3 FanDuel Defenses to Target in Week 7
Selecting a defense is never the most glamorous part of fantasy football. It often goes overlooked for the more fun positions that people want to watch and root for during the game. The good news is that if our opponents aren’t putting too much thought into their defense, we can gain an advantage with some research. So let’s dig in and try to identify some defenses that could be in a good position to score fantasy points this week.
Last week was a week where choosing the right defense could easily have been the difference between winning and losing. Let's carefully consider which defense we want to roster this week to give us the best possible chance of having a positive week. Also, week on FanDuel there is a defensive touchdown bonus in the Sunday Million, so you should perhaps pay more attention to the position this week if you're playing in that tournament.
Buffalo Bills
FanDuel Salary: $5,000
The Buffalo D/ST has had a good reputation over the past few seasons under head coach Sean McDermott. This year, it hasn't been going according to plan, as they are the eighth worst defense by our schedule-adjusted metrics. As a fantasy defense, they haven't been too good, either, scoring no more than eight FanDuel points in any game. The good news is that they get the best possible matchup this week.
The Buffalo Bills are playing the New York Jets in the second meeting between these two this campaign. The Jets have been a disaster and a team that we can target with defense all season long. The Miami D/ST is not nearly as talented as Buffalo's defense, and yet they managed to get a shutout and 15 fantasy points against this Jets team. The Jets are seventh in adjusted sack rate and tied for fifth in sacks allowed, according to Football Outsiders. Even if Sam Darnold does return in place of Joe Flacco, the Bills' defense will still be in a good spot because of Darnold's tendency to take risks and be careless with the ball.
The Bills are huge -13.5 favorites this week, by far the biggest spread on the slate. The Jets are dead last in offense by our numbers, so this should be a situation where the Bills are able to get right. Buffalo is our highest projected defense this week by more than one full fantasy point, so they are the defense you'll want to pay up for if you have the salary.
Los Angeles Chargers
FanDuel Salary: $4,500
The Los Angeles Chargers D/ST has some of the most talent in the league, but they haven't always been able to have all of their players on the field this season. Now they are coming off a bye week that should have allowed them to get healthier, and they get a great matchup this week.
The Los Angeles Chargers are back at home against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars struggled over the last two weeks in matchups that were a lot better -- against the Houston D/ST and Detroit D/ST -- turning the ball over twice in each game. Jacksonville's offensive line has also struggled this season, allowing 18 sacks, which is tied for the fifth most in the league.
Joey Bosa is one of the Chargers' defensive players who got healthy during the break after he was able to play just 28 snaps in their last game against the New Orleans Saints. Bosa is an elite pass rusher who will make any quarterback uncomfortable in the pocket.
The Chargers are projecting well by our model, sitting in third in our point-per-dollar value for a defense. At home as 7.5-point favorites against an offense that has struggled, the Bolts are a good play in all formats.
Washington Football Team
FanDuel Salary: $3,800
The cheap defense of the week has to be the Washington D/ST. They've performed reasonably well for how bad the team has been overall, recording the second most sacks of any team this season. They've also had eight takeaways in their six games. This week, they're in a great position to get even more sacks and takeaways.
The Washington Football Team will be playing their bitter rivals in the Dallas Cowboys. Anyone who watched the Cowboys on Monday Night Football probably would be ready to roster any defense against them. The first game with Andy Dalton under center resulted in three sacks and two interceptions. Dallas will be without starting tackles La'el Collins and Tyron Smith, and guard Zack Martin left Monday's game, as well. That will be a problem against Chase Young and Washington's pass rush, especially when you remove Dak Prescott's pocket mobility from the offense.
Washington is only a 1.0-point underdog at home against Dallas. With the Cowboys coming off a short week and now having to travel to the East Coast, this situation is nearly as good as it gets to play a defense under $4,000. If you want to save at the position but still have some upside, the Washington defense is the way to go.
Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
