Top 20 D/ST rankings for Week 7 fantasy football

There have already been a few weeks worth of byes, so we’ll highlight some teams who have the week off: Browns, Steelers, Buccaneers and Panthers.

So with that, let’s welcome a new team to the No. 1 spot in the D/ST rankings — the San Francisco 49ers! What do we have for ‘em, Johnny?! Nothing? Well, OK, we’ll have to work on getting some type of prize for the Niners, but for now let’s look at why they’re at the top.

San Fran gets to face Washington. That’s it. That’s why they’re No. 1.

But seriously, despite the great matchup as the 49ers will look to remain undefeated, San Fran’s defense has been impressive so far this season. The Niners rank second in yards allowed per game (237.4) and second in points allowed per game (12.8). Most of this is thanks to a secondary that has been lights out, anchored by CB Richard Sherman, who is having an All-Pro type of season with two picks and six passes defended. San Fran is allowing just 150.2 passing yards per game and should have no problem vs. Case Keenum this week.

Outside of the top 5, there are a few interesting spots that have sort of a David vs. Goliath feel. The first one is obvious, a Thursday night date between the Chiefs, who are on a losing streak (!) and Broncos, who are on a winning streak (!). Denver is coming off a shutout of the Titans at home and is always tough at Mile High. On the other hand, Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes haven’t been very electric on offense of late, scoring just 43 points over the past two games. Sure, that’s around league average, but mediocre by the Chiefs’ standards. Mahomes is facing some adversity for the first time in his career really, and while it’s one game, he was underwhelming at Denver last season. Mahomes threw for over 300 yards, but just one TD at Mile High in 2018. It’d be a little nutty to stream the Broncos’ D/ST this week, but it’s worth a look in very deep leagues if you’re strapped for a D/ST.

The other game I’m looking at is Saints at Bears. Usually it’s New Orleans’ offense we’re talking about, but with Drew Brees sidelined, it’s just not the same. Still, the Saints have Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara and those two always need to be accounted for. The Bears will likely get QB Mitch Trubisky back, but the way he was playing prior to a shoulder injury doesn’t change things much for New Orleans’ D/ST, which has been sneaky good this season. The Saints haven’t allowed over 300 total yards in three straight games and have forced four turnovers in that span. I don’t think I need to say much about the Bears D/ST, which is coming off a bye week at is at home vs. Teddy Bridgewater, not a bad spot. Wind in Chicago should shift both offenses to more of a ground attack, which bodes well for both D/ST.

If you’re looking for streaming options, though, here are a few quick hits.

• The Lions are at home vs. Kirk Cousins coming off a big letdown on Monday Night Football vs. the Packers.
• The Cardinals’ offense looked great vs. the Falcons, because it’s the Falcons. I think going on the road vs. the Giants in potentially poor weather conditions in New Jersey makes the G-Men an appealing option given they haven’t played since last Thursday night.
• The other New York team is playing on MNF vs. the rival Patriots. The Jets have some momentum coming off their first win of the season, they’re at home, and their D/ST actually returned some value last time vs. New England, scoring a defensive TD on a fumble recovery. The Pats’ offense is also dealing with a lot of injuries.

Well, that just about does it from us for this week. You stay classy, fantasy football community. Good luck!

“All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS contests.”