Getting Defensive: Week 6 fantasy plays led by Jaguars, Broncos; top streaming defenses

Five weeks into season, fantasy defenses are about like we expected-which is to say that the unexpected has happened with regularity.

The top-five in fantasy points after five games is a Who's Who of Who?" The Minnesota Vikings have been marginal fantasy starts at best four times in five games, but that fifth outing won people weeks. The offensive fireworks from the Indianapolis Colts in 2025 has put pressure on opponents-and led to fantasy opportunities for the defense. The Jacksonville Jaguars were on no one's must draft" list this year, but every season there's a team that just piles up takeaways, and so far this year the Jags have been that team.

Sure, the Denver Broncos have essentially lived up to being the first defense drafted on average this year-last week's performance in Philadelphia was that much more impressive given the matchup.
But if there's a lesson to be learned so far this season, it's one we should have learned years ago-fantasy defenses are wildly unpredictable. The Vikings had one huge fluke week. Exactly no one expected the Colts or Jaguars to play this well on either side of the ball this season.

The more things change with defenses, the more they stay the same. And with defenses, things are always changing.

Profound, ain't I?

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 6: Rico Dowdle and Michael Carter step upRico Dowdle put together a historic performance in Week 5 with 206 yards on the ground, making him the top waiver wire add of the week. Michael Carter found the end zone as well and is another strong option for fantasy managers.

• Kyle Dvorchak,

THE NO-DOUBTERS

Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Seattle Seahawks)

This analyst can't lie. This was close to a Caveat Emptor, Folks" play as recently as Monday afternoon. The Seahawks are allowing the eighth-fewest fantasy points to defenses. They can run the ball. Jacksonville's ability to get consistent pressure on Sam Darnold is a legit issue without Travon Walker, and as Darnold showed last week against Tampa, if you give him time he'll mess you up. But the Jaguars just got a 99-yard pick-six of Patrick Mahomes. Jacksonville is (for now) the king of fantasy defenses after five weeks. They earned this spot.

Denver Broncos (at New York Jets)

Seriously, will someone explain to me why we keep subjecting people in Europe to bad football? Is the NFL not trying to grow the game overseas? OK, so the Broncos are a good team-after beating the Eagles in Philadelphia the Denver defense leads the league in sacks and is looking more and more like last year's unit. Meanwhile, the Jets are the NFL's only winless team and rank inside the top-10 in fantasy points per game surrendered to defenses this season. Are we still mad about the War of 1812?

Green Bay Packers (vs. Cincinnati Bengals)

Let's see, how to put this in a way that is both accurate but not too hurtful-the Bengals offense is a dumpster fire. The points they put up against the Detroit Lions a week ago were in full-on garbage time. Jake I'mma Just Use the Force" Browning threw three more interceptions, and Cincinnati leads the league in fantasy points per game given up to defenses. Green Bay is rested, playing at home and taking on an offensive line consisting of three turnstiles and two matadors. What's not to like?

Philadelphia Eagles (at New York Giants)

After a down outing from the Philly defense (at least from a fantasy perspective), the Eagles rank outside the top-10 in fantasy points for the season. And the fact that Philadelphia has just seven sacks in five games has to be giving defensive coordinator Vic Fangio fits. But the defending Super Bowl champions can't be happy after suffering their first loss of the season, and while Jaxson Dart has done some things well, he's still a rookie quarterback making the third start of his NFL career.

Indianapolis Colts (vs. Arizona Cardinals)

This is a meeting of two teams barreling in opposite directions. The Colts are one of the NFL's hottest teams after blowing the doors off the Raiders in Week 4, while the Cardinals are reeling after handing the Tennessee Titans their first win of 2025 in a manner so bizarre it had to be seen to be believed. The Colts are quietly third in the league in points per game allowed. The Cardinals are rather loudly 23rd in scoring offense. Seriously-this has the makings of a re-do of what happened to Vegas a week ago.

New England Patriots (at New Orleans Saints)

Five weeks into the season, the Patriots are 3-2, just stunned the Bills in Buffalo, possess a top-10 scoring defense and rank fifth in the league in fantasy points among defenses. To be fair to a Saints team that just notched its first win of the season, New Orleans has shown more fight than just about everyone expected. But the Saints are also 27th in scoring offense and 10th in fantasy points per game given up to defenses. The Patriots are figuring it out. The Saints are a year or two away from knowing what it" is.

Los Angeles Rams (at Baltimore Ravens)

This is where we're at in 2025. This once would have been a matchup to be avoided like the plague. But that was a long time ago. Before the Ravens were decimated by injuries-including the one that will sideline quarterback Lamar Jackson on Sunday. Backup Cooper Rush threw three picks last week, in part because the Ravens defense couldn't cover a cake with icing even before it was also ravaged by injuries. The Rams are better than the Texans team that destroyed Baltimore 44-10 in Week 5. It's getting late early for the Ravens.

Fantasy Football Week 6 Defense (DST) Rankings and StreamersEric Samulski breaks down his fantasy football defense rankings for Week 6 of the NFL season

• Eric Samulski,

STREAMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!

Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Cleveland Browns)

The Browns got something of an offensive spark last week with rookie Dillon Gabriel making his first career start. But given the pathetic state of a Browns offense that ranks 27th in the NFL in total offense and dead last in scoring, spark" is a relative term. Now, Gabriel will be making his first stateside start in a city that has been the fifth circle of hell for Cleveland quarterbacks my entire lifetime. It doesn't even matter that Pittsburgh's defense is bad. T.J. Watt gets two sacks, and Pittsburgh scores a non-offensive touchdown. Book it.

Los Angeles Chargers (at Miami Dolphins)

After playing as well defensively as any team in the league the first couple of weeks of the season, the Chargers have backslid of late-so much so after last week's dispiriting loss at home to Washington, the Bolts are outside the top-15 fantasy defenses for the year and more streaming play than must-start. But the matchup (outside the whole West Coast 1PM trope) is a good one-Miami's offense without Tyreek Hillis half a mess, and the Dolphins are a plus fantasy matchup for opposing defenses.

Cleveland Browns (at Pittsburgh Steelers)

For all that intro nonsense about the value of streaming defenses, this isn't a great week for it in deeper formats. Despite leading the AFC in total defense and leading the league against the run, the Browns have been an irrelevant fantasy defense, because Cleveland. But Myles Garrett can make Aaron Rodgers uncomfortable. Pittsburgh is last in the AFC in rushing. And Cleveland's secondary can make Rodgers try to remember the name of a Steelers pass-catcher not named DK Metcalf. First team to 20 wins. It'll be Pittsburgh. But that doesn't mean the Browns defense can't eat, too.

Las Vegas Raiders (vs. Tennessee Titans)

Frankly, an argument can be made for flipping this and taking Tennessee's defense on the road-Raiders edge-rusher Maxx Crosby is the tiebreaker. This is a desperation play either way-both defenses rank in the bottom-six in fantasy points. But both teams also rank in the top-five in fantasy points per game allowed to defenses. Titans quarterback Cam Ward got sacked three times while I wrote this. Raiders quarterback Geno Smith was picked off twice. Do you feel lucky?

CAVEAT EMPTOR, FOLKS

Detroit Lions (at Kansas City Chiefs)

After their 2-0 tour of Ohio teams that just about everyone would go 2-0 against, the Lions have climbed into the top-10 fantasy defenses for the season. But a big part of successfully streaming defenses (because themes) is knowing when to pull the rip cord before you slam into the ground at terminal velocity. Jacksonville just had their second-worst fantasy outing of the season defensively-in a game that included the aforementioned 99-yard pick-six. After it? Kansas City is still surrendering the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to defenses.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on X at@IDPGodfather.