A look at the NFL schedule for Week 7 offers us some quality matchups to take advantage of. While there's obviously the top plays that always attract the attention and are weekly locks in lineups, we can also see some lesser-recognized defenses that should be worthy of starts in DFS and season-long leagues. So, let's take a look at the defense/special teams rankings for Sunday's slate of games.
| Rank: | Team: | Opponent: | Note: |
| 1. | Minnesota Vikings D/ST | v. BAL | Baltimore enters the week with the fourth-fewest total yards per game and Joe Flacco is in a massive decline. Minnesota's defense will eat on Sunday. |
| 2. | Jacksonville Jaguars D/ST | @ IND | Jacksonville boasts one of the best defenses in the NFL and if not for a leaky run defense, JAX would likely be the top defensive unit every week. |
| 3. | Seattle Seahawks D/ST | @ NYG | While it may not be the defensive force it used to be, Seattle's secondary should find great success against Eli Manning and New York's backup receivers. |
| 4. | Carolina Panthers D/ST | @ CHI | The potential absence of Luke Kuechly will be felt, but Carolina matches up well against Chicago's run-heavy offense and should deliver a strong outing. |
| 5. | Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST | v. CIN | Cincinnati enters in the bottom 10 in YPG. While things have improved under Bill Lazor, Andy Dalton is turnover prone and PIT can bring pressure. |
| 6. | Buffalo Bills D/ST | v. TB | Buffalo allows the third-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing QBs and Jameis Winston will play hurt, scoop up some share of the Bills' defense. |
| 7. | Kanas City Chiefs D/ST | @ OAK | While Kansas City's secondary is weak opposite Marcus Peters, Derek Carr is turnover prone and the Chiefs can shut down OAK's run game. |
| 8. | Denver Broncos D/ST | @ LAC | DEN secondary will make life tough for Philip Rivers, but will be challenged by Melvin Gordon. That said, DEN remains a top-10 defense. |
| 9. | Tennessee Titans D/ST | @ CLE | While TEN has some issues defensively, DeShone Kizer has turnover issues, no weapons around him and a struggling run game. You can trust TEN D/ST. |
| 10. | Baltimore Ravens D/ST | @ MIN | With the potential return of DT Brandon Williams, Baltimore's run defense could see significant improvement. If Williams plays, BAL D/ST is top-10. |
| 11. | Los Angeles Rams D/ST | v. ARZ | A trip to London might have some slight impact on an aging Cardinals' offense and the Rams defense has enough pieces to prevent a high-scoring battle. |
| 12. | Los Angeles Chargers D/ST | v. DEN | Los Angeles' defense is a sneaky play that should get some DFS shares. Trevor Siemian is prone to some turnovers and LAC will be cheap on DraftKings. |
| 13. | New Orleans Saints D/ST | @ GB | New Orleans will bring the heat in Hundley's first start and with Green Bay's offensive line limited with injuries, they'll find success and cause a turnover. |
| 14. | Philadelphia Eagles D/ST | v. WAS | This is a different defense when Fletcher Cox is on the field and with the front seven's ability to generate pressure, they could force some turnovers. |
| 15. | Miami Dolphins D/ST | v. NYJ | Miami's run defense shined once against and should create some pressure on Josh McCown. The fantasy point total won't be great, but it won't hurt. |