Best Fantasy Football D/ST Streaming Options for Week 6: Texans, Eagles, Colts, Chargers
Ted breaks down the best defenses to stream for your Week 6 fantasy football matchups.
Welcome to Week 6’s fantasy football DST streaming guide! As always, let’s start by looking back at last week’s results. We had a big hit with the Broncos and a solid outing from the Patriots, while the Raiders were bad, but not terrible. My big miss of the week was picking the Bears as a fade option, as the Andy Dalton honeymoon came to an ugly end.
For this week, many of the league’s worst offenses are facing off with defenses that are widely available. This is good, in the sense that we have lots of options, but also bad … those teams are widely available for a reason. Hopefully, we can find the right ones to target — let’s get started!
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Week 6 Fantasy Football Defense Streaming Options
Houston Texans @ New England Patriots (31.5% Rostered)
There are rumors that the Patriots will give Drake Maye his first NFL start this week. Personally, I’m not entirely convinced by the narrative that Jerod Mayo’s tone has changed, but smoke in these situations often means fire, especially when insider reporters are getting involved.
However, I don’t think it really matters whether we see the rookie or Jacoby Brissett on Sunday. The Patriots’ offensive problems are far more than their quarterback. According to PFF, they are the third-worst team in both receiving and pass-blocking grades — the only team to rank in the bottom three in both metrics. They’re dealing with multiple injuries across the offensive line, which is allowing an absurd 44.8% pressure rate. That's the second-highest rate in the league and 14.2% above expected, according to Fantasy Points Data.
Meanwhile, the Texans’ defense has posted the fourth-highest pressure rate of any team. They also rank fourth-best in both total yards and yards per play allowed. Their fantasy production hasn’t really taken off thanks to some tough matchups and a lack of turnovers, but those should both change this week. The Patriots will either be starting Brissett and his 5.2 yards per attempt or a rookie in his NFL debut. Either way, the Texans should eat.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Cleveland Browns (23% Rostered)
Remember when I said that the Patriots were the only team to rank in the bottom three in PFF grades for both receiving and pass-blocking? Well, the Browns aren’t far behind at fourth-worst and fifth-worst in those metrics. They also lead the NFL in pressure allowed at a whopping 47.5%. They rank fourth-worst in EPA per play and worst in both total yards and yards per play by a solid margin.
All of these stats don’t even mention the real problem with the Browns’ offense: Deshaun Watson. In terms of EPA per dropback, Watson is only ahead of Bryce Young (benched), Skylar Thompson (was a backup, still got benched), and Will Levis (benched for Mason Rudolph). His 4.8 yards per attempt is the worst in the league, and he also leads the league with 5.2 sacks per game (no other QB is above 3.6).
The Eagles’ defense isn’t great, but they should absolutely be capable of taking advantage of this matchup. Defenses against the Browns are averaging over 10 fantasy points per game, the second most in the league. This is a no-brainer.
Indianapolis Colts @ Tennesse Titans (13.9% Rostered)
Okay, I know I just said Will Levis was benched for Mason Rudolph, but he will reportedly be back under center for the Titans in Week 6. That’s excellent news for the Colts’ defense, as Levis now ranks worst among starters in both EPA per dropback and sack percentage. Thanks largely to his six interceptions and three fumbles in just three and a quarter games, the Titans are by far the most generous fantasy matchup for opposing defenses.
There are some reasons to be worried here: The Colts’ defense ranks worst in pressure rate by a solid margin and has allowed the most yards per game of any team in the league. However, Levis’ proclivity for both sacks and inexplicable turnovers keeps them in play as a high-risk, high-reward streaming option.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Denver Broncos (15.5% Rostered)
If you’re looking for more of a floor play at defense, the Chargers are a good option. The Broncos actually rank near the middle of the pack in fantasy points allowed to opposing defenses. However, they have allowed every team but one (the Buccaneers) to score at least four fantasy points, and three of five teams against them have scored double-digits.
If we head back to our handy measures of offensive ineptitude, Denver ranks seventh-worst in EPA per play and fifth-worst in both total yards and yards per play. Nix has done well in avoiding sacks and turnovers, but he beats out only Watson and Young with a putrid 5.2 yards per attempt. The Broncos’ offense simply isn’t effective.
Meanwhile, the Chargers’ defense ranks second in the league in opponent EPA per play. They have allowed the fewest points per game at just 12.5 and allowed opponents to score on just 22.2% of their drives. Some excellent matchups slightly skew these numbers (they faced the Raiders, Bryce Young Panthers, and Steelers in three of their four games), but this is another good situation for LA. They should be able to provide a decent outing.
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