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RotoBaller's updated Week 6 defense (DST) rankings for fantasy football in 2026. Read the weekend updates for our fantasy football DEF rankings and win more.
The Vikings, Lions, Dolphins, and Bengals have a bye in Week 6, leaving fewer options for fantasy managers to stream this week. At RotoBaller HQ, we updated our Week 6 defense (D/ST) streamers, starts, and tiered rankings to help you stream the right defense for your head-to-head matchups. Below, you will find where fantasy defenses like the Chiefs, Patriots, Rams, Jaguars, Giants, Texans, Bears, and Panthers rank in our updated DST rankings.
Our defense fantasy football rankings for Week 6 are put together by Nick Mariano. In addition to his rankings, below you will also find a summary of the important fantasy football injury news for this week. Key injuries are always in play, so be sure to check back until kickoff.
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Week 6 Team Defense Rankings for Fantasy Football
Be sure to bookmark our weekly PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, Standard rankings.
| D/ST Tier | D/ST Rank | D/ST Name | Position |
| 1 | 1 | Kansas City Chiefs | DST |
| 1 | 2 | New England Patriots | DST |
| 1 | 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DST |
| 1 | 4 | Baltimore Ravens | DST |
| 2 | 5 | Los Angeles Rams | DST |
| 2 | 6 | Seattle Seahawks | DST |
| 3 | 7 | Denver Broncos | DST |
| 3 | 8 | Jacksonville Jaguars | DST |
| 3 | 9 | New York Giants | DST |
| 3 | 10 | Houston Texans | DST |
| 4 | 11 | Chicago Bears | DST |
| 4 | 12 | New Orleans Saints | DST |
| 4 | 13 | Indianapolis Colts | DST |
| 4 | 14 | San Francisco 49ers | DST |
| 5 | 15 | Carolina Panthers | DST |
| 5 | 16 | Buffalo Bills | DST |
| 5 | 17 | Cleveland Browns | DST |
| 5 | 18 | Atlanta Falcons | DST |
| 5 | 19 | Philadelphia Eagles | DST |
| 5 | 20 | New York Jets | DST |
| 6 | 21 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DST |
| 6 | 22 | Las Vegas Raiders | DST |
| 6 | 23 | Tennessee Titans | DST |
| 6 | 24 | Green Bay Packers | DST |
| 6 | 25 | Dallas Cowboys | DST |
| 7 | 26 | Arizona Cardinals | DST |
| 7 | 27 | Los Angeles Chargers | DST |
| 7 | 28 | Washington Commanders | DST |
Week 6 Team Defense Outlooks for Fantasy Football
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens' DST will face their former offensive coordinator, Todd Monken, and his Cleveland Browns in Ohio in Week 6. The Ravens' defense survived a high-octane Falcons offense, logging three sacks and a walk-off interception to win in overtime. The unit got a much-needed boost last week with the long-awaited return of defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike, and outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson (finger) is expected back after his two-game absence, which should give the DST another jolt. The three sacks against the Falcons are the team's most since Week 2, and their pass rush is key to the Ravens' game plan and fantasy managers.
The Ravens' DST has a 36.5% quarterback-pressure rate and a 5.2% sack rate. Cleveland leads the league in sacks taken (19) and sack rate (11.3%) after five weeks, and Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has faced a 40.22% pressure rate, which bodes well for the Ravens' front seven. This AFC North slugfest has one of the lowest over/unders on the Week 6 slate and is historically low-scoring, with the Browns scoring 20 points or fewer since October 2024.
However, rookie wide receivers Denzel Boston, the frontrunner for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, and KC Concepcion (concussion), who cleared protocol late Friday afternoon, represent the type of downfield threats that the Ravens' secondary has struggled to contain this season. Nonetheless, the Ravens DST is RotoBaller's fourth-ranked defense in Week 6 and is a solid streaming option before tougher matchups in Weeks 7 through 9.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs defense is set up to succeed against the winless Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6. The Chiefs defense is fresh off their bye week and ready to face a Chargers team that has turned the ball over 13 times this season. The Kansas City defense will also have the benefit of playing in front of their home crowd in a game where they are heavy favorites. This stellar defensive unit is dealing with an injury to L'Jarius Sneed, who is questionable with a knee injury, but the rest of the defenders should be good to go for Sunday.
The Chiefs defense is ranked first in our RotoBaller Week 6 rankings, making them a strong start at the position this weekend. Fantasy managers should look to add them this week if they were dropped last week during their bye.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles held the talented Jacksonville Jaguars offense to 19 points in Sunday's loss in London, but allowed 408 total yards, including 306 passing yards and 102 rushing yards. The Philadelphia defense intercepted Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence to force just its third takeaway of the season. Unfortunately for the Eagles, after taking the lead with just eight seconds to play, Jacksonville kicker Cam Little hit a game-winning field goal as time expired to give the Jags a 17-16 win, while Philadelphia suffered its third-straight loss. The Eagles will have another difficult challenge on their hands with a Week 6 matchup against the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers rank third in the NFL in total yards per game (405.8), second in passing yards per game (301.3), 18th in rushing yards per game (104.5), and fourth in points scored per game (30.3). Meanwhile, Philadelphia's defense ranks 24th in the league in total yards allowed per game (356.8), 26th in passing yards allowed per game (238.8), 20th in rushing yards allowed per game (104.5), and tied for 13th in points allowed per game (22.4). According to RotoBaller's NFL stats page, the Eagles rank just 29th in total fantasy points scored through five weeks with 14.0 (2.8 points per game). Philadelphia recorded two sacks against Jacksonville, bringing its total to six sacks on the 2026 campaign, which is tied for 28th in the NFL. Philadelphia ranks as RotoBaller's No. 19 defense and special teams for Week 6. In a tough matchup against the Panthers, it is best to sit Philly this week.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints D/ST recorded two sacks, two fumble recoveries, and a touchdown in the loss to the Vikings. The score came on a fumble recovery by safety Jonas Sanker, who returned it 87 yards for a touchdown. It was the first defensive touchdown of the season for the Saints, who will now face a Giants team that has allowed at least two sacks in every game and has committed at least one turnover in four of five games.
The Saints have been poor defensively, ranking 31st in points allowed, and have recorded just five total takeaways on the season. They remain a safe option with limited upside in Week 6 and rank 12th in RotoBaller's rankings
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense managed just one sack and no turnovers in last week's win over the Indianapolis Colts, but it carries plenty of upside in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While Tampa Bay quarterback Jalon Daniels impressed last week against the Dallas Cowboys, there is still a path for the Steelers to find success against an undrafted rookie making just his third career NFL start.
Through five weeks, Tampa Bay is allowing the second-most sacks and giving up the sixth-most turnovers per contest. Additionally, Steelers cornerback Jamel Dean (ankle), who was inactive in last week, appears to be trending toward returning against his former team on Sunday, bolstering Pittsburgh's secondary. Fantasy managers should confidently deploy the Steelers DST as a top-five option this week.
Who Should I Start Tool
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 6 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific defenses, including the Chiefs, Patriots, Rams, Jaguars, Giants, Saints, Texans, Bears, Eagles, and Panthers. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 6.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare, all in a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 6 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 6 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 6 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 6 for Chiefs, Patriots, Rams, Jaguars, Giants, Saints, Texans, Bears, Eagles, Panthers:
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