Raiders quarterback Geno Smith is sacked by Patriots linebacker Harold Landry III during a Sept. 7, 2025, game at Gillette Stadium.

Picking the right DST unit in fantasy football comes down to one simple rule: The best defense is a bad offense.

This week provides one of the best examples of that maxim with some tasty matchups for fantasy managers. The New England Patriots have the good fortune to face the Tennessee Titans, owners of NFL's worst offense though the first six weeks of the season. The Kansas City Chiefs get to host the turnover-prone Las Vegas Raiders (an NFL-leading 10 intereceptions). And the Pittsburgh Steelers face off against Joe Flacco and the Cincinnati Bengals (tied for most turnovers with 11).

Not surprisingly, those are the top three defense/special teams units for this week.

WEEK 7 BYES: Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills

(Rankings by Elisha Twerski, whose complete Week 7 rankings for every position will be updated up until kickoff on Sunday.)2

Fantasy football Week 7 defense/special teams rankings

  1. New England Patriots (NE) at TEN
  2. Kansas City Chiefs (KC) vs. LV
  3. Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT) at CIN
  4. Green Bay Packers (GB) at ARI
  5. Denver Broncos (DEN) vs. NYG
  6. Philadelphia Eagles (PHI) at MIN
  7. Cleveland Browns (CLE) vs. MIA
  8. Los Angeles Rams (LAR) at JAC
  9. Seattle Seahawks (SEA) vs. HOU
  10. Houston Texans (HOU) at SEA
  11. Carolina Panthers (CAR) at NYJ
  12. New York Jets (NYJ) vs. CAR
  13. Chicago Bears (CHI) vs. NO
  14. Jacksonville Jaguars (JAC) vs. LAR
  15. Minnesota Vikings (MIN) vs. PHI
  16. San Francisco 49ers (SF) vs. ATL
  17. Miami Dolphins (MIA) at CLE
  18. Los Angeles Chargers (LAC) vs. IND
  19. Detroit Lions (DET) vs. TB
  20. Indianapolis Colts (IND) at LAC
  21. Atlanta Falcons (ATL) at SF
  22. New York Giants (NYG) at DEN
  23. Arizona Cardinals (ARI) vs. GB
  24. Washington Commanders (WAS) at DAL
  25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (TB) at DET
  26. Tennessee Titans (TEN) vs. NE
  27. New Orleans Saints (NO) at CHI
  28. Dallas Cowboys (DAL) vs. WAS
  29. Las Vegas Raiders (LV) at KC
  30. Cincinnati Bengals (CIN) vs. PIT

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Week 7 fantasy football defense rankings: Best D/ST streamers, starts

Reporting by Steve Gardner, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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