RADIO
Week 6 is here and we roll on with our weekly lineup recommendations. Some of the best defenses in football are on bye (Chicago, Buffalo) so it's likely that fantasy owners in IDP leagues will need to scour the waiver wire for help at one position or another. That's why we're here, not just to give you our rankings but also some recommended players to consider in deeper leagues.
Dedicated fantasy football players know that the game isn't played on offense alone. While team defenses are a staple of the game, being able to identify value with individual defensive players (IDP) takes it to the next level. As we do with each position and every league type, RotoBaller has you covered when it comes to IDP. Expert analysts Pierre Camus and Justin Carter will bring you their top 100 consensus IDP rankings throughout the 2019 season, so check here for the latest weekly updates.
Players are classified by major position group (DL, LB, DB) to simplify things for you. We've also tiered these rankings to give you an idea of relative importance and will analyze a few key players to watch. Check out our rankings page for the offensive players right here.
Editor's Note: Get any full-season NFL Premium Pass for 50% off. Our exclusive In-Season Lineup Tools, Lineup Optimizer and over 150 days of Premium DFS Research. Sign Up Now!
Top 100 Individual Defensive Players - Week 6
| Tier | Rank | Player Name | Position |
| 1 | 1 | Bobby Wagner | LB |
| 1 | 2 | Luke Kuechly | LB |
| 1 | 3 | Deion Jones | LB |
| 1 | 4 | Joe Schobert | LB |
| 1 | 5 | Blake Martinez | LB |
| 2 | 6 | Cory Littleton | LB |
| 2 | 7 | Leighton Vander Esch | LB |
| 2 | 8 | Jordan Hicks | LB |
| 2 | 9 | Joey Bosa | DL |
| 2 | 10 | Lavonte David | LB |
| 2 | 11 | Shaq Thompson | LB |
| 2 | 12 | Jaylon Smith | LB |
| 3 | 13 | John Johnson | DB |
| 3 | 14 | Danielle Hunter | DL |
| 3 | 15 | Jamie Collins | LB |
| 3 | 16 | Devin Bush | LB |
| 3 | 17 | Myles Garrett | DL |
| 3 | 18 | Shaquil Barrett | LB |
| 3 | 19 | Aaron Donald | DL |
| 3 | 20 | Landon Collins | DB |
| 4 | 21 | Kwon Alexander | LB |
| 4 | 22 | Jamal Adams | DB |
| 4 | 23 | Eric Kendricks | LB |
| 4 | 24 | Zach Cunningham | LB |
| 4 | 25 | J.J. Watt | DL |
| 4 | 26 | Demario Davis | LB |
| 4 | 27 | Jayon Brown | LB |
| 4 | 28 | Vonn Bell | DB |
| 4 | 29 | Calais Campbell | DL |
| 4 | 30 | De'Vondre Campbell | LB |
| 5 | 31 | Budda Baker | DB |
| 5 | 32 | Jabrill Peppers | DB |
| 5 | 33 | Antoine Bethea | DB |
| 5 | 34 | Todd Davis | LB |
| 5 | 35 | Justin Reid | DB |
| 5 | 36 | DeForest Buckner | DL |
| 5 | 37 | Neville Hewitt | LB |
| 5 | 38 | Harrison Smith | DB |
| 5 | 39 | Haason Reddick | LB |
| 5 | 40 | Demarcus Lawrence | DL |
| 5 | 41 | Tracy Walker | DB |
| 5 | 42 | Cameron Jordan | DL |
| 5 | 43 | Thomas Davis | LB |
| 5 | 44 | Nick Vigil | LB |
| 6 | 45 | Jessie Bates III | DB |
| 6 | 46 | Terrell Edmunds | DB |
| 6 | 47 | Brian Burns | DL |
| 6 | 48 | Montae Nicholson | DB |
| 6 | 49 | Myles Jack | LB |
| 6 | 50 | Jadeveon Clowney | DL |
| 6 | 51 | Cameron Heyward | DL |
| 6 | 52 | Carlos Dunlap | DL |
| 6 | 53 | Jordan Whitehead | DB |
| 6 | 54 | Benardrick McKinney | LB |
| 6 | 55 | Earl Thomas | DB |
| 6 | 56 | K.J. Wright | LB |
| 6 | 57 | Devin White | LB |
| 6 | 58 | Nick Bosa | DL |
| 6 | 59 | Sam Hubbard | DL |
| 6 | 60 | Eric Weddle | DB |
| 7 | 61 | Emmanuel Ogbah | DL |
| 7 | 62 | T.J. Watt | LB |
| 7 | 63 | Mario Addison | DL |
| 7 | 64 | Fred Warner | LB |
| 7 | 65 | Kevin Byard | DB |
| 7 | 66 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | DB |
| 7 | 67 | Patrick Onwuasor | LB |
| 7 | 68 | Quincy Williams | LB |
| 7 | 69 | Anthony Hitchens | LB |
| 7 | 70 | Mario Edwards | DL |
| 7 | 71 | Jurrell Casey | DL |
| 7 | 72 | Frank Clark | DL |
| 7 | 73 | Stephon Tuitt | DL |
| 7 | 74 | Chandler Jones | LB |
| 7 | 75 | Robert Quinn | DL |
| 7 | 76 | Ryan Kerrigan | LB |
| 7 | 77 | Richard Sherman | DB |
| 7 | 78 | Mark Barron | LB |
| 8 | 79 | Terrell Suggs | LB |
| 8 | 80 | Wesley Woodyard | LB |
| 8 | 81 | Everson Griffen | DL |
| 8 | 82 | Brandon Graham | DL |
| 8 | 83 | Nigel Bradham | LB |
| 8 | 84 | Devin McCourty | DB |
| 8 | 85 | Preston Brown | LB |
| 8 | 86 | Reshad Jones | DB |
| 8 | 87 | Chris Harris | DB |
| 8 | 88 | Whitney Mercilus | LB |
| 8 | 89 | Dont'a Hightower | LB |
| 8 | 90 | Zach Brown | LB |
| 8 | 91 | Johnathan Joseph | DB |
| 8 | 92 | Tashaun Gipson | DB |
| 8 | 93 | Mychal Kendricks | LB |
| 8 | 94 | Tyrann Mathieu | DB |
| 8 | 95 | Logan Ryan | DB |
| 8 | 96 | Kenny Vaccaro | DB |
| 8 | 97 | Will Redmond | DB |
| 8 | 98 | Tre Boston | DB |
| 8 | 99 | C.J. Mosley | LB |
| 8 | 100 | Ronnie Harrison | DB |
Streamers/Players to Watch
DeForest Buckner (DT, SF) @ Los Angeles Rams
The former first-round pick has made it three games in a row with a sack and aims for a fourth in a key divisional showdown with the Rams. Jared Goff has only gone down eight times in five games but the Rams' offensive line has looked tenuous despite a relatively high ranking. Without Todd Gurley, presumably, the Rams could be forced to pound it inside with Malcolm Brown and keep Buckner busy anyway.
Emmanuel Ogbah (DE, KC) vs Houston
Sack artist Chris Jones is doubtful (groin) for this week's clash with Houston, which is unfortunate because facing the Texans O-line is like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet for an edge rusher. Ogbah actually leads the Chiefs with 2.5 sacks this year and may be the only true threat to take Deshaun Watson down. He's been sacked 18 times already, so it's not as if there has been much improvement since last year in that regard. Not surprisingly, the Texans rank 28th in Adjusted Sack Rate according to FootballOutsiders. In a game where there could be upwards of 45 pass attempts, Ogbah stands a good chance to register a sack or two.
Jayon Brown (LB, TEN) @ Denver
In his third season, Brown has become one of the more reliable linebackers on a solid Tennessee defense. Since a disappointing season opener, he's come on strong with 23 solo tackles in the last four games. The Titans face a Denver offense that ranks in the top-10 in pace of play and will keep most of the action in front of the secondary. Joe Flacco is 21st in QB Air Yards heading into Week 6. Against a team that prefers to run the ball, an LB like Brown could have a busy day.
De'Vondre Campbell (LB, ATL) @ Arizona
He isn't a sleeper anymore. Campbell has outshone Deion Jones for fantasy purposes this year, racking up 31 solo tackles already (Jones has 26) including three tackles for loss. He's posted at least six solo stops in four games and should do at least that much against the Air Raid offense, with or without David Johnson. Arizona is third in pace of play, fifth in total plays run, and fourth in pass attempts per game. He makes for a perfect bye week fill-in over any Bears LB you might have been relying on
Montae Nicholson (S, WAS) @ Miami
Teammate Landon Collins typically resides in the top 20 overall and is one of the safer plays at DB, but Nicholson is worth a look this week as well. I don't need to tell you that the Dolphins' passing game is pretty rough these days and while Josh Rosen has only thrown three picks so far, there could always be another coming. This game, ugly as it will be, should feature plenty of offense simply because both defenses are so bad. The Dolphins have the third-highest pace of play in the league so they should run enough plays to give Nicholson a high floor for tackles to.
Tre Boston (S, CAR) vs Tampa Bay
Eric Reid would be a strong recommendation if he weren't questionable with an ankle injury. Since his status is touch-and-go for the showdown in London, consider pivoting to Boston instead. Jameis Winston has been making improvements in his ball management skills but is still turnover-prone until proven otherwise over a lengthy period. We know the Bucs will try to force the issue downfield, which could make for a high tackle output for Boston. He only made one tackle in the Week 2 matchup between these teams but that was an anomaly, as the Bucs were able to run the ball well, the Panthers and Christian McCaffrey weren't, and Cam Newton was still leading the team. Plus, you never know what will happen in London.
More Week 6 Lineup Prep
Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
