Week 5 Fantasy Football D/ST & Kicker Rankings: Top Streamers & Stashes
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this video and kept the full transcript here for context.
20 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Oct 7, 2026
Published
Wed, October 7, 2026
1
Player insights
1
Players mentioned
Topics
Jayden Daniels
Player analysis
Player insights
Jayden Daniels
NegativeInjury11:03
Injury status uncertain heading into Week 5 matchup against Giants; latest reports from Dan Quinn and beat reporters suggest he will play, but any setback or soreness late in the week could change the recommendation. If Daniels doesn't start, the Giants defense (3-1) becomes a strong streaming play given their turnover generation, including a pick six against Jacobe Meyers.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00Week five, fantasy football defensive streamers and a couple of defenses you might consider stashing if you have the room. And really, who has the room at
0:09this point? Even if you're in a deep format, bye-weeks are here. We only have to deal with Carolina and Kansas City
0:15this week. But, uh, they're coming. Four teams in week six, four teams in week seven. It's just another thing for us to
0:22have to deal with. I'm Theo Ginger, lead fantasy analyst right here at Rotoire.
0:27We're trying to find any edge we can to win in fantasy football and defenses and kickers are two of them. Uh we're going
0:34to continue doing this show throughout the year trying to find you any single edge we can. And defensive streaming, we talk about it a lot and it gets sort of
0:45brushed aside, but it can be the difference between winning and losing a matchup. You might get seven to 10 additional points if you stream the
0:54correct defense. And a lot of times fantasy managers get into the set it and forget it mentality. If we can find a
1:00truly elite defense, we want to set it and forget it. Uh that's a great way to play the game. It saves us some time.
1:06But we do run into bumps in the road.
1:09One potential bump in the road this week is fantasy managers using the Seattle Seahawks. Now you've got to go up against San Francisco this week. That's
1:18a tricky one. Going down the list of some defenses we should consider. We want to do a once over and make sure
1:25that Jacksonville was not cut.
1:28Jacksonville is an elite defense with an elite matchup this week. They would be the number one pickup in leagues where they are available. They're going up
1:38against the Philadelphia Eagles, but this is not your usual Nicksi Philadelphia Eagles team. Uh Jacksonville is a big favorite in this
1:45one. The the Jacksonville Jaguars are a big favorite in this one. Games in Europe and Jacksonville should tee off on Philly. One of the lowest implied
1:54team totals on the week is the Philadelphia Eagles. They are reeling right now. Jaylen Herz had fewer than 100 uh passing yards last week. They are
2:03decimated in terms of skill position players, Devonte Smith, uh Dallas, now Saquon Barkley, now Tank Bsby. It's going to be Will Shipley. It's going to
2:15be Dantavian Wixs, Darius like Cooper.
2:17Like this is not your usual Philadelphia Eagles team. You've also got Lane Johnson retiring. Jacksonville is in a tremendous spot this week. Another
2:25defense that's about as close as a set it and forget it defense. Uh Minnesota, they're also in a good spot this week
2:32against New Orleans. New Orleans is a good team for fantasy. They're going to have a ton of play calls and they're
2:37going to push the ball down the field when they can and they pass a lot. They run a ton of plays. But in terms of a
2:42mismatch, Atlanta exposed a lot of things with New Orleans this past week.
2:47Minnesota's defense has been lights out this season. Brian Flores, an elite defensive play caller. We're feeling very confident about Minnesota. We're
2:55also feeling confident about the Denver Broncos. Obviously, we've got some some issues there that we haven't had to deal with in years past. Patrick Certan is
3:03just a huge huge disappointment right now in terms of the injury. you've got other other factors for Denver that makes them way less way less uh
3:14effective and not an elite defense like we saw last year. But we have seen situations where Denver can exploit teams that are struggling and I think
3:24that's going to be one of them this week. Great chance for Denver against the LA Chargers this week. We talked about Seattle. I mean, it's sort of up
3:33to you. There's sort of this like play your studs in fantasy football, but for Seattle this week, they're not buried in
3:42a great matchup against San Francisco, but it's very hard to find flaws against this San Francisco 49ers uh team. I think you're sort of hoping if you're
3:50rostering Seattle that it's a lower than anticipated scoring game, but San Francisco, they're not letting up sacks this year. They've had an elite
3:59offensive line. Brock Pur is completely dialed in. It's just a hard team to go up against uh with your defensive streamer. So, looking to pivot and and
4:08there's a number of defenses that are widely available that we can pivot to this week and I think find great success
4:15with a few of those defenses. I mean, right at the top, we are going to continue to attack the Miami Dolphins
4:23almost week in week out. sort of been a theme for this show and why not without Devon Han. The two skill position
4:30players that that are both solid if you have them on your roster in terms of they're gonna have expected touches each
4:36week, expected production, Ali Gordon and Malik Washington, those are your your two biggest threats. Uh so Cincinnati Bengals, who we were on big
4:45time early in the year, we saw what Cincinnati was able to do against Tampa Bay and Houston those first two weeks of the season.
4:54They also were effective in in in the last two games. They really weren't like buried, but they weren't elite. This is
5:02a chance for them to put up an elite number like we saw in week one, like we saw in week two. We know that the pass
5:08rush is very good in Cincinnati in terms of the counting stats and they have a chance to really exploit this Miami
5:14Dolphins uh offense that's reeling. So, Cincinnati one of the best streamers this week and I think they're going to be available in a lot of leagues. Now, a
5:23defense we've got to really adjust for, and I think this is why you have to put context into overall statistics as
5:30opposed to looking at like just counting stats. Chicago in week one led up a big number to the Carolina Panthers. And I
5:37think people sort of brush this defense aside, but they've been outstanding the last three weeks. You talk about the Minnesota game in week two where the
5:46story of the game was Chicago's offense struggling in that one after scoring 59.
5:51The story should have been this is the start of something really good with the Chicago defense. They go up against Green Bay this week. We know Green Bay's
5:58got offensive line issues. The offensive line was better against Tampa this past week to their credit. But we have a four
6:03game sample size and Green Bay really struggling to run the ball, really struggling to protect the quarterback and I think Chicago can exploit them.
6:12They just shut down the Jets. The Bears are number three in total defense this year. And this last three games, this is
6:21their fewest points allowed over a three-game stretch since 2012. Think about that again. If you're a Chicago Bears fan, you love hearing that. And if
6:31you're a fantasy manager, write that one down. This is the fewest points allowed over a threeame stretch for the Chicago Bears defense since 2012.
6:41The Bears offense also really helps them. The time of possession is ridiculous. When this Ben Johnson running game gets going, they're going
6:50to sit on the football and they're going to take the air out of the football. And we saw that last week where the Bears
6:56defense didn't have to play at all really in the fourth quarter because they're just getting first down after first down after first down. So things
7:03are setting up very well and Chicago setting up into a defense that we want to roster and I think we want to use.
7:10So, they're they're very much in the mix this week. If we're looking to stream a game, it's the Browns and the Jets. Who
7:19would be my preferred defense here? I think both are fine. If you want to go by implied team totals, the Browns have
7:27the lower implied team total. They have like a 19 19 12 point team total. The Jets have a 21 point team total. So,
7:35it's right about even. But the Browns defense has been sort of on a heater here. Uh they're 3-1 as a team. We love
7:45the vibes. The Jets offense was just shut out by Chicago. Uh we saw zero for Kenyan Sadique, almost nothing for Garrett Wilson, minimal for Brilen
7:54Allen, but the Jets really couldn't run any plays there. So I think we have to take away all those numbers with a
7:59little bit of context. There was just fewer plays run. The Browns are using man-to-man defense at this like extremely high rate. I believe it is the
8:08highest rate of man-to-man defense. It's either first or second. It's first. Let me double check that one. First overall in in man-to-man defense in the league
8:18in terms of the rate. Um they've got some studs on this defense as well. Like Jared Verse, they got in the trade for
8:24Miles Garrett. He's been really good. We know those year 2 guys, Carson Schwinger, the linebacker, and then Mason Graham, who was a stud at
8:32Michigan. Uh he's really good up front.
8:35So, they're they're able to get pressure. This this defensive coordinator, uh Mike Rutenberg, people are really uh pretty impressed by him,
8:44especially like a lot of the beat reporters talking about him in Cleveland. So, there's good vibes there.
8:49But if you want to go with the Jets, uh the the book sports books are basically telling you that Cleveland's going to
8:55struggle um in this one to score. Like the team total is somewhere in that 18 1.5 to 19 1.5 point uh total range. It's
9:04going to be sub 20 when we get to game time. So we we want to chase this game.
9:08It feels like this could end up being the 1714 game uh under environment and potential for lower scoring and maybe both defenses getting to the
9:19quarterback. Cleveland has offensive line issues. They're still not uh a very good offensive line. They've been able to win despite having like this
9:28offensive line that's had some issues this year. Um but hey, Cleveland Browns 3 and one. If you want to ride the
9:33vibes, they certainly are the hot team.
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10:04We talked about elite defenses and a defense that we thought was going to be elite in the preseason and we were
10:10wrong. I'll take an L on this one.
10:12Houston Texans where I did a preseason uh defensive video and that was a defense that I was very excited about along with Seattle along with Denver. We
10:22were very excited about what Houston could have been this year. The team is 0 and4. They just got boat raced by the
10:29Dallas Cowboys. L up 30 30 plus in that one. But there's a get-right spot for the Houston Texans this week. And a
10:36get-right uh defensive performance could be on the way. Houston are big favorites against the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee has the lowest implied team total of any
10:47team on the board this week. They're at like some books have them like sub6 on the team totals. It's like really really
10:54lowscoring stuff potentially for Tennessee. So, we are going to use the Houston Texans defense with confidence this week.
11:03Another defense we want to monitor, and I think it's another game we can monitor, the New York Giants, if Jaden Daniels doesn't go. Now, I'm recording
11:14this on Wednesday morning, early in the morning, and the latest reports, Dan Quinn, the Beat Reporters, they think Jaden Daniels will play in this one. But
11:22if there's any sort of setback, any sort of pessimism late in the week as to his uh effectiveness and maybe, you know,
11:31he's a little sore, maybe they're a little bit cautious with this one. If Daniels doesn't start, we're going to use that New York Giants defense.
11:38They're 3-1. They just turned over Jacobe Brussette a ton. Had the that pick six. And if it's not Jaden Daniels, could it be Cali McManis again? He was
11:50awful against Indianapolis. If it's Daniels, I can understand your apprehension.
11:55And you also have in leagues that really reward turnovers, Washington would be in play because uh when we when it comes to Jameus Winston,
12:07we've seen him take a step forward, but we know that the picks can be coming as well, can be loose with the football.
12:12So, there's a chance to turn over Jameus. So, keep an eye on the New York Washington game, but we want to
12:17absolutely monitor the Jaden Daniels news. It sounds like he's going to play.
12:22Another defensive streamer, and this might be the only time that we say their name all year, the Dallas Cowboys are in
12:30consideration this week against Jaylen Daniels and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are reeling. The Buccaneers have a low implied team total of fewer than 20
12:40points. Dallas coming off of a big a big win this past week. Uh this one feels like Dallas might tee off on Tampa Bay.
12:50We saw Daniels was effective last week, but now let's see him do it on the road in Dallas. So last week was in Tampa Bay
12:58against Green Bay. Now has to go on the road. The road's a different beast in the NFL. Uh so Dallas is in in
13:04consideration. It's hard to trust them, but we have to sort of not to sound corny, trust the process here. Trust the
13:12process. Um a quick note that this show is brought to you by and all of my shows brought to you by Better. Go check out
13:20Better. That's BE TR. If you're watching football and you want a little more action on the games, go check out Better. Make picks on your favorite
13:28players or jump into the Better Sports Book for spreads, totals, and moneylines. It's all in one app. They are a terrific sponsor for all of my
13:35shows. Go and check out Better. Now, defense for stashing. It's hard to say this one because, you know, you have the
13:45by-weeks to consider, but if you're able to roster another defense and you want to get off to week six with like a
13:52strong defensive matchup, if you have that spot on your roster, we want to check on the New England Patriots if they've been cut the last two weeks
14:00because last week they played the Bills.
14:03So, nobody used them. They might have gotten cut. I think some some people maybe stashed them, but probably not.
14:08Most people just cut them. They got beat down by Jacksonville and then they had the match up against uh Buffalo. So
14:16obviously people weren't weren't trusting them. Week six could be a big spot for the Patriots against the Jets.
14:22We'll see how the Jets do against Cleveland, but this could be a def an offense that we start to target. Uh and
14:28New England is probably on a lot of waiver wires. You've also got the Kansas City Chiefs. They are on a by-week this
14:34week, but if you were able to hold them, they play the Chargers in week six. And then the other defense for week six
14:41that'll cost you nothing, Indianapolis just beat up on Washington uh in over in London and they get the Tennessee Titans
14:50in week six. Um so Indianapolis, Kansas City, New England if you want a defensive stash for week six. Let's talk kickers really quickly. Uh people love
15:01this one. It's another edge for us in fantasy football and and some people hate the kicker talk. If you hate the
15:06kicker talk, uh we'll see you. Turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn
15:08turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn turn off
15:08the show if you don't have kickers in your league. Turn it off. Hit that like button. Hit that subscribe button and
15:13we'll see you later. Uh kickers though, there's a couple of kickers that we had as preseason targets and also inseason targets that all did very well. We
15:24started talking about kickers a couple weeks ago. We said to pick up Spencer Shrader of the Indianapolis Colts. He had 16 points this past week. Really
15:32good stuff from him. Uh, we also had our preseason target. Will Riker was the one that we said would could be like
15:40a discount Brandon Aubrey. Looking for like the next Brandon Aubrey. We've had some success with some of these kickers, but Will Riker had like 19 points this
15:49past week. Jake Bates, Detroit was another one of our kicker targets. Uh, he had a really good week this past week. So, if you have Will Riker, just
15:57use him all year long. He's awesome.
15:59Spencer Shrader, if he's still available, go pick him up. And if you're not happy with your kicking production and you want to churn the wire, pick up
16:08a kicker. We've got a couple of kickers that we want to highlight here. Um the the most interesting one is Dominic
16:15Zavvada and he's a rookie for the New York Giants and he is on an absolute heater right now. He was two for two
16:23from 50 plus this past week and he was perfect the week before as well. So, the Giants, despite losing Jackson Dart,
16:31have figured things out offensively, it seems, with Winston. But one of the big things with them is they have trust in
16:38Dominic Zavvada. We love these kickers that are given the opportunity to attempt long field goals, especially in leagues where we get fractional scoring
16:48and we get five points for a 50-yard, we get six points for a 60 yard. Zavvada two for two from 50 plus last week and a
16:56chance to put up more numbers this week.
16:58Washington allows 30 plus points per game on the season. They're an offense, excuse me, a defense that is going to concede some points in this one. Even
17:09though we talked about them as a potential streamer, uh it's one where for playing the averages, Dominic Zavvada is going to get more
17:16opportunities. So, keep an eye on Dominic Zavvada. See how he does. Pick him up for nothing. Uh, and use him if
17:22you don't have confidence in your kicker. Another kicker that we are trusting right now and is also on a heater scoring points, Matt Gay of the
17:31Las Vegas Raiders, who's been around the block. Uh, we've heard that name on on on multiple seasons, played for a number
17:38of teams now, but he's on a heater. He's putting up points for Vegas. Vegas is moving the ball very, very well. They're
17:46in a tricky spot this week against New England. Could it be more field goal opportunities? So, keep an eye on Dominic Zavvada and Matt Gay. Make sure
17:57Spencer Shrader is not available. I would prefer Shrader over all three of those guys, but the last two I mentioned definitely viable, definitely are in
18:06play. We're going to keep an eye on Nick Folk as well. A lot of the overall seasonal stats are going to look bad
18:12because Atlanta couldn't score those first two weeks, but the things have been picking up. They've been scoring touchdowns at an exceedingly high rate
18:20with Michael Penn behind center and this unbelievable running game with Bejon Robinson and also Brian Robinson being so effective, Drake London. But they're
18:29going to run into some roadblocks where it's going to end up being more field goals. So, we trust the offense a lot
18:34more in Atlanta. We trust the offensive line. We trust the play calling. Um, there's going to be opportunities for Nick Folk. So, keep an eye on those
18:42kickers. Anything we can do to help you win. It's over at Rotoire. We have elite tools, elite articles, and we also have
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