Fantasy Football: 3 Defenses to Stream for Week 7

Every point matters when it comes to winning in season-long fantasy football, meaning you can't afford to leave points on the table. While we don't spend top-notch draft capital on D/STs in our fantasy football drafts, ignoring them during the season can cost you dearly.

Streaming defenses throughout the year is a great way to ensure you get the most out of your D/ST slot. Even the best defenses draw tough weekly matchups, and even the worst defenses are capable of strong fantasy outings in the right situations.

This article is here to help you parse through all of those situations and to present you with three streamers that are available in most leagues.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Fantasy Football D/ST to Stream for Week 7

Indianapolis Colts

Matchup: vs. Dolphins

The Indianapolis Colts' D/ST was the 8th-best unit in Week 3 followed by 10th in Week 4. Since, we've seen the D/ST finish 27th and 18th over its last two games, putting the Colts at 23rd in fantasy points per game. As expected, this D/ST is widely available in leagues as it's rostered in about 26% of leagues. This number could spike ahead of Week 7, for Indy gets a favorable matchup against the Miami Dolphins.

Miami is averaging only 12.0 points per game (the fewest), 4.7 yards per play (fourth-fewest), 3.9 yards per rushing attempt (seventh-fewest), and 6.5 yards per passing attempt (eighth-fewest). Tua Tagovailoa started in Week 1 while playing in 72% of the snaps in Week 2 before suffering another concussion. He's will be out yet again on Sunday even though a return this season is expected. Tyler Huntley has taken over as the backup QB and has posted -0.21 expected points added per dropback (EPA/db), via NFL's Next Gen Stats.

Running back De'Von Achane also suffered a concussion in Week 5, but he did practice in limited capacity on Monday. A bye in Week 6 could help Achane not miss one game, but his status is up in the air as of now. This will certainly hurt the ground game if he can't go, either.

This one isn't rocket science; the Dolphins rank as the second-worst schedule-adjusted offense, the fourth-worst adjusted pass offense, and the second-worst adjusted rushing offense. The offense has been horrible all around, and Miami is giving up 1.2 turnovers per game. Huntley has turned the ball over once in each of his two starts. Meanwhile, the Colts are generating 1.5 takeaways per contest (10th-most).

Indianapolis also holds the ninth-best adjusted run defense. Limiting the ground game against a backup quarterback could mean only more success if Huntley is forced into throwing the ball.

Our DFS projections have the Colts' D/ST with the seventh-most forecasted points for Week 7 at 7.6 points. This is looking like one of the best streaming options of the week.

New Orleans Saints

Matchup: vs. Broncos

According to FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds, the lowest total of the week is 36.5 for the Denver Broncos-New Orleans Saints clash on Thursday. Getting any exposure to this game could mean success for your D/ST play.

While Denver's defense is rostered in about 80% of leagues, New Orleans' unit is available in about 66% of leagues. It's difficult to be confident in the Saints after allowing 51 points and 594 yards in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Admittedly, if there's any play i'm hesitant about for this week's streamers, it's this one.

However, the Bucs' offense is an entire different beast than the Broncos. Tampa Bay holds the league's fourth-best adjusted offense compared to Denver ranking as the NFL's seventh-worst adjusted unit.

Even after the blowout loss, New Orleans still holds the 16th-best adjusted defense and 11th-best adjusted pass defense. However, defending the run is a clear worry as the second-worst adjusted unit. Thankfully, the Broncos hold the 13th-lowest run play rate paired with 4.3 yards per rushing attempt (15th-fewest). This will probably increase on Thursday night, but Denver also holds only 5.5 yards per passing attempt (third-fewest). At least the Saints won't have to deal with one of the league's best air raid attacks.

Our projections are also have New Orleans tied for the seventh-most interceptions (0.73) along with the sixth-most fumbles (0.54) for Week 7. The Broncos are giving up 1.5 turnovers per contest (10th-most) while the Saints are forcing 2.0 turnovers per game (4th-most). Similar to the Colts, this unit has a great chance of generating points thanks to turnovers.

Cincinnati Bengals

Matchup: at Browns

My favorite play of the week is the Cincinnati Bengals' D/ST. Facing the Cleveland Browns is consistently leading to success for opposing defenses. The Browns are logging 15.8 PPG (third-fewest), 240.2 yards per game (the fewest), and 3.9 yards per play (the fewest).

Simply looking at Cleveland's recent opponents yields a ton of confidence. We had the Philadelphia Eagles' D/ST on our streaming list last week, and the unit produced 9.0 fantasy points (eighth-best for Week 6). In Week 5, the Washington Commanders -- who hold the NFL's fourth-worst adjusted defense -- recorded 13.0 points for the sixth-best finish of the week against the Browns. Week 4 was more of the same with the Las Vegas Raiders logging the eighth-most points at 9.0.

These are some bad defenses that have been circled as no-nos for fantasy, yet the units still produced when facing Cleveland. Clearly, any defense is a solid play against this offense.

Cincinnati's D/ST also comes off one of its best performances of the season, holding the New York Giants to seven points. After a top-10 weekly finish with 8.0 fantasy points, we could expect more of the same from this defense.

The Bengals hold the 12th-highest interception projection (0.7) and the second-highest fumble projection (0.61). The unit also holds the third-highest fantasy point projection of the week (8.17). Nick Chubb returning from injury is probably the biggest pause for this play, but he comes off a major knee injury. It's unlikely that Chubb immediately steps into a sky-high snap rate with a load of touches.

As usual, take whoever the Browns play as a D/ST streamer.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.