Week 6 Defense (DEF/DST) Waiver Wire Pickups: Chargers Face The Best Matchup

The Colts’ defense is again proving to be the top defense in the league with another touchdown coming off one of their two interceptions. The Ravens came out on top as the best defense of the week with three turnovers, a touchdown, and seven sacks. Joe Burrow and the Bengals struggled to get anything going as they only put up three points as well against the Ravens. The surprise of the week was the Dolphins who made the 49ers look like a high school team. The defense produced three turnovers and five sacks while holding the 49ers to 17 points. As we head into week 6, I will be looking at who could be the surprises of the week. Looking at the defenses under 50% ownership, these are the defenses that you should be adding off the waiver wire to strengthen your team. Here are the top defense waiver wire adds for week 6.

Los Angeles Chargers

Opponent: New York Jets
Own %: 28.8

The Chargers have a big game against the Saints tonight which could help make the case for picking up their defense or not. As of now, the Chargers have been solid against poor offenses and average against better offenses. Against the Bengals, they had three sacks and two turnovers while holding them to 13 points. It has been a rough stretch since then as they have played teams like the Chiefs, Panthers, Buccaneers, and finally, the Saints who all roll out power offenses. They get to take a step back this coming week against the Jets who have been the worst overall offense this season. They have only scored over 20 points once and only scored 10 points last week. They are a team to target when you can, and they should be available for you this week.

New York Giants

Opponent: Washington Football Team
Own %: 1.3

There has only been one bust so far for the Giants’ defense. For the last two weeks, they have put up great numbers against the Rams and the Cowboys. The Cowboys game was a surprise as they have been one of the best offenses in the league. Without Dak Prescott now, that could change. But they were able to create two turnovers and two sacks with a touchdown. Where they being to falter is with the points against as they have gone back and forth with giving up 30+ points. Why I have them so high this week is the matchup against the Washington Football Team. They only have two games where they hit the 20 points threshold. They have given the ball up eight times which is the fifth-most in the league. With the hot streak that the Giants are on, this matchup will play out favorably.

Miami Dolphins

Opponent: Denver Broncos
Own %: 1.7

After a stellar week against the 49ers, the Dolphins look to repeat their performance against the Broncos who have been poor on offense thus far. It has been a boom or bust season for the Dolphins’ defense as they either erupt or will be among the bottom. Chances are that this matchup will work out favorably this week. With eight total giveaways, they are tied for the fifth-most in the league and have been a boom or bust offense to matchup the Dolphins’ defense. It is a risky pick to go with this week, but the risk is minimized with the matchup. The Broncos have the week off due to Covid-19, so we can only guess what they will look like, but I can imagine that the Broncos will roll back to their mediocre offensive performances.

Minnesota Vikings

Opponent: Atlanta Falcons
Own %: 29.6

The Vikings have shown improvement after their rocky start. Their best performance came last week against the Seahawks who have been a dominant offense. They managed to make Russell Wilson’s MVP candidacy look questionable in the first half of their game on Sunday night. They began to lose it late in the game, but overall, they came away looking hot with an interception and four sacks. Their constant pressure on the front lines forced many mistakes. The Falcons’ offense has been in a slump as they are plagued with injuries to their receiving corps. With just 16 points each of the past two weeks, they have been more of a team to target than the high-octane offense that they used to be. With the cold patch of the Falcons’ offense and the heat of the Vikings’ defense, they are a good pick this week if the waiver wire grows thin.

Tennessee Titans

Opponent: Houston Texans
Own %: 10.3

The Titans are going to be playing off a shorter break as they have a game on Tuesday night this week against the Bills. Nonetheless, they have a better than average matchup against the Texans looming ahead. The Texans have put up one solid offensive game this season and that came against a dilapidating Jaguars’ defense. Other than that, the loss of DeAndre Hopkins has stifled their offense with Deshaun Watson not having many players to turn to. They have given away the ball seven times this season which ranks tied for the seventh-most in the league. Despite the poor Jaguars’ performance against their offense, they managed two interceptions and a sack. When the point total is held low, they can be an offense that defenses score highly against. The Titans have shown they can hold teams as they did against the Broncos in week 1 and look to replicate it.

Carolina Panthers

Opponent: Chicago Bears
Own %: 2.0

After a week 1 failure, the Panthers have been a solid defense each week without any busts but also without any breakout games. In the past three games, they have not allowed more than 21 points in a game and have forced six turnovers, at least one every game. The Bears have thrown six interceptions this season and have not scored higher than 20 points in each of the past two games. It has been an up and down season for the Bears who are now starting Nick Foles over Mitch Trubisky. There has not been much improvement since the change on offense as only one game against the Falcons stands out. It has been more so the defense that has held them in games. The Panthers look to continue their streak of not busting and have a fairly decent matchup to keep the streak alive.