Fantasy Football 2023: D/ST Streams for Week 6

I’m back baby! The D/ST streams for Week 6 are here and we are feeling good! Well, sort of. We’re feeling better about the picks than we were a couple weeks ago. Physically, I have had an exhausting couple weeks at work, so not feeling nearly as good as I do with our fantasy picks from last week. Boom. That’s called transitioning.

• Detroit Lions: 7 pts – HIT
• New York Jets: 18 pts – HIT
• Houston Texans: 1 pt – Bust
• Week 5: 2 Hits – 1 Busts
• Season: 10 Hits – 7 Busts

Look at that! We are just shy of 59% accurate with most of that being thanks to our Pre-Week 1 picks. This week might be a bit more of a challenge than last week, so we will see. Let’s take a look at our D/ST streams for Week 6!

Las Vegas Raiders – 19.5% rostered

This is the pick I’m most confident in making. The Patriots defense has been bad, but their offense is worse. The only game the Patriots offense looked good was in Week 1 against the Eagles. Since then, they can’t seem to find their groove. The key to their offense getting back on track would be to get Rhamondre Stevenson back as the focal point of the passing game.

In what was his best season so far, Rhamondre was averaging 4.1 receptions per game. This season, he’s at 2.4 receptions per game with six of his 12 receptions coming in Week 1. Without him being a focal point in the passing game, I doubt we see this Patriots offense find their rhythm. Until they do, I’m going to target their opponent’s D/STs for streaming. That’s why Las Vegas is one of my favorite streams for Week 6.

The past three opponents of New England have put up 22, 26, and 2 fantasy points (with the 2 points from the Jets defense who failed to record any stats outside of yardage and points scored). The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t been a great D/ST for fantasy, but they’ve been getting better. This feels like an option that could be a bust just as easily as it could be a 20+pt week.

Minnesota Vikings – 13.0% rostered

The Minnesota Vikings will play against the Bears and their up-and-coming offense. Losing their top two RBs this week will be a set back for Chicago and allow the Vikings defense to focus on negating Justin Fields‘ scrambling and passing. If they can do that better than the Commanders did last week, they’ll be a viable streamer this week.

The Vikings are following an interesting pattern so far this year. In games they lose, the D/ST scores 3 or fewer fantasy points. In the one game they won, they scored 18 fantasy points. While this isn’t a trend we can bank on, it does reflect what helped them win.

In three of the four games they lost, they could not get pressure on the QB. The exception to that was their matchup with the Eagles. They’re currently averaging 2.6 sacks per game, but this matchup is likely to raise that number. The Bears are allowing an average of 4 sacks per game. If the Vikings that dominated Carolina a few weeks ago show up, that D/ST will be startable.

Indianapolis Colts – 13.1% rostered

The last time I picked the Indianapolis Colts D/ST, they struggled against the Rams. In fact, that game was miserable to watch in the first half. However, this week should be different. This isn’t the first time the Jaguars have played in the USA the week after playing in London.

So far, they have had their Bye week immediately following their stint in the United Kingdom in seven of their nine trips overseas. While this may not sound like an issue, it will be. Just look at the Falcons offense last week.

Atlanta struggled early and had to play catchup for most of the game. Now imagine if the team in question has spent multiple weeks in London, are mostly adjusted to that time zone, flew back on Monday morning, and then skipped practicing for most of the week.

Both HC Doug Pederson and LT Cam Robinson have commented on feeling the affects of this trip already. Historically, they are 3-6 in games following trips to London. Last year, they won their matchup following their return, but they were losing 17-0 up until the end of the first half.

So what do we have here? A Colts defense that has been playing more aggressive than the past two years. We also have a Jaguars team coming back from 10 days in London, and multiple players and coaches saying they feel sluggish. If that’s not enough for you, consider that the Colts D/ST scored 11 fantasy points Week 1 against the Jaguars. I am ready to be hurt again, but I have hope this will go the right way.

Conclusion

After five weeks, we’re sitting a little bit below 60% accurate on picks. The past two years have had us sitting around this range or lower. I hope that now is the time that the picks will be on the upswing. The streams for Week 6 aren’t great for clarity, but all three of the teams have a good chance at overcoming the odds for a good D/ST fantasy score. Good luck this week! As always, my the streams flow your way!