Be warned, fantasy football managers. For those who have chosen the path of streaming fantasy defenses, this is a challenging week; the matchups present almost no upside for the opposing, while those defenses that were drafted and held onto through the season are the ones with the plus matchups. With that, note that the following defense streamers up for the offering aren’t actually great NFL defenses … they just have some favorable matchups against teams that have been prone to making mistakes so far this season.
Before firing the following D/STs up, double-check waivers for the Minnesota Vikings (vs. Lions — but a great defense IRL) and the Denver Broncos (vs. Saints).
Week 7 defense streamers
Rams D/ST vs. LV
The Las Vegas Raiders have officially traded star WR Davante Adams. They’re in a barren wasteland of quarterback play with Aidan O’Connell under center, who currently has the sixth-lowest accurate throw rate among QBs with 25+ attempts this year per PFF. New WR1 Jakobi Meyers just missed Week 6 with an ankle injury, and those behind him include Tre Tucker (0 receiving yards on 2 targets last week) and 27-year-old wide receiver DJ Turner, who has 51 receiving yards over three seasons in the league.
Expect the Rams defense to have their hands full with rookie TE Brock Bowers — but other than that, they should be able to fully contain this offense that also lacks a run game.
Bengals D/ST vs. CLE
Like the Raiders, the Cleveland Browns decided to trade their top option at wide receiver this week while also bizarrely sticking by Deshaun Watson as a starter despite being one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. Go figure. Watson currently leads the league with 31 sacks taken through six weeks and shows no signs of slowing down.
Here’s a list of stats that will help indicate, statistically, just how far the Browns have fallen on offense with all stats courtesy of PFF:
- 36 red zone trips (second fewest)
- 112 plays with pressures allowed (most)
- 17 explosive passing plays (fewest)
- -0.215 EPA per play (third-fewest)
- 4.0 average yards per play (league-low)
Though the Bengals have struggled on defense this year, this is a situation where you may just be able to count on the Browns to make their own mistakes and let the D/ST points pile up.
Giants D/ST vs. PHI
The Giants aren’t a great defense this season, but they certainly are performing above expectations. The G-Men currently lead the league with 26 sacks on the year. That crew is led by DL Dexter Lawrence, who ranks second in the league with 7.0 sacks.
Meanwhile, the Eagles have been a surprisingly disappointing offense this season, even with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in the offense; QB Jalen Hurts has the fourth-highest catchable but inaccurate pass rate in the league through five weeks. The Eagles have allowed their opposing D/ST 10 or more fantasy points one each of their last three matchups, having scored 20 or fewer points in each of those outings and 11 sacks in that span.
The Eagles have plenty of spark on offense thanks to their plethora of options between the receiving game and RB Saquon Barkley, but their team under Nick Sirianni appears to be in shambles (did you see the shouting at the crowd in Week 6?). Pair that with a road matchup against a team that’s been proficient in the pass rush up against a quarterback with the second-lowest PFF passing grade under pressure this season, and it could be a match made in D/ST heaven.
Fantasy football: Week 7 defense rankings
Kate Magdziuk is an editor and contributor for Yahoo Fantasy and co-host of the Locked On Dynasty Football podcast. She is also the managing editor for Behind The Steel Curtain, SB Nation’s exclusive Pittsburgh Steelers blog. Her previous bylines include Pro Football Focus, NBC Sports Rotoworld and 4for4 Football, among others.
