Fantasy Football: 3 Defensive Streamer Options for Week 6

Every point matters when it comes to winning in season-long fantasy football, meaning you can't afford to leave points on the table. We don't spend top-notch draft capital on D/STs in our fantasy football drafts, but ignoring them during the season can cost you dearly.

Streaming defenses throughout the year is a great way to ensure you get the most out of your D/ST slot. Even the best defenses draw tough weekly matchups, and even the worst defenses are capable of strong fantasy outings in the right situations.

This article is here to help you parse through all of those situations and to present you with three streamers available in most leagues.

Fantasy Football Defenses to Stream for Week 6

All projections via numberFire.

Atlanta Falcons D/ST

Matchup: vs. Washington Commanders

numberFire Projection: 9.3 (D/ST2)

The Atlanta Falcons made some significant investments in their defense this offseason, and the early results have been pretty good.

Through five weeks of NFL action, their defense -- which ranked in the bottom 10 in most areas last season -- ranks seventh-best in yards per play allowed (4.8), has allowed just 96 points (eighth-fewest among teams that have played five games), and has been getting to the quarterback consistently. In fact, it's possible they may even be a little underrated right now.

Despite generating pressure at the 11th-best rate (23.6%) and hurrying quarterbacks at the ninth-best rate (9.8%) in the league, the Falcons have somehow only generated 5 sacks on the season, which ties the New York Giants for the fewest. Given their strong numbers in other departments, their low sack total is screaming for some regression going forwards.

They'll have a chance to balance things out this week against the Washington Commanders, whose starting quarterback Sam Howell is one of two quarterbacks on pace to break the record for most sacks taken in a season. Howell has absorbed sacks on an absurd 13.2% of his drop backs this year, trailing only Daniel Jones in that department.

numberFire's projections have the Falcons notching the most sacks (4.21) in Week 6, giving them one of the highest floors of any fantasy D/ST unit for the week.

Streaming defenses in fantasy can often put us in the position of needing to rely on a bad NFL defense to make fluky plays against struggling offenses. That makes it very hard to pass up on the chance to stream a potentially good defense in a plus matchup.

Only the San Francisco 49ers' D/ST is projected for more Week 6 fantasy points than Atlanta, so make sure to scoop up the Falcons' D/ST if you're in need at the position.

Minnesota Vikings D/ST

Matchup: vs. Chicago Bears

numberFire Projection: 8.3 (D/ST4)

Week 5 was the first time all season that the Chicago Bears' offense did not cough up a top fantasy performance to their opponent's D/ST unit. We're willing to write that off as a fluke after watching how they teed off on a Commanders defense playing on a short week after an overtime loss the week before.

Even against a gassed opponent, Bears quarterback Justin Fields still took three sacks. He's absorbing sacks on 11.6% of his drop backs, the third-highest rate in the league, and he's logged 5 interceptions and 4 fumbles in as many weeks. Besides the New York Giants and their turnstile offensive line, Fields is as close to a streaming defense's dream matchup as we have in 2023.

For Week 6, we'll be streaming the Minnesota Vikings' D/ST against Fields and his Bears. For better or for worse, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores loves his blitzes. The Vikings' defense is blitzing opposing passers on 44.8% of their drop backs, by far the highest rate in the league.

It's been a hit-or-miss approach so far in 2023, but it lines up very nicely against the Fields in Week 6. According to PFF, Fields ranks 25th as a passer facing the blitz this season. Flores' blitz-heavy approach may not work versus every NFL passer, but it should cause plenty of disruption against Fields.

Beyond just the quarterback matchup, it's worth noting that the Bears are pretty banged up right now. They've been dealing with offensive line injuries since before the season began and could now be without each of their top two running backs after injuries to Khalil Herbert (ankle) and Roschon Johnson (concussion).

Without their top running backs, we could see the Bears lean even more heavily on Fields' arm in Week 6, which means more opportunities for the Vikings' D/ST to generate turnovers.

Los Angeles Rams D/ST

Matchup: vs. Arizona Cardinals

numberFire Projection: 7.3 (D/ST7)

The Los Angeles Rams' D/ST has been much better to open the year than we might have expected after last year's rough go of things -- it turns out having a healthy Aaron Donald can do wonders for a defense.

In fact, they've been pretty much average across the board this year, ranking 15th in points against, 16th in total yards against, and 16th in yards per play allowed. They've faced down some intimidating competition to open the year, as well, including offenses like the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks. Not bad!

What really stands out for the Rams' defense so far this season has been the lack of turnovers through five weeks. They've generated just three turnovers on defense, which ties them for the league's second-fewest. If they can start creating takeaways, those already solid defensive numbers could start looking even better in a hurry.

Nothing personal against the Arizona Cardinals -- they've been wildly outperforming expectations and playing solid football this season -- but they figure to be the softest matchup the Rams have faced yet this season. And without the lynchpin of their offense this week (James Conner could land on the injured reserve), things could start to take a turn for the worse for their offense in Week 6.

Joshua Dobbs has been seriously impressive this season, but we saw some cracks begin to show in the foundation of Arizona's offense in Week 5. The journeyman quarterback has been taking sacks at an above-average clip behind the Cardinals' average offensive line, and he threw his first two interceptions of the season in comeback mode after Conner left with his knee injury.

Dobbs could be in for some tough sledding against the Rams' defensive front without Conner keeping the defense honest. And that means the Rams' D/ST could be in for a strong outing.

If things go according to plan for the Rams against the Cardinals this week, they'll be lined up for another strong start in Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Savvy fantasy managers could get ahead of the curve by grabbing the Rams this week while they're still available.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.