2026 Fantasy Football: Week 5 D/ST Streamers

As bye weeks kick in, options will be even more limited. Some of these plays will not feel great, but the bottom-of-the-barrel picks have hit before. Last week, the Cardinals finished with 10 fantasy points despite being rostered in just 15% of Fantrax leagues. You may need to hold your nose, but these are the D/STs to stream if you want an edge in Week 5.

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Week 4 Results:

• Arizona Cardinals: 10 Points (T-6th Ranked D/ST)
• Cleveland Browns: 9 Points (T-8th)
• Buffalo Bills: 5 Points (T-17th)

Check out all of our Week 5 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings | MOP Rankings

Week 5 D/ST Streamers

All D/STs are rostered in under 50% of Fantrax leagues

Last week’s stashes: Dallas Cowboys

Cleveland Browns (at New York Jets)

Fantrax Rostership: 44% (Other Platforms: 15% – 41%)

After a solid performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns are back. On plenty of rest, they face Geno Smith and the New York Jets. Smith and the Jets have done well for themselves despite a 1-3 record. The Jets offense ranks 13th in EPA/play, and Geno Smith is 14th amongst QBs in adjusted EPA/play. Astonishingly, after throwing 17 interceptions last year – most in the league – Smith has yet to throw one on 117 pass attempts this year. You could say that the Titans, Packers, Lions, and Bears don’t have great secondaries. That’s fair, but still impressive. While regression could hit, Geno Smith has a turnover-worthy play on only 2.1% of his pass attempts – 9th lowest amongst QBs with at least 50 dropbacks.

There’s certainly a risk betting on the Browns D/ST. DT Mason Graham will also miss this game. However, the Jets are lacking weapons right now. While Garrett Wilson is a stud, he will face CB Denzel Ward for a bit in this game. Ward is allowing an 82.0 passer rating when targeted per Pro Football Reference, though he has been much better over the past two weeks. Adonai Mitchell and Breece Hall are expected to miss this game. That means that Geno Smith will need to rely on Isaiah Williams, Kenyon Sadiq, and Braelon Allen to generate offense when Garrett Wilson is locked up. That’s identical to last week, when the Jets only managed 119 passing yards and 12 points against Chicago’s defense.

Cleveland’s defense ranks 16th in DVOA and 11th against the pass. Paired with a lack of weapons for Geno Smith, it could be a recipe for disaster. While Smith has yet to throw an interception, the Browns have a solid pass defense. Additionally, Smith has been sacked 12 times in his past three games. The Browns are not generating a ton of pressure but they have 12 sacks so far, tied for the fifth most in the league. Coming off of extra rest, Week 5 is a solid spot to stream the Browns D/ST.

Dallas Cowboys (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Fantrax Rostership: 29% (Other Platforms: 6% – 17%)

Despite awful defensive play, the Green Bay Packers D/ST finished with 12 fantasy points on Fantrax after playing Jalon Daniels and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now on a short week, that same Buccaneers team faces a Cowboys team that ranks 32nd in defensive DVOA and has the second-fewest fantasy points this year. There is not much to like about this Cowboys defense. However, the matchup is right, and they did trade for CB Joey Porter Jr. The former Steeler only played 25 snaps on defense last week, but he was not targeted a single time and has allowed a career passer rating of 71.2. That should help a team that has allowed 970 passing yards, nine TDs, and no interceptions.

Jalon Daniels threw for 148 yards and a TD last week against the Packers, but he was also picked off twice and sacked three times. The Buccaneers only managed 14 points against a Packers defense that ranks 24th in DVOA. While the Cowboys are definitely worse, their high-powered offense should keep Daniels throwing rather than running. That could lead to more mistakes and, thus, fantasy points. There is still a risk despite playing an awful offense with an undrafted free agent rookie at QB. However, the matchup is right, and the Cowboys are worth streaming at D/ST this week.

New Orleans Saints (vs. Minnesota Vikings)

Fantrax Rostership: 33% (Other Platforms: 4% – 9%)

The hard-to-swallow play of the week is the Saints. New Orleans has been downright awful on defense, allowing a combined 128 points over four games. That’s exactly why they’ll be on the waiver wire in your league. A stoppable force meets a moveable object. The Vikings can’t do much with the ball, but the Saints haven’t really stopped anyone yet. Can Kyler Murray finally do something with this offense, or will the perfect start end?

The Vikings allow the ninth most fantasy points to D/STs. They now have two games where they have failed to score a TD, though one was in a rainstorm. Despite that, their offense ranks 31st in DVOA and 28th in EPA/play. In two full starts, Kyler Murray is averaging 207.5 passing yards, and he only has a single TD this year. He was also sacked seven times in those games and threw an interception. Murray also had an interception on one of the five pass attempts he threw in Week 1 before getting hurt.

While the Saints don’t have much in the way of turnovers, they do have eight sacks on the year. They have also faced the Lions, Ravens, and the red-hot Raiders and Falcons. Heading into the season, only two of those teams felt like threats but things change in the NFL. It’s not great to see them give up so many points regardless, but they aren’t facing the Titans or Dolphins every week.

I don’t blame you if you feel uncomfortable starting a defense that allows over 30 points per game. However, this is one of the few weeks you can have any sort of expectations starting them in fantasy football. If the waiver wire is barren and you’re desperate, the Saints have something going for them in Week 5. It may be mostly matchup-based, but it’s more than some teams can say.

D/STs to Stash

Indianapolis Colts

Next week, the Colts host the Titans. Tennessee is allowing the seventh most fantasy points to D/STs. Cam Ward has not improved much after a disastrous rookie season. While Ward is taking much fewer sacks, and at a significantly lower rate, he is unable to generate much offense for the Titans. As long as he is the signal caller, things may not change this year. You can start almost any D/ST against the Titans right now. Ward is not turning the ball over much and doesn’t get sacked a lot, so upside may be a bit capped. However, the floor should be rock solid.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are currently rostered in 90% of Fantrax leagues, and around 45% to 63% on other platforms. Fantasy managers may have dropped the Chiefs D/ST as they are on their bye week. It’s worth checking the waiver wire for them throughout the week. After the bye, the Chiefs face the Los Angeles Chargers, who allow the fifth most fantasy points to D/STs. The Chiefs are the D/ST10 on the season and have games against the Broncos, Jets, and Cardinals down the line. If they’re somehow available, they’re worth a stash.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!