defense every single week and racking up points. Life was good. You thought that was going to last forever. Sunshine and rainbows … And then Week 5 ends, the app switches over to Week 6, and now the DST that’s been getting you at least 8 points every week is on a bye.
That’s where the Stream Team comes in. We’ve been living this grind and streaming defenses all season because we know that no matter which path you go down during the draft, bye weeks and injuries are going to end up slugging you right in the nards, and you’re going to end up streaming.
With Minnesota, Cincinnati, Miami, and Detroit on a bye, we’re only missing out on one usable defense … But that means you’re going to have to scrounge for a defense that isn't going to be a liability. We aim to find defenses that are available in at least 70 percent of leagues (per Yahoo! Fantasy) … But I had to break that rule by a smidge. Regardless, these are four DSTs we’re looking at in Week 6.
Indianapolis Colts
- vs. Titans in Week 6
- Titans TT O/U: 17.5 points (2nd Lowest)
- Rostered in 24% of leagues
The Colts do not have a good defense, so if you want to pass them over for a team with a defense that doesn’t make you want to puke, that’s totally fine. But they are playing the Titans, and they are a team that we’re fading every week.Â
Tennessee is the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL, so realistically, you’re not risking a situation where the Colts let up 28 points and get you fewer than two points.Â
The problem is that they’re not really going to gain points either. The Colts defense is tied for last in takeaways, and they’re a middle-of-the-road team when it comes to getting sacks. For all of the Titans’ offensive flaws (to put it kindly), they are good at avoiding/preventing sacks, and they don’t turn the ball over.Â
If you’re looking for a gross defense that will get the job done, the Colts are just the fellas that you’re looking for.
Carolina Panthers
- vs. Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6
- Eagles TT O/U: 20.5 points (8th lowest)
- Rostered in 4% of leagues
This is a floor play, through and through. The Eagles offense is broken, terrible, and allergic to moving the ball in the second half and refuses to score points. But Jalen Hurts and the gang also don’t turn the ball over.
For almost a year now, Nick Sirianni has been doing this thing where he plays prevent offense. If the Eagles can get an early lead, he and his doofus group of coaches play football to end the game. That’s what leads to that offense being historically terrible and only scoring an average of 4.6 second-half points all season.Â
Now, if you want to wait to see if Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith come back this week before you pick up Carolina, that’s totally fine and a pretty good process … But until the Eagles offense shows that it can be taken seriously for, like, three or four straight weeks, you’re good to fade them.
Chicago Bears
- vs. Atlanta Falcons in Week 6
- Falcons TT O/U: 23.5 points (15th lowest)
- Rostered in 33% of leagues
Remember how good the Falcons offense looked with Michael Penix over the last two-ish games? They were moving the ball super easily, everyone was vibing, and they looked like there was a chance they could be a contender ...
Remember what that offense looked like in Weeks 1 and 2 with Cooper Rush? It was absolute hell on Earth, and every talented playmaker was totally neutered.
Michael Penix wasn’t able to finish the game on Sunday night after his ribs got absolutely demolished in the fourth quarter. Kevin Stefanski says that he should be ready to play on Sunday if there are no setbacks. If he can’t play, that means we’re going to get a Tua Tagovailoa game, and that is a game you need to be on the other side of.
If it is Penix, stay as far away from Chicago’s defense as humanly possible. That defense is in trouble.Â
Cleveland Browns
- vs. Baltimore Ravens
- Ravens TT O/U: 23.5 points (15th lowest)
- Rostered in 25% of leagues
If Lamar Jackson plays in this game, we’re out … So let’s just get that out of the way first.Â
There’s some talk that he’ll be ready to play on Sunday, but we’ll see about that. If he doesn’t play, then we’ll get another week of Snoop Huntley. He’s one of the better backup quarterbacks in the NFL, but a QB2 is a QB2 … and we’ll feel pretty good fading them.
By no means are the Browns the defensive juggernauts that they used to be, but they are solid. Aside from the Week 1 game against the Jaguars, they’ve been very good at getting sacks, and pretty good at forcing turnovers. For fantasy, that’s the stuff that we want.
The Ravens will be scoring, so we’re not looking at double digits or anything like that … But we’ll be cool with five to nine points in a rough week.Â
Looking ahead:
Again, the four teams on a bye this week are the Bengals, the Lions, the Dolphins, and the Vikings. We want absolutely nothing to do with three of those teams … But the Vikings? Oh yeah, baby. We want the Vikings. If you have a roster that can afford to carry two defenses, pick up a dropped Vikings (or hold onto them if you have them).
They get the Colts in Week 7. That’s going to be the last time we can confidently roster the Vikings for a hot minute. After that, they have the Lions, the Bills, the Packers, and the 49ers … Sure, they’re an awesome defense, but you don’t want that smoke.Â
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