There are a ton of defenses with great fantasy football outlooks in Week 7. With that, here are four defenses that all fantasy managers should start this week.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans defense, despite having a down game in Week 6, should bounce back in Week 7 against the New York Giants.
A strong point for the Texans thus far in 2026 has been their rushing defense. They are allowing the third-fewest rushing yards per game. That may force the Giants to have a heavier pass game, which could equate to Houston having a fairly high fantasy floor.
QB J.J. McCarthy will be making his first start for the Texans; despite showing promise in Week 6 when he came in for Jameis Winston, there is a larger sample size of him being a bad passer in the NFL. In 2025, in 10 games, he threw for over 200 passing yards just twice. He also had an 11-12 TD-to-INT ratio.
New York Jets
The New York Jets have been one of the better fantasy defenses in 2026. Through six weeks, they currently rank as D/ST10. They have a chance of climbing the rankings in Week 7, with their opponent being the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins’ offense has continually been disappointing, giving the opposing defense they face a high fantasy floor for fantasy managers to bank on. They are currently tied for averaging the fewest points per game in the NFL, 14.0.
Also, their QB Malik Willis is continually making questionable decisions. Last week he threw two interceptions. He was also sacked three times, which is a strength of New York, which is tied for averaging the seventh -most sacks per game in the league, 2.8.
Cleveland Browns
Like the Jets, the Cleveland Browns’ Week 7 opponent alone makes them a good start in fantasy. They face the Tennessee Titans.
In 2026, the Titans offense has been pretty abysmal. They are the team tied with the Dolphins for averaging the fewest points per game in the NFL. Also, while he has improved at maneuvering the pocket to avoid sacks this season, QB Cam Ward, along with his OL, keeps the door open for a large number of attempts for defenses to hit him.
In two games this season, he has been sacked three or more times. The Browns are averaging the fourth-most sacks per game in the league: 3.2. Also notably, in Ward’s last four games, he has thrown an INT.
Denver Broncos
After a slow start to the 2026 season in fantasy, the Denver Broncos defense is starting to find their footing. Over their past two games, they have ranked as D/ST3. With their opponent being the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7, fantasy managers should feel more than comfortable starting them again.
The Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett has not been great at taking care of the ball this season. He has thrown six interceptions, tied for the third most INTs in the NFL. The Broncos should capitalize on that, as they are tied for being the team with the second most INT in the NFL with seven.
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