We keep moving along and the injuries keep piling up. Here we will cover some of the top defensive lineman to stream for week 6.
I am continuing to search on a weekly basis who the top defensive lineman weekly streamers are. Considering how hit or miss defensive lineman are in general, my hit rate has been pretty solid. This week we have some interesting match-ups with some horrendous offensive lines. Lets look into who the top week 6 IDPÂ defensive lineman streamers are.
Edge
Andrew Van Ginkel - Miami Dolphins
2020 Stats: 14 tackles (9 solo), 1 tackle for a loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 3 QB hits.
Week 6 Match-up: New York Jets
Run blocking Rank: 19th averaging 4.08 yards per carry with a stuff rate of 17%
Pass Protection Rank: 23rd giving up 15 sacks with a sack rate of 8.1%
Andrew Van Who? Mr. Van Ginkel was efficient in his rookie year though was rarely used. this year he has seen more time on the field do to the lack of depth and the fact that Shaq Lawson has been out. With Lawson in Van Ginkel was playing an average of only 23% of snaps in 3 games producing eight tackles, one tackle for a loss, 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hits. Shaq Lawson went down with an injury and Van Ginkel stepped in to play 72% of snaps and had a huge game. He finished week five with six total tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a QB hit.
Van Ginkel faces the Jets in week six and they are Putting out Joe Flacco once again. The Jets have been constantly overmatched and the Dolphins defense has surprisingly been frustrating for opposing offensive lines. Lawson is likely out again and Van Ginkel could garner another start which makes him a great week 6 IDP defensive line streamer.
Defensive End
Marquis Haynes - Carolina Panthers
2020 Stats: 6 tackles (5 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 1 pass defended and 2 QB hits.
Week 6 Match-up: Chicago Bears
Run Blocking Rank: 12th averaging 4.50 yards per carry with a stuff rate of 12%
Pass Protection Rank: 13th giving up 11 sacks with a sack rate of 5.6%
Now I know that the match-up does not look promising here as the Bears have a top 13 offensive line in the league. They give up a low sack percentage of 5.6% but are in the bottom 16 in actual sacks allowed because of the amount of plays they run. Marquis Haynes is strictly a situational pass rusher but has two games where he played over 46% of the team's defensive snaps. In those two games he has been quite productive. He came up with two tackles, two for a loss, two sacks and two QB hits.
This week he should have a large role with Brian Burns in concussion protocol. Haynes will see a majority of defensive end snaps this week making him a great week 6 IDP defensive line streamer.
Al-Quadin Muhammed - Indianapolis Colts
2020 Stats: 4 tackles (3 solo), 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 4 QB hits.
Week 6 Match-up: Cincinnati Bengals
Run Blocking Rank: 26th averaging 3.90 yards per carry with a stuff rate of 21%
Pass Protection Rank: 32nd giving up 22 sacks with a sack rate of 10.1%
Al-Quadin Muhammed is a regular on the field though he is not a regular on the stat sheet. He finally made his presence felt accruing most of his 2020 production in a single game against the Browns. He had three tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and a QB hit. Muhammed plays defensive end and is on the field for an average of 53% of the team's defensive snaps providing plenty of opportunity. This week he gets the Bengals who have given up the most sacks in the NFL with 22 in five games. Muhammed has a great chance at getting at rookie Joe Burrow making him a great week 6 IDP defensive line streamer.
Charles Harris - Atlanta Falcons
2020 Stats: 7 tackles (4 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 3 QB hits.
Week 6 Match-up: Minnesota Vikings
Run Blocking Rank: 2nd averaging 5.07 yards per carry with a stuff rate of 11%
Pass Protection Rank: 27th giving up 13 sacks with a sack rate of 8.9%
Charles Harris is a former 1st round pick of the Miami Dolphins, though he never played up to his potential. He had issues staying on the field with injuries and he was constantly underwhelming. Harris had a change of scenery this off-season and joined the Falcons hoping to restart his career. So far it looks to be paying off. Takkarist McKinley has being injured this season and Harris has seen extensive playing time 49% of the team's defensive snaps in the three games he has appeared in. In these three games he has already tied his career high for sacks in a season and is on pace to crush his career high for tackles.
In week six he faces the Minnesota Vikings who hold the 5th worst sack rate given up in the league at 8.9%. McKinley is still banged up and is already ruled out for the contest. Harris could see over 60% of snaps in this game and has a great chance to come away with a sack.
Defensive Tackle
P.J. Hall - Houston Texans
2020 Stats: 21 tackles (10 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.
Week 6 Match-up: Tennessee Titans
Run Blocking Rank: 9th averaging 4.60 yards per carry with a stuff rate of 13%
Pass Protection Rank: 5th giving up 4 sacks with a sack rate of 4.5%
P.J. Hall was originally traded to the Vikings from the Raiders but that was unfortunately cancelled due to Hall failing his physical. This was a blessing in disguise for the Texans because following his failed physical he was released and picked up by the Texans off of waivers. Since week 2 he has been a mainstay across the front line averaging 57.75% of the team's snaps and also averaging 4 tackles per game.
Now his week 6 match-up does not seem great figuring the fact that the Titans have one of the top offensive lines in football. What the Titans do is run the ball with the 5th most frequency in terms of percentage, running the ball 50% of the time. They have run the ball 136 times in four games, an average of 34 times per game. Derrick Henry is a bruising back and runs power style up the middle where P.J. Hall makes his money. This makes him a great week 6 IDP defensive line streamer.
Sleeper
Jachai Polite - Los Angeles Rams
2020 Stats: 3 solo tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and a QB hit.
Week 6 Match-up: San Francisco 49ers
Run Blocking Rank: 29th averaging 3.81 yards per carry with a stuff rate of 27%
Pass Protection Rank: 29th giving up 18 sacks with a sack rate of 9%
This is a truly deep sleeper as there is a possibility that Jachai Polite may not even see the field. This is me trying to stamp my mark on a guy way before anybody else. I mentioned him in my most recent episode of The IDP Update (watch here) as somebody to keep a watch on. Polite was a polarizing prospect with first round talent out of Florida in the 2019 draft but off the field issues and attitude problems dropped him all the way to the third round. He then could not carve out a role with the weak Jets defense and was eventually released.
Polite signed with Rams this off-season and has not seen the field much. Polite has only played on average 3.6% of snaps per game. In the Rams week five match-up, Polite made his presence felt. He showcased his first round potential coming up wit 3 tacklces and a sack in only 7% of the team's snaps. Samson Ebukam and Leonard Floyd have not shown much this season coming off of the edge and if Polite can continue to show his first round potential, maybe he can carve out a consistent pass rushing role.
Summary
Week 6 has some great match-ups to take advantage of and they will allow you to stream defensive lineman effectively. There are a good group of defensive ends that you can put out and expect at least some semblance of effectiveness. At defensive tackle you have a sure tackler going against a run heavy team. Your sleeper this week is a DEEP sleeper but picking him up could garner great rest of the season reward.
