NFL fantasy football Week 7: Defense rankings

Fantasy football isn’t usually a place where defenses shine. Yet, they are becoming more and more important as the season develops. Week 6 saw yet more stunning defensive play, with the Buffalo Bills overtaking the San Francisco 49ers as the highest-scoring defense in fantasy football.

Week 7 will once again be impacted by the bye week system, meaning at least two elite defenses won’t play until Week 8. Defenses can add hugely valuable fantasy football points, especially in close games. A positive matchup can make all the difference for a dominant defense, especially if up against an offensive line that collapses under pressure.

Who are the best available fantasy football defenses ahead of Week 7?

San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs

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Despite being overtaken by the Buffalo Bills, the San Francisco 49ers still boast one of the truly elite defenses in fantasy football. Their tally of 66 points is up slightly from Week 6 and they still have a healthy Nick Bosa, who can create pure chaos.

However, Week 7 presents a rather difficult matchup for fantasy football owners. The Niners welcome the Kansas City Chiefs to California. The Chiefs scored as many as 20 points against the top-ranked Bills’ defense in Week 6.

New England Patriots vs. Chicago Bears

The New England Patriots are on the rise in 2022. Their defense has worked spectacularly under Bill Belichick’s watchful eye and is carrying the team this season. Fantasy football owners may not have seen the Patriots’ defense as a fashionable pick at the start of the season. Ahead of Week 7 they are the third-highest scoring fantasy defense with 62 points.

They leapfrogged the Cowboys, Buccaneers and Eagles from Week 6 with an incredibly dominant display against the Cleveland Browns. They limited the rushing game led by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, registering four sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.

This took their fantasy football points score to 13 in Week 6. Their previous two games before that were 11 and 22 points respectively. This was a dramatic upgrade from their opening three games where they scored just 16 points on defense.

In Week 7, New England’s defense will take on a simply dreadful Chicago Bears’ offense. They are ranked third-worst in terms of points scored and tied for the most sacks allowed. The Patriots defense could be a point-scoring machine on Monday Night Football.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Pittsburgh Steelers

A shock 20-18 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense drop from fourth to fifth in SportsKeeda’s fantasy football defensive rankings. Scoring just three points in Week 6 has left Todd Bowles’ defense looking rattled, which is totally uncharacteristic.

With 55 fantasy points, they are the fifth-ranked defense, but they remain a dominant unit irrespective of their blip on Sunday. The Carolina Panthers do not represent strong opposition. They have thrown the lowest number of touchdowns in the NFL in 2022 with four, whilst they have also thrown five interceptions. They are also seventh-worst in the league for sacks allowed with 19.

The Buccaneers are a wounded animal going into to Week 7 and they are a strong candidate to feast on an ailing Panthers team. Tampa’s D is still ranked third for sacks and will score fantasy football points galore on Sunday.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Detroit Lions

Dallas were left stunned by their defeat to a dominant Philadelphia Eagles team on Sunday, which knocked their defense right out of the top five. The bye weeks for Buffalo and the Eagles have propelled the Dallas Cowboys back into fantasy football contention in Week 7 though. They have the sixth-ranked defense with 55 fantasy points scored, but face a challenging Week 7 matchup against the Detroit Lions.

Whilst not yet a strong NFL team, the Lions have built a rather unpredictable offense. They are ranked sixth in the league for touchdowns and joint-first for sacks allowed. The Cowboys will need to play exceedingly well to regain their place in the top five fantasy football defenses.

Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets

Nathaniel Hackett can’t get a tune out of his Russell Wilson-led offense, yet his defense is rapidly rising up the NFL ranks. They have a tally of 49 points, which is an increase of five from Week 6 and are one of the best units at getting to the QB. With 19 sacks in six games, the Broncos will be able to put Zach Wilson and the New York Jets under tremendous difficulty in Week 7.

Scoring against Denver isn’t easy. They are ranked third in the NFL with the lowest number of points allowed. With only 93 points allowed, the Broncos are bettered only by the Bills and 49ers.

The Jets will be tough opponents, and they are average in terms of sacks allowed and interceptions thrown, so there are better defenses to put in your fantasy football team for Week 7 than Denver, yet they remain a brilliant unit for the future.

Top 15 Fantasy Football Defenses in Week 7

This list is ranked by fantasy points scored.

1. Buffalo Bills – 70 points

2. San Francisco 49ers – 66 points

3. New England Patriots – 62 points

4. Philadelphia Eagles – 61 points

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 55 points

6. Dallas Cowboys – 55 points

7. Denver Broncos – 49 points

8. Jacksonville Jaguars – 49 points

9. Baltimore Ravens – 46 points

10. Minnesota Vikings – 42 points

11. New York Jets – 41 points

12. Los Angeles Rams – 41 points

13. Arizona Cardinals – 40 points

14. Carolina Panthers – 40 points

15. Seattle Seahawks – 40 points

About the author

Chris Winterburn is a veteran NFL journalist at Sportskeeda with over 12 years of experience with top publications such as Marca, Metro and About.com. His specialties include historical deep dives, analyzing talent and creating pre-draft content, and he thoroughly checks all facts in his articles and ensures unambiguity in presented opinions.

A New York Jets fan, Chris has always loved an underdog story. If he were to go back to any point in NFL history, it would be to 2005 to watch stars like Ray Lewis, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning in their prime.

Joe Namath is among Chris' favorite all-time players, with the QB having won the Jets their lone Super Bowl in 1969, and he also admires Myles Garrett, Darrelle Revis and Richard Sherman. Super Bowl LI holds a special place in his heart, owing to THAT Tom Brady comeback leading the Patriots from 28-3 to a 34-28 victory.

Chris' favorite coach is Hall of Famer Dick Vermeil, who won the St. Louis Rams their first-ever Super Bowl. When not writing, Chris' hobbies include playing video games and graphic designing.

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Edited by John Maxwell