Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Fantasy Football Week 7: Defenses
Start ‘Em, Sit 'Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups based on a PPR scoring system in fantasy football. This column will not cover the elite players in the NFL like Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey, Davante Adams, or Travis Kelce. Instead, I'll look at the players you have the most questions about to help you set the most effective starting lineup possible. For all of your final fantasy lineup decisions, be sure to check out my weekly player rankings which will be updated daily throughout the 2021 NFL season.
Byes: Bills, Chargers, Cowboys, Jaguars, Steelers, Vikings
Week 7 PPR Rankings: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS | FLEX | KICKERS | TEAM DEFENSES (DST)
Week 7 Start ‘Em: Defenses
Start of the Week
Patriots D/ST vs. Jets (1 p.m. ET, CBS): New England was listed as a sit ‘em against the Cowboys last week, but an upcoming matchup against the Jets makes this defense a prime streamer. Defenses have averaged the most points when facing the Jets, who have committed nine giveaways and allowed 18 sacks and 57 quarterback pressures.
Week 7 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em
• QUARTERBACKS
• RUNNING BACKS
• WIDE RECEIVERS
• TIGHT ENDS
• KICKERS
• TEAM DEFENSES
Start ‘Em
Cardinals D/ST vs. Texans (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): The Texans and quarterback Davis Mills have been a prime matchup for fantasy defenses, and the Cardinals get the positive draw this week. Houston has averaged 15.3 points a game, and their offense has committed 11 giveaways. Their quarterbacks have also been sacked 14 times.
Panthers D/ST at Giants (1 p.m. ET, Fox): The Giants offense is a mess of injuries, and it negatively affected Daniel Jones last week. He was sacked four times, and Jones led the G-Men to just 11 points. What's more, New York had four giveaways and was held to 261 yards of total offense. That’s good news for Carolina's defense this weekend.
More Starts
- Rams D/ST vs. Lions (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox)
- Buccaneers D/ST vs. Bears (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS)
DFS Bargains
- Cardinals D/ST vs. Texans ($3,100)
- Raiders D/ST vs. Eagles ($3,000)
Week 7 Sit ‘Em: Defenses
Sit of the Week
Football Team D/ST at Packers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): The Football Team has another bad matchup this week, this time on the road against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Their offense has allowed just two sacks in the last five games while averaging nearly 30 points. Considering how poorly their defense has played, Washington is an easy sit.
Sit ‘Em
Eagles D/ST at Raiders (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): The Eagles defense ranks in the top 12 in fantasy points, but it's been a tough unit to trust every week. That will be the case this week, as Philadelphia faces Derek Carr and a Raiders offense that has put up an average of 385.2 total yards of offense and committed a mere four giveaways this season.
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Bears D/ST at Buccaneers (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): The Bears defense might rank in the top 10 in fantasy points after six weeks, but it’s still a matchup-based unit. This week, Chicago faces Tom Brady and a Buccaneers offense that has averaged 32.5 points and 426 yards of total offense. Tampa has also committed just six giveaways.
More Sits
- Chiefs D/ST at Titans (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
- Titans D/ST vs. Chiefs (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
DFS Fades
- Ravens D/ST vs. Bengals ($2,900)
- Bears D/ST at Buccaneers ($2,800)
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business!
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