Streaming Defenses: Picking a Week 6 Team Defense

I'm finally relenting and moving the Vikings ahead of Denver and Seattle in the R.O.S. rankings -- they've more than earned it. Also, I can no longer deny that the Buffalo defense is far better than I expected, while the Carolina defense is nothing short of a massive disappointment.The season-long rankings look far different than they did last week, reflecting the aforementioned changes and then some.

TOP STREAMING OPTIONS

Tennessee Titans (vs. Cleveland Browns)
8% Yahoo ownership - 5.9% ESPN ownership

The Tennessee defense has been surprisingly effective from a real-life standpoint, ranking 10th in both yards (320.6) and points (20.2) allowed per game, albeit with just six takeaways (T-16th). The unit finally turned in a big fantasy day in Week 5, coming up with six sacks and two interceptions in a 30-17 road win over the Dolphins. Seeing as we can safely now view this as at least a mediocre unit, the appeal for Week 6 should be rather obvious, with the Titans returning home to take on the hapless Cleveland Browns. Further adding to the appeal, Browns QB Cody Kessler (ribs) may play at less than 100 percent, or could even give way to the man known as "Clipboard Jesus", 34-year-old journeyman backup Charlie Whitehurst. As always, it's a great idea to target the Browns with a D/ST streamer. I have the Titans at No. 5 in my weekly rankings, which likely represents the highest they'll be all season (or perhaps decade?).

New York Giants (vs. Baltimore Ravens)
10% Yahoo ownership - 9.0% ESPN ownership

As a Ravens fan, I don't see any way that firing former offensive coordinator Marc Trestman can be a bad thing, but it would also be foolish to expect immediate results from new OC Marty Mornhinweg. The oft-criticized Trestman was just one of the Baltimore offense's many problems, with his scheme limited by the team's lack of receiving talent beyond 37-year-old Steve Smith, who seems highly questionable for Week 6 due to a sprained ankle. Starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley (foot) may also be sidelined, and even Mike Wallace (ribs) could be limited/absent, though it's not clear how much that matters given his recent form.

Meanwhile, the Big Blue defense is far better shape than the Little Purple offense, coming off an underrated performance against Aaron Rodger. In addition to picking Rodgers off twice, the Giants held the future Hall of Famer to a 51.1 percent completion rate and 5.8 YPA...at Lambeau Field! New York's lack of sacks and turnovers seems a bit flukish, as the defense's overall play has been vastly improved (to put it lightly) from last year. Facing a Ravens offense that's inching toward disaster, the Giants D/ST could be in for its first huge outing of the young season.

Baltimore Ravens (at New York Giants)
32% Yahoo ownership - 47.1% ESPN ownership

A frequent participant in this article, the Baltimore defense has been surprisingly good this season -- a reality that's been partially obscured by the team's ugly offense. The Ravens are tied for second in yards allowed per game (266.8), seventh in points allowed per game (17.6) and tied for ninth in takeaways (eight), albeit with only 10 sacks (T-17th) after recording just one over the past two weeks. The Ravens did force two turnovers in Sunday's 16-10 loss to Washington, coming up just one yard shy of a defensive touchdown when ILB C.J. Mosley (hamstring) fumbled away an interception for a touchback. It is somewhat concerning that Mosley got hurt on the aforementioned play, but even if he can't suit up, the Baltimore defensive front should be too much for a struggling Giants O-line to handle. The New York offense has looked worse with each passing week, most recently surrendering four sacks in a 23-16 loss to the Packers. Unlikely to get much going on the ground against Baltimore's stout front, the Giants will likely need a heavy dose of Eli Manning, which creates plenty of opportunities for sacks and turnovers.

Chicago Bears (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
2% Yahoo ownership - 3.0% ESPN ownership

If you couldn't already tell, there's a big drop-off after my three favorite streaming option this week, reflecting the lack of depth in the Team D/ST pool. While I can't truly hype an injury-laden Chicago defense, those of you in deeper/more competitive leagues may not be able to land the Titans, Giants or Ravens or Week 6. As such, it's worth considering a unit that draws a home matchup with Jacksonville, even if the injury woes are bordering on ridiculous. To be fair, the Bears defense has somehow been semi-respectable under the most difficult of circumstances, refusing to turn in the kind of league-worst performance that would be totally understandable given the quantity of injuries. I'm not sure they can keep it up, but if you look at the teams/matchups ranked below them, it's understandable that I have Chicago ranked at No. 12 for Week 6...or at least I think it is?

Detroit Lions (vs. Los Angeles Rams)
6% Yahoo ownership - 3.8% ESPN ownership

Who needs two of your three best players when you have a home matchup against the Rams? Actually, the Lions might, considering there's a pretty big drop-off between their top-three guys -- CB Darius Slay, DE Ezekiel Ansah (ankle) and LB DeAndre Levy (quad) -- and the rest of the talent on the defense. However, Detroit did just put together a decent showing in a tough matchup with the Eagles, and there's perhaps some chance Ansah and/or Levy will finally be ready to return. Also, DE Kerry Hyder (five sacks) and LB Tahir Whitehead (46 tackles) have stepped up in Levy and Ansah's absence. But mostly, this selection is just about matchup, as I otherwise have little faith in the Detroit defense, at least until it's closer to full strength.

Here are my rankings for this week and the remainder of the season: