Streaming Defenses: Week 7 Fantasy Options for Team Defenses

Streaming Defenses: Week 7 Fantasy Options for Team Defenses

This article is part of our Streaming Defenses series.

This should be one of the easier weeks for streaming a defense, considering each of the teams I have ranked Nos. 3-11 is available in a lot of fantasy leagues. They're also bunched fairly close in terms of projections, so it might also be a good week to ignore me and go with your gut. I won't be using FAAB or waiver priority on a defense for any of my teams this week.

Note: These recommendations are limited to team defenses that are rostered on less than 60 percent of teams on Yahoo or 45 percent on ESPN. Any references to fantasy points are based on Yahoo standard scoring, which doesn't include yards allowed.

Top Streaming Options for Week 7

1. Seattle Seahawks (vs. ARI)

  • 22% Yahoo, 20% ESPN
  • Team implied total: 26.25     Opponent implied total: 18.25
  • Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 8: 10th (vs. CLE),  Week 9: 21st (at BAL)

This is one of two Week 7 contests with a spread of a TD or more, as the wheels seem to be falling off for Arizona after QB Joshua Dobbs played surprisingly well in September. The past two weeks saw the Bengals and Rams – hardly defensive powerhouses – reach double-digit fantasy points against Arizona thanks to Dobbs giving up five total turnovers and five sacks. His other numbers are down as well – 62.8 percent completion rate and 6.2 YPA for the season – while the Seahawks defense is trending up in part due to

This should be one of the easier weeks for streaming a defense, considering each of the teams I have ranked Nos. 3-11 is available in a lot of fantasy leagues. They're also bunched fairly close in terms of projections, so it might also be a good week to ignore me and go with your gut. I won't be using FAAB or waiver priority on a defense for any of my teams this week.

Note: These recommendations are limited to team defenses that are rostered on less than 60 percent of teams on Yahoo or 45 percent on ESPN. Any references to fantasy points are based on Yahoo standard scoring, which doesn't include yards allowed.

Top Streaming Options for Week 7

1. Seattle Seahawks (vs. ARI)

  • 22% Yahoo, 20% ESPN
  • Team implied total: 26.25     Opponent implied total: 18.25
  • Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 8: 10th (vs. CLE),  Week 9: 21st (at BAL)

This is one of two Week 7 contests with a spread of a TD or more, as the wheels seem to be falling off for Arizona after QB Joshua Dobbs played surprisingly well in September. The past two weeks saw the Bengals and Rams – hardly defensive powerhouses – reach double-digit fantasy points against Arizona thanks to Dobbs giving up five total turnovers and five sacks. His other numbers are down as well – 62.8 percent completion rate and 6.2 YPA for the season – while the Seahawks defense is trending up in part due to improved health. As a bonus, Seattle should be a solid play again next week against the Browns.

      

2. Las Vegas Raiders (at CHI)

  • 47% Yahoo, 22% ESPN
  • Team implied total: 20.25     Opponent implied total: 17.25
  • Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 8: 31st (at DET),  Week 9: 10th (vs. NYG)

This slate is loaded with low over/unders, as Week 6 was extremely low-scoring and now we have a bunch of the league's better offenses on bye. Even so, the Bears stand out with an implied total of 17.25 points, second worst among all teams (behind only New England - 16.25). They're set to start undrafted rookie QB Tyson Bagent, who yielded an interception, a fumble returned for a TD and a sack over the final 20 minutes of a 19-13 loss to Minnesota this past Sunday. Few QBs are more friendly than Justin Fields as a D/ST opponent, but Bagent might well be one of them.

                 

3. Cleveland Browns (at IND)

  • 28% Yahoo, 53% ESPN
  • Team implied total: 20.75     Opponent implied total: 18.75
  • Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 8: 18th (at SEA),  Week 9: 2nd (vs. ARI)

The Browns have played fantastic defense apart from a Week 4 slip up against Baltimore, including the recent win over San Francisco to hand Brock Purdy his first regular-season loss and first truly ugly stat line. QB Gardner Minshew, meanwhile, has looked worse with the Colts than he did for the Jags or Eagles, producing 6.4 YPA while giving up four turnovers and eight sacks through 146 dropbacks (approximately four games worth of passes). 

My only concern here is that the Browns' failing offense will leave them in a low-scoring game and allow the Colts to get away with a safe gameplan full of runs and short, easy completions. The upside is huge if Cleveland can build a lead, as no team has allowed fewer yards per play (3.8) and only four have pressured QBs on a higher percentage of dropbacks (26.1).

        

4. Los Angeles Rams (vs. PIT)

  • 13% Yahoo, 4% ESPN
  • Team implied total: 23.0     Opponent implied total: 20.0
  • Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 8: 30th (at DAL),  Week 9: 8th (at GB)

I expected the Rams to come in higher in my rankings, but the mixture of QB injuries and ugly performances Week 6 makes the Steelers offense look not as bad coming out of a bye. It looked awful before that bye, of course, with basically nothing working well besides jump balls to George Pickens. The main problems are still QB Kenny Pickett and OC Matt Canada, a duo that figures to continue dragging down the entire offense even with WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) on track to return from IR.

    

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. ATL)

  • 29% Yahoo, 22% ESPN
  • Team implied total: 20.5     Opponent implied total: 18.0
  • Upcoming Ranks (Projected) — Week 8: 25th (at BUF),  Week 9: 17th (at HOU)

The Saints didn't quite make our Top 5 but should probably slide in a bit ahead of Los Angeles and Tampa Bay if Jags QB Trevor Lawrence (knee) gets ruled out ahead of TNF. The Bucs also happen to have a home game against a lousy quarterback, hosting Desmond Ridder and an Atlanta offense that's been surprisingly mediocre on the ground. Ridder's struggles are less surprising than the Falcons' inconsistent run game, and he now ranks 26th in both INT rate (3.0) and sack rate (8.6). The Bucs still have a strong front seven, allowing only 3.7 YPC and 83.8 rushing yards per game, so Ridder may have to air it out again rather than serving as a handoff machine for Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.

     

Week 7 Rankings

  1. Buffalo Bills (at NE)
  2. San Francisco 49ers (at MIN) 
  3. Seattle Seahawks (vs. ARI) 
  4. Las Vegas Raiders (at CHI) 
  5. Cleveland Browns (at IND)
  6. Los Angeles Rams (vs. PIT)
  7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. ATL) 
  8. New Orleans Saints (vs. JAX)
  9. Washington Commanders (at NYG)
  10. Indianapolis Colts (vs. CLE)
  11. Chicago Bears (vs. LV)
  12. New York Giants (vs. WAS)
  13. Pittsburgh Steelers (at LAR) 
  14. Green Bay Packers (at DEN)  
  15. Jacksonville Jaguars (at NO)
  16. Atlanta Falcons (at TB) 
  17. Kansas City Chiefs (vs. LAC) 
  18. Denver Broncos (vs. GB)
  19. Baltimore Ravens (vs. DET)
  20. Detroit Lions (at BAL)

          

Looking Ahead to Week 8

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (at DEN)
  2. New York Jets (at NYG)
  3. Miami Dolphins (vs. NE)
  4. Philadelphia Eagles (at WAS)
  5. Los Angeles Chargers (vs. CHI) 
  6.  Detroit Lions (vs. LV)
  7. Buffalo Bills (vs. TB)
  8. Baltimore Ravens (at ARI) 
  9. Houston Texans (at CAR)  
  10. Seattle Seahawks (vs. CLE) 
  11. New York Giants (vs. NYJ) 
  12. Dallas Cowboys (vs. LAR)
  13. San Francisco 49er (vs. CIN) 
  14. New Orleans Saints (at IND)
  15. Jacksonville Jaguars (at PIT)
  16. Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. JAX)
  17. Tennessee Titans (vs. ATL)
  18. Cleveland Browns (at SEA)
  19. Minnesota Vikings (at GB)
  20. Green Bay Packers (vs. MIN)

    

Rest-of-Season Rankings

  1. San Francisco 49ers
  2. Dallas Cowboys
  3. Philadelphia Eagles
  4. Buffalo Bills
  5. Kansas City Chiefs
  6. Baltimore Ravens
  7. Cleveland Browns
  8. New York Jets
  9. Pittsburgh Steelers 
  10. Detroit Lions
  11. Seattle Seahawks
  12. Cincinnati Bengals
  13. Miami Dolphins
  14. New Orleans Saints
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  16. Houston Texans
  17. Jacksonville Jaguars
  18. Los Angeles Chargers
  19. Green Bay Packers
  20. Los Angeles Rams

           

Want to Read More?
Subscribe to RotoWire to see the full article.

We reserve some of our best content for our paid subscribers. Plus, if you choose to subscribe you can discuss this article with the author and the rest of the RotoWire community.

Get Instant Access To This Article Get Access To This Article
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only NFL Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire NFL fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jerry Donabedian
Jerry was a 2018 finalist for the FSWA's Player Notes Writer of the Year and DFS Writer of the Year awards. A Baltimore native, Jerry roots for the Ravens and watches "The Wire" in his spare time.
Early Waiver Wire For Week 16
Early Waiver Wire For Week 16
NFL Reactions: Week 15 Recap
NFL Reactions: Week 15 Recap
Packers at Seahawks: Sunday Night Football  Odds, Picks, and Predictions
Packers at Seahawks: Sunday Night Football Odds, Picks, and Predictions
Sunday Night Football DFS Breakdown: Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers
Sunday Night Football DFS Breakdown: Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers