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Matt's must-start fantasy football waiver wire defenses (D/ST) to stream and start for Week 7 of the 2025 season. His fantasy defense start 'em, sit 'em picks.
The 2025 NFL season heads into Week 7, which means fantasy managers are currently dealing with byes, injuries, and simply put... some underperforming defensive units. Looking for a Week 7 D/ST streamer? You've come to the right place! RotoBaller analyst Matt Donnelly drops his fantasy football must-start defenses (D/ST) for Week 7 of the 2025 season.
These defenses can impact your matchups in Week 7! We are here to help with your Week 7 D/ST streamers, to give you the tools needed to set those winning lineups and dominate your matchups.
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2025 Fantasy Football: Week 7 Defenses To Start (D/ST)
Matt Donnelly drops his top Defenses for Week 7 of the 2025 fantasy football season:
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Week 7 Fantasy Football Defense Outlooks
New England Patriots D/ST at TEN
The Patriots have played well defensively in recent weeks. They haven't allowed more than 20 points in a game since Week 3 and have totaled at least six fantasy points in five of six contests. Now, this defense gets a favorable matchup against a Titans offense that ranks 32nd in points per game this season.
As a result, the Patriots will come in as the No. 2-ranked defense this week. The Titans rank tied for first in sacks allowed (25) through six weeks, and Cam Ward has been sacked at least four times in four different games this season. Although New England has only totaled four sacks over the last four games, you should feel confident starting them against this Tennessee offense.
Kansas City Chiefs D/ST vs. LV
The Chiefs had a fantastic game plan in last week's win over the Lions. They held Detroit's high-powered offense to just 17 points, marking the third time in three weeks this defense has allowed 20 points or fewer in a game. With a matchup against the Raiders upcoming in Week 7, Kansas City's D/ST will be a top-3 play.
The Chiefs currently rank top-10 in pressure rate to go with a top-14 sack percentage (7.41%) to begin the season. Not only have the Raiders allowed 18 sacks through six weeks (tied for the fifth-most), but Geno Smith currently leads the league with 10 interceptions. Given that Smith will be under pressure all game, this Kansas City defense should be in most fantasy lineups.
Miami Dolphins D/ST at Cleveland Browns
The Dolphins might be one of the riskier defenses to roll with in Week 7. They have allowed at least 27 points in five of six games, while ranking around league-average in both pass rush win rate and pressure rate. However, this Miami defense is worth a look in some leagues against a bottom-five Browns offense.
Dillon Gabriel has been sacked eight times in his two starts, and the Browns have scored just 26 combined points in those two games. Given that the Dolphins have totaled multiple sacks in four of the last five weeks, they should be a safe enough fantasy option in most 10-plus team leagues. Cleveland also ranks 26th in pass block win rate so far this year.
Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST at CIN
The Steelers looked like one of the worst defenses in the NFL after two weeks. They allowed 30 points in back-to-back games and couldn't get any pressure on the quarterback. Well, it looks like those defensive struggles are in the past. Pittsburgh has totaled 17 sacks over its past three games while forcing seven turnovers during this span.
Therefore, this Steelers' D/ST is a top-5 option in Week 7. The Bengals rank 32nd in pass block win rate, and it's hard to imagine this Joe Flacco-led offense is going to be moving the ball at will in this game. Pittsburgh ranks in the top-5 in both pass rush win rate and pressure rate in 2025.
Houston Texans D/ST at SEA
There's no doubt that the Texans have had one of the best defenses through six weeks. They rank first in points allowed, 14th in sack percentage, third in pass rush win rate, and 13th in pressure rate. All that makes this Houston D/ST a potential start in 12-plus team leagues this week.
This is definitely a tougher matchup for the Texans against a Seahawks offense that scores a lot of points and doesn't give up many sacks. However, this is the same Houston defense that held the Rams to 14 points in Week 1 and the Buccaneers to 20 points in Week 2. In both of those games against high-powered offenses, this D/ST scored a combined 15 fantasy points.
Week 7 D/ST Rankings
| D/ST Tier | D/ST Rank | D/ST Name | Pos. |
| 1 | 1 | New England Patriots | DST |
| 1 | 2 | Denver Broncos | DST |
| 1 | 3 | Kansas City Chiefs | DST |
| 1 | 4 | Green Bay Packers | DST |
| 2 | 5 | Cleveland Browns | DST |
| 2 | 6 | Chicago Bears | DST |
| 3 | 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DST |
| 3 | 8 | Seattle Seahawks | DST |
| 3 | 9 | Houston Texans | DST |
| 3 | 10 | Los Angeles Rams | DST |
| 4 | 11 | Philadelphia Eagles | DST |
| 4 | 12 | Jacksonville Jaguars | DST |
| 4 | 13 | Miami Dolphins | DST |
| 4 | 14 | Carolina Panthers | DST |
| 4 | 15 | Minnesota Vikings | DST |
| 5 | 16 | New York Jets | DST |
| 5 | 17 | Detroit Lions | DST |
| 5 | 18 | Indianapolis Colts | DST |
| 5 | 19 | New York Giants | DST |
| 5 | 20 | Atlanta Falcons | DST |
| 5 | 21 | Los Angeles Chargers | DST |
| 5 | 22 | San Francisco 49ers | DST |
| 6 | 23 | Washington Commanders | DST |
| 6 | 24 | Arizona Cardinals | DST |
| 6 | 25 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DST |
| 6 | 26 | Tennessee Titans | DST |
| 6 | 27 | New Orleans Saints | DST |
| 7 | 28 | Cincinnati Bengals | DST |
| 7 | 29 | Dallas Cowboys | DST |
| 7 | 30 | Las Vegas Raiders | DST |
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 7 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding defenses like the New England Patriots DST, Kansas City Chiefs DST, Miami Dolphins DST, New York Giants DST, Los Angeles Chargers DST. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 7. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 7 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific defenses like the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 7.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 7 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 7 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 7 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 7 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for the New England Patriots, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins compared to others:
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