Welcome to Week 7! Hopefully, you are still fielding a complete team after yet another round of injuries to even more of the starters in fantasy. A (not so) fun fact: You would have been better off starting Aaron Jones and Tyreek Hill during their bye weeks over Travis Etienne and Chris Olave, respectively, who both left their games after turning in negative fantasy points as the injury train that is the 2024 season continues rolling on. In more positive news, the Eagles and Chargers pulled through for us streaming them while the Texans gave the Patriots’ rookie QB a warm NFL welcome while dropping double-digit fantasy points for our rosters! We will build on this by diving into a few sub-par defenses on the season that have fantastic matchups on paper to stream them against. Let’s see which teams are rostered in around 50 percent of leagues or fewer to highlight.
Please note: there’s a decent chance that better teams above this 50 percent threshold are available in your league, but we can’t assume they’re out there for everyone. We have to draw the proverbial line somewhere, so stay active and monitor the league home page; someone might drop a desirable defense after waivers clear.
Los Angeles Rams
Opponent: vs Las Vegas Raiders
ESPN % Rostered: 1%
Yahoo % Rostered: 2%
We’re starting things off a little spicy with the third-lowest rostered defense in the league, but the Rams have begun trending the right way defensively over their past couple of games. Coming off 14 fantasy points over their last two games, Los Angeles now exits the bye week to host the Raiders, who come in turning the ball over three times in their last game, which led to them switching to QB Aidan O’Connell. Las Vegas has an issue with turning the ball over, as they have six giveaways between their last two games. The Raiders have turned the ball over at least once in every single game so far this season. Los Angeles is a top-ten defense in QB pressure rate, which is carried by their league-leading 14% QB hurry rate per dropback. While the Rams are better against the pass than they are the run, Las Vegas has the second-worst rushing attack in the league currently. Las Vegas has also given up double-digit fantasy points to opposing defenses for three weeks straight now. With an extra week to prepare and their star WR returning to practice this week, I look for the Rams to limit the Raiders’ time of possession and capitalize on their mistakes.
Indianapolis Colts
Opponent: vs Miami Dolphins
ESPN % Rostered: 27%
Yahoo % Rostered: 26%
Indianapolis has generated at least one turnover in each of their past five games for a total of nine on the season so far. They will host the Dolphins, who expect to see their star QB return this season, but it will not be this week against the Colts. That means another week of Tyler Huntley and a Miami offense that has not thrown for over 180 yards a single time in the past three games. They have given up double-digit fantasy points to opposing defenses every week after the opening weekend of the season. Indianapolis is also a defense that is in the top 10 in the league for QB hurries, which could provide more opportunities for turnovers.
Cincinnati Bengals
Opponent: @ Cleveland Browns
ESPN % Rostered: 21%
Yahoo % Rostered: 17%
Something is going to give this weekend in this AFC North matchup. Cincinnati has not won in Cleveland for all of Joe Burrow‘s career. The Browns have been bleeding fantasy points out to opposing defenses for four straight weeks now. They have only eclipsed 250 total yards of offense once, and that was back in Week 2 against Jacksonville. 2023’s coach of the year is now facing heat to make a change on offense. Cleveland continues to struggle health-wise on offense as they lost another lineman due to a fracture that will require surgery. The Browns are expecting to see the return of their starting RB Nick Chubb this week, but will it be enough to save this offense? Despite being rushed on the third-most in the league in 2024, Cincinnati has managed to keep the yards per carry against down for the most part as they sit just outside the top ten in fewest allowed. So will the Bengals finally get a win on the other side of the state, or will the return of Chubb signal a turnaround for the offense finally?
Honorable Mentions
Jacksonville Jaguars (E:17% Y!:4%) – One of the worst D/STs plays against one of the best offenses to start a D/ST against as New England has given up almost 15 points per game in fantasy over the last four weeks.
Buffalo Bills (E:37% Y!:79%) – ESPN leagues might want to check and see if they have the option to get a waiver in on the defense that will be hosting Will Levis and the Titans offense that hasn’t had a 100-yard passer in the last two weeks.
Green Bay Packers (E:33% Y!:46%) – Tired of sifting through weaker defenses that are playing against weaker offenses? How about the second-strongest defense in fantasy hosting a strong Texans (o-rank 8th) offense?
If you see something I don’t, leave a comment or hit me up with feedback @MikeoftheFF on Twitter or find me on Reddit!
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by Jeffrey Brown / Icon Sportswire