by Nate Polvogt
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If you like winning, come back every week for streaming defenses and droppable players to keep you in contention until the final contest. We leave no stone unturned to ensure we give you the BEST chance to win week in and week out. Let’s get to it with our Week 7 Fantasy Football Starts and Drops: Streaming D/STs & droppable players.
~ Check out our Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings ~
We’re almost halfway through the fantasy football regular season, and it’s time to buckle down and get ready for a playoff push.
If you’re like me, you stream defenses. Here are my favorite D/ST units for Week 7, plus four players you can drop confidently to make room on your fantasy football rosters.
Week 7 Fantasy Football Starts & Drops
Week 7 Streaming D/STs
New Orleans Saints (vs DEN)
While Denver has been better lately, they’re still not good. They’ve committed 11 turnovers through six games, and QB Bo Nix has been sacked nine times this season, with five coming in the last two weeks. As a team, they are averaging 18.7 points per game, the ninth-worst average in the league.
New Orleans also has offensive issues, but their defense has been solid all season. Denver will have difficulty moving the ball on Thursday night, let alone scoring. New Orleans is an easy-to-roster streaming D/ST with a high upside for Week 7.
Indianapolis Colts (vs Miami)
All signs in Miami point to QB Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) being out for an extended period. The combination of QBs Tyler Huntley and Skylar Thompson in his absence has been abysmal at best. WR Tyreek Hill has become a fantasy football ghost, as has teammate Jaylen Waddle.
The Colts defense isn’t outstanding, but it’s doubtful Miami can get much going on offense. The Dolphins are averaging a league-worst 12 points per game plus a turnover per game this season. While not a D/ST option for every week, Indianapolis will do just fine as a streamer in Week 7.
New England (at JAC)
This is a simple D/ST streaming call for Week 7. New England has a serviceable defense. They rank 21st in points allowed (23.8) and have generated seven turnovers through six games.
Jacksonville, on the other hand, isn’t very good. They are scoring the 11th fewest points per game (18.8) and have turned the ball over seven times this season. Don’t overthink it.
Cincinnati Bengals (at Cleveland)
When a QB has a historically bad season, you target them in fantasy football. It’s a pretty solid, simple strategy for winning. As luck would have it, Cincinnati draws QB Deshaun Watson and the division rival Cleveland Browns this week.
Watson boasts the lowest recorded QBR in NFL history through five games (21.5), has been sacked 31 times (13.5 percent of dropbacks), and his net 4.1 yards per attempt put him in the worst 1 percent of QBs in NFL HISTORY. The Bengals’ defense isn’t a top-notch unit, but the Browns can make every team look like an all-star team, and Cincinnati is next up.
Week 7 Droppables
Rachaad White (RB – TB)
Tampa Bay has found its combo of effective RBs, and veteran Rachaad White does not appear to be one of them. Rookie Bucky Irving was already eating into his workload, and now Sean Tucker is here to take away even more. White (foot) is unlikely to return to much volume once healthy. He’s a roster-clogger, and you can confidently make someone else’s problem.
Zack Moss (RB – CIN)
If you didn’t believe the Cincinnati backfield was shifting in RB Chase Brown’s favor, you cannot deny it any longer. While fellow RB Zack Moss was active this past Sunday, he might as well have been at home.
Moss couldn’t muster much on the ground against the Giants, turning six carries into 13 yards while losing a fumble against the New York Giants. Furthermore, Moss hasn’t found the endzone since Week 4, and even then has only scored three times. Moss’ time as a relevant fantasy football asset, at least in 2024, has come to a close, and you can safely drop him from your rosters.
Ja’Lynn Polk (WR – NE)
Many fantasy managers had high hopes for rookie WR Ja’Lynn Polk heading into the 2024 season. Those hopes have faded quickly.
Polk has only managed to haul in 10 of his 23 targets this season, amassing 23 receiving yards and one TD. Last week, he caught one pass for four yards. There is more of the same ahead for the rookie from the University of Washington. While there may be brighter pastures ahead for Polk, they aren’t in 2024. Drop him now and save yourself further headaches.
Cam Akers (RB – HOU)
Much of Cam Akers’ fantasy value was predicated on his complementary role to Joe Mixon. Akers saw a nice bump for a few weeks with Mixon injured but ultimately lost that lead role to fellow RB Dare Ogunbowale.
Last week, with Mixon back, Akers was a ghost, playing just two snaps and logging one carry for -1 yards. Holding Akers would be a bet on Mixon missing time down the line, and even that isn’t a good bet. Ogunbowale out-snapped Akers significantly last week against the Patriots, a sign that Akers is on the outs in Houston and should also be off your fantasy football rosters.
Nate Polvogt is a Co-Founder and the lead senior analyst for Optimus Fantasy Football. Find more from Nate on X (formerly Twitter) @NatePolvogt and on Optimus Fantasy.
by Nate Polvogt
Share
If you like winning, come back every week for streaming defenses and droppable players to keep you in contention until the final contest. We leave no stone unturned to ensure we give you the BEST chance to win week in and week out. Let’s get to it with our Week 7 Fantasy Football Starts and Drops: Streaming D/STs & droppable players.
~ Check out our Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings ~
We’re almost halfway through the fantasy football regular season, and it’s time to buckle down and get ready for a playoff push.
If you’re like me, you stream defenses. Here are my favorite D/ST units for Week 7, plus four players you can drop confidently to make room on your fantasy football rosters.
Week 7 Fantasy Football Starts & Drops
Week 7 Streaming D/STs
New Orleans Saints (vs DEN)
While Denver has been better lately, they’re still not good. They’ve committed 11 turnovers through six games, and QB Bo Nix has been sacked nine times this season, with five coming in the last two weeks. As a team, they are averaging 18.7 points per game, the ninth-worst average in the league.
New Orleans also has offensive issues, but their defense has been solid all season. Denver will have difficulty moving the ball on Thursday night, let alone scoring. New Orleans is an easy-to-roster streaming D/ST with a high upside for Week 7.
Indianapolis Colts (vs Miami)
All signs in Miami point to QB Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) being out for an extended period. The combination of QBs Tyler Huntley and Skylar Thompson in his absence has been abysmal at best. WR Tyreek Hill has become a fantasy football ghost, as has teammate Jaylen Waddle.
The Colts defense isn’t outstanding, but it’s doubtful Miami can get much going on offense. The Dolphins are averaging a league-worst 12 points per game plus a turnover per game this season. While not a D/ST option for every week, Indianapolis will do just fine as a streamer in Week 7.
New England (at JAC)
This is a simple D/ST streaming call for Week 7. New England has a serviceable defense. They rank 21st in points allowed (23.8) and have generated seven turnovers through six games.
Jacksonville, on the other hand, isn’t very good. They are scoring the 11th fewest points per game (18.8) and have turned the ball over seven times this season. Don’t overthink it.
Cincinnati Bengals (at Cleveland)
When a QB has a historically bad season, you target them in fantasy football. It’s a pretty solid, simple strategy for winning. As luck would have it, Cincinnati draws QB Deshaun Watson and the division rival Cleveland Browns this week.
Watson boasts the lowest recorded QBR in NFL history through five games (21.5), has been sacked 31 times (13.5 percent of dropbacks), and his net 4.1 yards per attempt put him in the worst 1 percent of QBs in NFL HISTORY. The Bengals’ defense isn’t a top-notch unit, but the Browns can make every team look like an all-star team, and Cincinnati is next up.
Week 7 Droppables
Rachaad White (RB – TB)
Tampa Bay has found its combo of effective RBs, and veteran Rachaad White does not appear to be one of them. Rookie Bucky Irving was already eating into his workload, and now Sean Tucker is here to take away even more. White (foot) is unlikely to return to much volume once healthy. He’s a roster-clogger, and you can confidently make someone else’s problem.
Zack Moss (RB – CIN)
If you didn’t believe the Cincinnati backfield was shifting in RB Chase Brown’s favor, you cannot deny it any longer. While fellow RB Zack Moss was active this past Sunday, he might as well have been at home.
Moss couldn’t muster much on the ground against the Giants, turning six carries into 13 yards while losing a fumble against the New York Giants. Furthermore, Moss hasn’t found the endzone since Week 4, and even then has only scored three times. Moss’ time as a relevant fantasy football asset, at least in 2024, has come to a close, and you can safely drop him from your rosters.
Ja’Lynn Polk (WR – NE)
Many fantasy managers had high hopes for rookie WR Ja’Lynn Polk heading into the 2024 season. Those hopes have faded quickly.
Polk has only managed to haul in 10 of his 23 targets this season, amassing 23 receiving yards and one TD. Last week, he caught one pass for four yards. There is more of the same ahead for the rookie from the University of Washington. While there may be brighter pastures ahead for Polk, they aren’t in 2024. Drop him now and save yourself further headaches.
Cam Akers (RB – HOU)
Much of Cam Akers’ fantasy value was predicated on his complementary role to Joe Mixon. Akers saw a nice bump for a few weeks with Mixon injured but ultimately lost that lead role to fellow RB Dare Ogunbowale.
Last week, with Mixon back, Akers was a ghost, playing just two snaps and logging one carry for -1 yards. Holding Akers would be a bet on Mixon missing time down the line, and even that isn’t a good bet. Ogunbowale out-snapped Akers significantly last week against the Patriots, a sign that Akers is on the outs in Houston and should also be off your fantasy football rosters.
Nate Polvogt is a Co-Founder and the lead senior analyst for Optimus Fantasy Football. Find more from Nate on X (formerly Twitter) @NatePolvogt and on Optimus Fantasy.
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