The byes aren't kind to our Week 7 fantasy defense rankings. The season has already been skewed heavily in favor of offenses due to the lack of a preseason, and now the top two fantasy D/STs, the Colts and Ravens, are idle. Additionally, the surging Dolphins defense will be on bye along with Minnesota's, which also means mistake-prone QBs Philip Rivers, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Kirk Cousins are off, with further weakens the potential for sleepers. Because of this, plenty of fantasy football owners are going to be looking for waiver-wire streamers this week.
The Bills (@ Jets) top this week's D/ST rankings, and while they are already owned in many fantasy leagues (67 percent of Yahoo leagues), be sure to check to see if they're available. An owner may have dropped the Bills because they're playing the Chiefs in Week 6, but with a significantly better matchup on deck and the return of their top two defensive players, Tre'Davious White and Matt Milano, look for them to have a big week.
WEEK 7 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Kicker
If the Bills are unavailable, the Chargers are a solid option. Coming off a bye, they get to take on the Jaguars at home. Gardner Minshew doesn't make a lot of mistakes, but the Chargers should be able to get pressure on him. If they can get either DE Melvin Ingram or CB Chris Harris back, their defense will look a lot stronger as they try to limit the Jaguars' offense.
WEEK 7 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Kicker
The Browns also could be a good play this week. They are taking on the Bengals, and Joe Burrow has proven to have some issues against stronger defenses like the Ravens and Colts. The takeaway-happy Browns do have a weakness at safety, but they have enough on their defensive line to pressure Burrow, who has been the most frequently sacked quarterback in the NFL.
WEEK 7 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
If you need to dig deeper for streamers, look at all four NFC East teams, who are playing each other this week (Giants-Eagles, Cowboys-Washington). That division has proven to be the weakest in football this year, and one of the main reasons for this is the poor offensive line play, as well as turnover-prone quarterbacks. None of the teams block well up front, so these defenses can all be started against one another. The Eagles (vs. Giants) are probably the best of the bunch, as they're playing on a short week at home against Daniel Jones, who has been especially prone to sacks and turnovers behind his terrible O-Line.
WEEK 7 DFS CASH LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
NOTE: Check back for updates and analysis throughout the week.
MORE WEEK 7 DFS: Best stacks | Best values | Lineup Builder
Week 7 Fantasy Defense Rankings
| Rank | Team |
| 1 | Buffalo Bills @ Jets. After being shut out by the Dolphins in Week 6, the Jets are now averaging a pitiful 12.5 points per game, the fewest in the league. They are also a bottom-three team in terms of total yardage. The Bills are getting healthier with Tre'Davious White and Matt Milano back, so they should be able to clamp down on the Bills, regardless of who is starting at quarterback for the Jets. |
| 2 | Los Angeles Rams vs. Bears. The Bears may be 5-1, but they have scored the sixth-fewest points per game this season (21.3) and have the fifth-fewest yards per game. The Rams just got run over by the 49ers, but that was more of a failure on the offensive side of the ball than anything else. If Aaron Donald can get some pressure on Nick Foles, the Rams should be in good shape considering that Foles has turned the ball over once in every game he has played this season and doesn't escape from pressure very well. |
| 3 | New England Patriots vs. 49ers. The 49ers have allowed 7.2 fantasy points per game (FPPG) to defenses so far this season. That's tied for the eighth most in the NFL. Jimmy Garoppolo still isn't fully healthy, and the 49ers will be without Raheem Mostert (ankle) against the Patriots in Week 7. The Patriots have the personnel needed to shut down the 49ers' receiving game and limit them on the ground. The Patriots have allowed the ninth-fewest yards this year (339 per game) and are allowing just 22 points per game to boot. They should be a solid play, especially as they look to bounce back off a loss. |
| 4 | Philadelphia Eagles vs. Giants. So far this season, no team is allowing more FPPG to defenses than the Giants (10.4). Daniel Jones has just one TD since Week 1, and that came against the lowly Washington Football Team last week. The Eagles are averaging 3.5 sacks per game, good for the fourth most in the NFL, and should have a high floor as they will be able to pressure Jones into mistakes, especially on a short week with the Eagles at home. |
| 5 | Los Angeles Chargers vs. Jaguars. Over their past four games, the Jaguars have averaged just 17 points per game and Gardner Minshew has been sacked 11 times with three interceptions. Minshew doesn't make a lot of mistakes, which will cap the ceiling of the Chargers' defense, but they are coming off a bye and could see Joey Bosa get healthier while Melvin Ingram and Chris Harris are both eligible to return from IR. That doesn't mean they will, but if they do, the Chargers could be a sneaky-good top play given how well they played early in the season with their defense mostly healthy (19 points per game allowed through the first three games of the season). |
| 6 | Cleveland Browns @ Bengals. After punching the Colts in the mouth in the first half of their Week 7 game, the Bengals scored just three points after halftime and Joe Burrow was sacked twice and threw a pick against Indy. The Bengals have had issues keeping pace with the better teams on their schedule, and that's part of the reason that they're allowing 10.2 FPPG to defenses, good for the third most in the league. The Browns are allowing the third-most points per game this season (31.2), but they should be better in an easier matchup and are a solid streamer this week against a Bengals offense that scores just 21.5 points per game. Plus, they have the NFL's most takeaways (12), so they should force Burrow into some turnovers. |
| 7 | Kansas City Chiefs @ Broncos. The Broncos are coming off a solid week against the Patriots, but in that contest, they scored just 18 points, all of which came on field goals. The Broncos just don't have a lot of weapons, and before allowing 40 points to the Raiders, the Chiefs had allowed 20 or fewer points to each of their first four opponents. The Broncos shouldn't score much on the Chiefs, who should be able to force Drew Lock into some turnovers after he threw two picks against the Patriots. |
| 8 | Chicago Bears @ Rams. Why are the Bears 5-1? Well, it's certainly not their offense. The Bears have limited opponents to 19.3 points per game on defense and have logged a solid eight takeaways on the year. The Rams aren't exactly an easy matchup, but a banged-up 49ers squad just limited the Rams to 16 points. The Bears could have similar success if they can take away either Cooper Kupp or Robert Woods and make Jared Goff uncomfortable. |
| 9 | Dallas Cowboys @ Washington. Washington is averaging the third-fewest points per game (18) in the league and has totaled the fewest yards (275.3) of any team in the league. They have major questions at QB, and though Kyle Allen had 280 yards and a couple of TDs against the Giants, he had two turnovers, one of which was returned for a TD. The Cowboys are the worst scoring defense in the league (36 points per game surrendered before their matchup with the Cardinals), but they should be able to pressure Allen and rack up sacks and potentially, turnovers. |
| 10 | San Francisco 49ers @ Patriots. The return of Emmanuel Moseley sparked the 49ers against the Rams, as they allowed just 16 points and intercepted Jared Goff in a much-needed win. If Richard Sherman can return from IR, their secondary will only improve and will render the Patriots a one-dimensional team that has to run the ball. That won't bode well for New England, who could be down three of its top four interior linemen if David Andrews (IR), Shaq Mason (COVID list), and James Ferentz (COVID list) can't return to action. That willl make the 49ers a solid play despite their banged-up defensive line. |
| 11 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Raiders. The Buccaneers just decimated Aaron Rodgers and the Packers with an excellent defensive performance, and they are tied for second in the NFL in takeaways (11) and sacks per game (3.7). That said, the Raiders have a strong offensive line and are averaging 30.2 points per game, good for seventh in the NFL. The Bucs should be able to perform well, but they may not have their best performance over Las Vegas' solid passing game (just one interception allowed all year). |
| 12 | Pittsburgh Steelers @ Titans. The Steelers have a good defense, but they did lose middle linebacker Devin Bush for the season with a torn ACL. They will have to make up for his loss against one of the best offenses in the league, as the Titans are averaging 32.8 points per game, second to only the Seahawks, this season. The Steelers average a league-high 4.8 sacks per game, so their floor is still solid especially with Taylor Lewan (torn ACL) out for the season in Tennessee, but their ceiling is capped by the efficient Ryan Tannehill and his penchant for avoiding turnovers (three all season for Tennessee). |
| 13 | Washington Football Team vs. Cowboys. Both of the Cowboys' starting tackles are out for the season. Washington is averaging 2.7 sacks per game, good for ninth-most in the league, so they have the ability to get pressure on Andy Dalton, who made plenty of poor throws on Monday night. The rest of their defense isn't great, but they did just limit the Giants to 13 offensive points, so perhaps they could do enough against the Cowboys to be a quality streamer. |
| 14 | New York Giants @ Eagles. Another NFC East team in the top 14? Why not? The Giants' defense has been overshadowed by their pitiful offense, but the G-Men have a decent stop unit. They allow 25.3 points per game and 342 yards per game. Both rank in the middle portion of the NFL. On a short week playing against a banged-up Eagles offensive line and a team that will be without Zach Ertz (ankle) and Miles Sanders (knee), the Giants could get some serious pressure on Carson Wentz. They have a high sack floor so even if they allow a lot of points, they will be able to compensate for it. |
| 15 | Green Bay Packers @ Texans. The Packers were just blown out by the Bucs; however, it's worth noting that Aaron Rodgers had a couple of picks that put the Packers in bad shape before the whole team seemingly folded. The Texans are coming off a 36-point outing against the Titans, but they have been prone to allowing sacks at times. Deshaun Watson was dropped 13 times in the first three games of the season before being dropped just six times the past three weeks. Za'Darius and Preston Smith are both good pass rushers, so the Packers could pressure the Texans, but it's hard to rely on them as anything more than a dart throw in what is a tough week for defensive streamers. |
| 16 | New Orleans Saints vs. Panthers. The Saints have allowed the eighth-fewest yards to offenses this season at a mark of 337.4 per game. The Panthers have moved the ball well, but they're only averaging 23 points per game and Teddy Bridgewater has three interceptions and has been sacked four times in his past three games. That will make the Saints a decent streamer coming off a bye provided that they did get healthier during that week off. |
| 17 | Tennessee Titans vs. Steelers. The Titans have been boom-or-bust on defense this year, as they've allowed 30-plus points three times and fewer than 16 points twice. It's hard to trust them against a Steelers team with so many weapons, but their ceiling is high if all goes well for them. |
| 18 | Jacksonville Jaguars @ Chargers |
| 19 | Seattle Seahawks @ Cardinals |
| 20 | Carolina Panthers @ Saints. The Panthers may be allowing just 19 points per game during their last 14 outings, but it's hard to trust them against a Saints offense that is scoring 30.6 points per contest. |
| 21 | Arizona Cardinals vs. Seahawks |
| 22 | Cincinnati Bengals vs. Browns |
| 23 | Las Vegas Raiders vs. Buccaneers |
| 24 | Atlanta Falcons vs. Lions |
| 25 | Houston Texans vs. Packers |
| 26 | Detroit Lions @ Falcons |
| 27 | New York Jets vs. Bills |
| 28 | Denver Broncos vs. Chiefs |
