Fantasy Football Week 6 IDP Streamers: Players from Raiders, Steelers, and More
IDP players at all three levels of the defense who have good matchups in Week 6 of the NFL season.
Defensive fantasy players are tougher to predict than on offense because any guy can pick up a statistic on any play. Whether it's a tackle, tipped pass, or caused turnover, 11 guys on defense have the possibility of showing up on the stat sheet every time the ball is snapped.
On offense, only six guys can possibly touch the ball (usually), and we know who the volume players will be. We know that Christian McCaffrey will get the ball a lot, but we don't know which player he will run into most.
Let's look at IDP players from two teams at each level of the defense who have good matchups in Week 6. We will focus on the guys who are free agents in most fantasy leagues and can be picked up and inserted into your lineup. Most stats are from NFL.com.
Check out FantasySP's strength of schedule grader to see which players and teams have the easiest matchups over the rest of the season.
Defensive Line
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Tennessee Titans
It's been a rough go for the Raiders after a Week 1 victory, as they lost the next four by an average of 15.8 points. Despite the presence of superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby, Vegas has the ninth-fewest sacks with just eight (Crosby has two of them).
The Raiders have actually been decent getting after the quarterback by ESPN's measure, ranking 11th in pass rush win rate. That hasn't translated to success defensively, though, leaving Vegas with a below-average unit.
The Titans represent the hope here. Cameron Ward has been sacked 19 times, the most of any player; that's a title he has held most of the season now. His offensive line hasn't been doing him favors, ranking below average in pass blocking most of the season, but rookies also tend to take more sacks, making this an appealing matchup.
Crosby is surely owned in your league, but the other two rushing off the end most often are Malcolm Koonce and Tyree Wilson. Koonce had eight sacks in 2023 before missing all last season with an injury, and he has picked up one sack this year.
Wilson has two sacks after combining for eight in his first two seasons. It's underwhelming work for the former top-10 pick, but maybe he's starting to find something.
Playing on the inside of the D-line most are Adam Butler, Jonah Laulu, and Thomas Booker IV. Booker has never produced, leaving him off the fantasy radar. Butler had five sacks in each of the past two seasons with the Raiders, modest production but the best stretch of his career (he doesn't have a sack this year). He's an OK backup plan if you don't get a better player.
Laulu is an interesting case: He entered the league as a seventh-round pick last year and had just one sack, but he has already taken down the quarterback three times this season. Those were all in the first two games, and it's a super-small sample; the most likely outcome is that he slows way down, but Laulu has put up numbers so far.
Koonce and Wilson are decent streamers on the edge in a good matchup. Butler is OK on the inside, but you can probably find a better player. Laulu is an interesting lottery ticket, but I don't expect him to keep picking up sacks, leaving him as a low-level fantasy player.
Miami Dolphins vs. Los Angeles Chargers
After a hot start, LA has failed to impress in two straight weeks, losing to the Giants and Commanders. The offense has failed in that time, scoring just 18 points in Week 4 and 10 points in Week 5; a big part of that is likely related to the offensive line.
After losing their left tackle in the preseason, replacement Joe Alt suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 3 and has missed the past two games. Right guard Mekhi Becton missed Week 4 with a concussion then had to leave Sunday's game because of a hand injury.
The Chargers' line ranks 28th in pass blocking and 24th in run blocking amid the chaos, setting things up nicely for Miami. The Dolphins have a bad defense, but they do have a few pass rushers who could factor in.
Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb have played starter-level snaps (around 70%), while Chop Robinson and Matthew Judon have been backups, playing about half as often. Phillips and Robinson each have one sack, while Judon doesn't have any. Chubb has been the guy producing, picking up four sacks in five games.
Chubb is owned the most of this group, but he's still available enough to make it worth checking; he's a really good pickup this week. Phillips is the next most appealing because he's on the field more, while Robinson and Judon are low-level fantasy players.
On the interior, Zach Sieler is the guy you really want; he had 10 sacks in each of the past two seasons (though none this year). Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, and Matthew Butler are the other guys on the field, but none of them has produced rushing the passer. Look elsewhere other than Sieler.
Linebackers
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns
The Browns have become a favorite here in the linebacker zone because they run a lot of offensive plays, a trend stretching back around a half-decade. They have also been feeding the ball to rookie running back Quinshon Judkins, and when a team runs a lot, the opposing linebackers are usually the ones getting many of the tackles.
With another rookie, Dillon Gabriel, under center, the Browns will probably throw shorter passes also, which often end up in the LB zone. Cleveland tight ends David Njoku and Harold Fannin ended up with 10 combined catches in Gabriel's first start last week, and more is likely coming, pushing even more work toward the linebackers.
With so much happening in their direction, Pittsburgh's defenders in the middle will have a lot of chances to rack up stats. That mostly comes in the form of tackles, but interceptions and sacks are also more available.
The two fantasy guys you're looking for are Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson. They are both lightly owned, and they are tied for the team lead with 35 tackles. Each also has a sack, and Queen has defended two passes. I recommend Queen first then Wilson, but both guys are good fantasy pickups this week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco is averaging 69.6 offensive snaps per game, three more than anyone else. If we're looking to win with volume, the 49ers offer more than anyone else. They also operate often through their running back, giving more interaction with linebackers.
Just like Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay has two linebackers playing essentially all the snaps: Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis. They are second and third on the team with 34 and 33 tackles, respectively, and have both defended two passes. David has 1.5 sacks.
Both guys have light fantasy ownership but plenty of availability. David is probably the slightly better play, but they are very close in value and each worthy of a fantasy spot.
Defensive Back
Green Bay Packers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
It's a guarantee that the Bengals will be a team we attack each week; it's just a matter of where the opposing team slots in. We'll go with Green Bay's defensive backs this week because Jake Browning is second in the league with eight interceptions in four games.
Cincinnati's offensive line ranks 32nd in pass block win rate, making things as tough as possible on their backup quarterback. The Bengals just traded for Joe Flacco on Tuesday to help steady things; Flacco has thrown six interceptions of his own. Things are likely to be a mess here until Burrow returns (if he does this year).
Keisean Nixon leads the way for the Green Bay cornerback group, playing almost every defensive snap this season. Carrington Valentine and Nate Hobbs have been the other guys on the field, with Hobbs getting more play the past two games before their Week 5 bye.
Nixon is the guy you really want; he has defended seven passes! Otherwise, Hobbs is second among the group and Valentine third in fantasy value.
At safety, Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams play nearly every snap, and Javon Bullard has gotten on the field as a hybrid corner/safety, playing around 60% of the snaps in Weeks 3 and 4.
McKinney is a very good fantasy option and a guy worth picking up and keeping if you can grab him. Williams has less pedigree, but he has close to the same stats, as both guys have an interception and a tackle total in the low 20s. Williams is a fine second option if you can't get McKinney, while Bullard lags behind a bit.
Tennessee Titans @ Las Vegas Raiders
I said that Browning is second in interceptions, and here, we go after the guy in first. Geno Smith has thrown nine picks, uncharacteristic of his usual unspectacular but safe nature. Whether it's the offensive system, a string of bad luck, or Smith just regressing, it's been a rough start for the veteran.
The Raiders' offensive line has been around average in pass blocking, though they lost left tackle Kolton Miller to a high ankle sprain and hairline fracture, so he is on IR indefinitely (he is expected to return this season). The pass catchers aren't great, especially as Brock Bowers has been banged up, but they're good enough. Smith has just had a problem turning the ball over.
Tennessee's defensive backs are the next ones up to try taking advantage. L'Jarius Sneed and Jalyn Armour-Davis have played essentially every cornerback snap the past two weeks, with Roger McCreary filling the third spot.
At safety, Amani Hooker and Xavier Woods have played most of the snaps, with Quandre Diggs getting on the field more in the past three weeks at the expense of Woods (and maybe McCreary).
Sneed and Hooker are the guys you want from this group. If they are owned, then Armour-Davis and Woods are good backup plans at their respective positions. McCreary and Diggs are desperation options who you can probably improve on elsewhere.
