Fantasy football leagues that require you to start a defense/special teams unit embrace variance. The scoring at this position can get crazy in a hurry, but that doesn’t mean you can’t gain an edge on the rest of your league. Here are my fantasy DST rankings as we head into Week 6!
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Which DST Should You Start in Fantasy Football?
MORE rankings from Soppe: QB | RB | WR | TE | K
1) Philadelphia Eagles | PHI (at NYJ)
2) Baltimore Ravens | BAL (at TEN)
3) San Francisco 49ers | SF (at CLE)
4) Buffalo Bills | BUF (vs. NYG)
5) Dallas Cowboys | DAL (at LAC)
6) Miami Dolphins | MIA (vs. CAR)
7) Kansas City Chiefs | KC (vs. DEN)
8) New Orleans Saints | NO (at HOU)
9) Cleveland Browns | CLE (vs. SF)
10) Detroit Lions | DET (at TB)
11) Washington Commanders | WAS (at ATL)
12) New England Patriots | NE (at LV)
13) Houston Texans | HOU (vs. NO)
14) New York Jets | NYJ (vs. PHI)
15) Jacksonville Jaguars | JAX (vs. IND)
16) Seattle Seahawks | SEA (at CIN)
17) Las Vegas Raiders | LV (vs. NE)
18) Minnesota Vikings | MIN (at CHI)
19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TB (vs. DET)
20) Los Angeles Rams | LAR (vs. ARI)
21) Los Angeles Chargers | LAC (vs. DAL)
22) Cincinnati Bengals | CIN (vs. SEA)
23) Indianapolis Colts | IND (at JAX)
24) Atlanta Falcons | ATL (vs. WAS)
25) Arizona Cardinals | ARI (at LAR)
26) Chicago Bears | CHI (vs. MIN)
27) Tennessee Titans | TEN (vs. BAL)
28) Carolina Panthers | CAR (at MIA)
29) New York Giants | NYG (at BUF)
30) Denver Broncos | DEN (at KC)
The Top DSTs To Start in Week 6
New Orleans Saints
This unit was a week-winner last week with a shutout of the New England Patriots, and while I don’t expect a repeat performance, they do play a pass-heavy Houston Texans team that should give them plenty of chances to score nine fantasy points for the fifth time in six weeks.
#Saints defense has a takeaway in all 5 games so far, with 9 total. 7 different players have had INTs. https://t.co/4ZWtPgbchr
— Erin Summers (@ErinESummers) October 11, 2023
This is a talented group that has upside as it is — if Derek Carr proves healthy and can put pressure on opposing offenses to increase their aggression, the potential is there for this unit to rank among the best on a consistent basis.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a stout front, and that forces opposing offenses to go to the air more often than not. Now, that carries quite a bit of downside in the wrong spot, but at the DST position, you have to take your chances.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
Opponent dropbacks are the best way for DSTs to rack up fantasy points, something that has proven true for an average Bucs defense that has scored 15-plus fantasy points in two of its past three games.