Fantasy Football Week 7 IDP Streamers: Players from the Patriots, Chiefs, and More

The IDP fantasy players with the best stats are getting a chance to distance themselves from the pack now that we're one-third of the way through the season. Denver's Nik Bonitto leads the league with eight sacks, and linebacker Devin Lloyd of Jacksonville is at the top with four interceptions.

There is still a long way to go, and those guys might slow down during the middle portion of the season. Every week is like its own little chapter in the book of the season, so while past stats help, we must make determinations as to what will continue in the future. Lloyd might not keep picking off passes, but Bonitto is likely to keep taking down the quarterback.

Let's look at players from two teams at all three levels of the defense who have good matchups in Week 7. We'll focus on the guys who are widely available in fantasy leagues and able to be picked up and put into your fantasy lineup. Most stats are from NFL.com.

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Defensive Linemen

Carolina Panthers @ New York Jets

Justin Fields has been sacked the second most of any quarterback. He just went down nine times in Week 6. ESPN measures New York as 25th in pass block win rate; among quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts, Fields has taken the third-longest time to throw the ball, not helping himself or his offensive line.

The Carolina defense gets the pleasure of going after Fields this week, making their linemen decent bets to pick up a sack. The Panthers rank last in sacks, only taking down the quarterback five times in six games. They also rank last in pass rush with rate.

This is a bet on low-level streamers beating a weak matchup. Patrick Jones II and Nic Scourton have played the most snaps rushing the passer from the edge the previous two weeks, with D.J. Wonnum just behind them. Jones has one sack; he's the only one of the three to pick one up.

Playing most on the interior defensive line have been Derrick Brown, A'Shawn Robinson, and Bobby Brown III. Derrick Brown and Robinson both have one sack. It's an unexciting group up front.

These are low-level fantasy players, but the matchup is right if you just need a guy to fill in on the defensive line. Jones is the best edge option, with Scourton and Wonnum close behind. On the inside, Robinson is your best bet at picking up a sack, with the two Browns as secondary options (Derrick the better one).

New England Patriots @ Tennessee Titans

The only quarterback sacked more often than Fields is Tennessee's Cameron Ward, who has gone down 25 times; that's more than four sacks per game! The offensive line for the Titans started off poorly but actually ranks better than average in pass blocking by ESPN's measure. Much of the blame falls on Ward holding the ball too long.

New England's defense gets the chance at a big day of their own here. The Patriots are in the middle in pass rush win rate, though they have been susceptible to the pass. We're only worried about getting after the quarterback in this case.

The edge rushers who have been on the field most are Harold Landry III and K'Lavon Chaisson. Landry has 4.5 sacks this season and Chaisson 2.5. Landry is owned in more leagues but still has plenty of availability, and Chaisson is free in essentially every league.

Playing most on the interior are Milton Williams and Christian Barmore. Barmore had 8.5 sacks in 2023 but otherwise never topped 2.5, and he doesn't have one this year. Williams is the better fantasy player and is available in pretty much every league.

Landry and Williams are good pickups in Week 7, and Chaisson is a decent Plan B. Barmore is a lower-level option who is more of a desperation plan than a player to go after.

Linebackers

Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have run more plays per game than any other team. More plays mean more chances to rack up defensive stats, and no one gets more stats than linebackers. That often comes in the form of tackles, but sacks, interceptions, and fumbles are also more available.

San Francisco often operates through their running back, Christian McCaffrey, which sets up well for linebackers to be involved in both the run game and pass game. This is a high-ceiling matchup for Atlanta's linebackers.

The guys in question are Divine Deablo and Kaden Elliss, who have played essentially every defensive snap for the Falcons. They are both owned in some leagues, so they might not be free, but there's still plenty of availability.

Elliss is third on the team with 27 tackles and Deablo fourth with 23. Elliss has 1.5 sacks, and Deablo has defended four passes. These guys are involved on defense, and they will get plenty of chances to put up stats against the 49ers.

I'll give Elliss the slight advantage, but they are close to the same in terms of fantasy value and both worthy of a spot this week.

Miami Dolphins @ Cleveland Browns

The Browns are second in offensive plays per game, right behind San Francisco. It has been a years-long trend for Cleveland; they threw the ball 52 times on Sunday! Linebackers get a lot of chances against the Browns.

The men in the middle of the defense for Miami are Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson. Brooks is owned in most leagues, so you're looking more for Dodson if he plays. Dodson missed Week 6 with a concussion, so he needs to clear protocol before returning. In his place was K.J. Britt, who is a low-level streamer if Dodson is out and you need someone to fill in.

Miami doesn't have a very good defense, so there could be a lot of excitement when the Browns are on the field given how many plays they run. The defenders are going to benefit from a volume standpoint, making Brooks, Dodson, and Britt (in that order) good fantasy options in Week 7.

Defensive Backs

Cleveland Browns vs. Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa is third in the league with seven interceptions. Three of those came last week, and while they weren't necessarily all his fault, Tagovailoa has been susceptible to turning the ball over. He is also short on options in the passing game with Tyreek Hill out, so more passes into danger might be coming as guys struggle to get open.

Denzel Ward is Cleveland's top corner and a player worthy of fantasy consideration. He has deflected five passes and intercepted another while playing essentially every snap. Greg Newsome II had been playing the second cornerback spot, but the team traded him to Jacksonville for Tyson Campbell, who played 90% of the snaps in Week 6.

The two safeties who have played most of the snaps are Ronnie Hickman and Grant Delpit. They are third and fourth, respectively, on the team in tackles with 39 and 34, and Delpit has defended three passes and intercepted another. Hickman has one defended pass.

Ward is a fantastic pickup and maybe a weekly keeper. Hickman and Delpit are both good safety options, with Delpit the better playmaker so far. Campbell is a fine Plan B if you miss out on Ward.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Geno Smith has thrown more interceptions than any other player, a whopping 10 in six games. I kept thinking he would work it out because Smith hasn't been interception-prone in the past, but the picks keep coming, and we need to react accordingly.

The defensive backs going against Smith have IDP value every week. This week, that lucky group belongs to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Three cornerbacks have pretty much never left the field: Trent McDuffie, Chamarri Conner, and Jaylen Watson. Conner is more of a safety/cornerback hybrid, so you'll have to see where he slots in for fantasy purposes, but he doesn't leave the field.

Conner is second on the team with 51 tackles, a product of lining up as a safety more, and he has forced two fumbles. McDuffie has 26 tackles, six defended passes, and an interception, and Watson has 30 tackles, three defended passes, and an interception.

The other safeties who have been on the field are Bryan Cook and Jaden Hicks. Cook has been more involved, playing about 100 more snaps and racking up 25 tackles to 15 for Hicks. They are lower-level fantasy players than the three listed above.

McDuffie, Watson, and Conner are all worthy fantasy players against Miami. Conner is a little more owned, but the others are widely available. Cook is an OK Plan B if you are otherwise without a good option.