DL Streaming 101: Week 6
Professor IDP looks at the best DE and DT streaming options in your IDP fantasy football leagues for Week 6.
Welcome to the Week 6 edition of DL Streaming 101!
The first week of byes is behind us, and with only the Texans and Vikings on bye this week, we still have 30 teams to sift through looking for those diamonds in the rough! Before diving into a new batch of 20 DL who are rostered in 50% or less of IDP leagues (often 10% or less), let’s take a quick look back at Week 5 and 2025 DL streaming.
Week 5 was an expected step back after an amazing Week 4, but the drop-off was more pronounced due to three picks joining the infamous doughnut club, with longshots Vita Vea and Bud Dupree being held out of the box score alongside Tuli Tuipulotu, who came crashing back to Earth with a PFF game grade of 38.9 (previous low was 62.9). Overall, Week 5 streamers posted a season low average of 7.3 Big 3 points, with preseason studs averaging 10.9.
Overall, streaming has now had a 38% success rate (streamers scoring over 10 pts) with 12.6% boom games over 20 pts, and only 4.21% who would have left you with a 0 for the week. The overall average dipped just under 10 to 9.86, with ideal plays coming in at 16.12, solid at 8.74, solid (deeper) at 9.16, and dart throws at 3.13.
I previously mentioned that only two teams are on bye this week but those two teams include five viable edges in Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Will Anderson, and Danielle Hunter, so let’s crunch the numbers to look for some good streaming options, focusing on two tandems and two standalone players this week!
Featured DL Streamers
Vita Vea (🎓🎓🎓) and Logan Hall (🎓🎓), DT, TBB
I know he burned us last week by putting up a 0 in our fantasy lineups, but I believe in Joe Hendry Vita Vea. The big man in the middle of the Tampa Bay defensive line (and his running mate Logan Hall) has several reasons for optimism in Week 5.
The Bucs take on the 49ers this week, who have allowed the 10th-highest average fantasy points to opposing interior defenders this season. There has only been one game this season that San Francisco has not allowed 23+ points to an opposing DT room. This is particularly encouraging for Vea and Hall as their snaps are less diluted than some other opponents of the 49ers this season, such as the three-to-four-man rotations of the Seahawks, Cardinals, and Rams. Furthermore, 49ers offensive guards rank 48th and 70th in pass block grade, but have allowed only two sacks on 24 pressures, which makes them candidates for some fantasy-friendly regression.
Vea and Hall also both have underlying metrics that suggest fantasy upside. Vea boasts a 77 pass rush grade (14th best among DT) and has posted two sacks on 11 pressures so far this season. Hall has roughly 50 fewer snaps on the season, but has generated seven pressures while still seeking his first sack of the 2025 campaign. This combination of talent and opportunity makes Vea and Hall viable Week 6 streamers.
Montez Sweat, DE, CHI (🎓🎓🎓)
After a disappointing 2024 campaign, Montez Sweat looks to be regaining his traction for the Bears but he has not yet regained the trust of fantasy managers as he is available in 68% of MFL IDP leagues and 91% of Sleeper IDP leagues. Sweat’s fantasy line through four games has been 12.5, 6.5, 15.2, 3.25, which, understandably, adds to some hesitation from managers.
On the season, Sweat has a PFF pass rush grade of 73.6, resulting in 12 pressures but only one sack. While he has played at least 58% of snaps in each of the Bears first four games, the fact that he has been outsnapped in each match by new teammate Dayo Odeyingbo is a bit concerning. However, he still has nearly twice as many snaps as the third option and played 73% before the bye. The Bears take on the Commanders this week who had been a favorable matchup for opposing edge rushers (regardless of QB) until last week, where they allowed a combined 0.75 points to the Chargers. This could be the start of a trend, but given they averaged 37.25 fantasy points allowed going into last week, I would be comfortable playing Sweat in this matchup.
Maliek Collins (🎓🎓🎓) and Mason Graham, DT, CLE (🎓🎓)
The second pair of teammates I highlight this week comes from the formidable Browns defense. I have been highlighting Collins (and occasionally Graham) most of the season, and Week 6 looks like an opportune time to roll out one (or both) interior defenders.
Starting with individual signals, it is hard to get better than Collins as a pass rusher this season, posting a PFF pass rush grade of 91.4, resulting in 17 pressures and four sacks (including two last week). Graham’s pass-rush metrics have not been as impressive (63.4 grade, 10 pressures, one sack), but he has recorded three or more tackles in three of his first five games with only one missed tackle on the season.
The Browns take on the rival Steelers this week, who are allowing the most fantasy points to opposing interior defenders. The Steelers have only been able to hold the Patriots duo of Williams-Barmore in check in Week 3, otherwise they have been averaging over 40 Big 3 points per game. Second-year guard Mason McCormick has shown improvement overall but is struggling as a pass-blocker, grading out 53rd (of 79), and will likely be Collins’ main matchup. While Graham has a tougher draw in Isaac Seumalo he will also benefit from the attention paid to his neighbor on the other side, Myles Garrett.
Sam Okuayinonu, DE, SFO (🎓🎓)
The 49ers edge room is still a bit of a mess post-injury to star Nick Bosa, but no player has seen their snap share increase more than Sam Okuayinonu. Teammates Bryce Huff and rookie Mykel Williams boast more pass-rush upside but, given the importance of snaps for predicting fantasy output, Okuayinonu is an intriguing play for the deepest of leagues as he does not appear to crack 1% rostership on either MFL or Sleeper. While a minimum of 10 points is what we hope for when start a DL, it is encouraging that Okuayinonu has only posted one abysmal line of 2 points (one tackle, one assist) since taking on a bigger role with the other two performances in the six-seven point range.
If you enjoy this series, please consider filling out the 2025 State of IDP survey here. This year’s survey is a new, shorter format that you only need to fill out once (goodbye, one survey per league!) and contains only four questions. It is the data we received from past surveys that has partially helped to shape this article from DT streaming to DL streaming (given how many leagues use DL vs separate DT and DE).
Good luck, and if you have any questions about deep DL plays, my office is always open on Twitter (@ProfessorIDP).
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