Week 7 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Fantasy Football: 5 Defenses You Must Play

Another week of midseason football means one thing, and that's bye weeks.

A lot of them.

With the Bills, Bengals, Patriots, Giants, Eagles and 49ers, there are some big fantasy options that will be relegated to your bench this week.

That includes the defense, as each of those units offer a lot. Still, there are 26 teams in action this week, so we can find five defenses worth starting.

Some of these defenses are likely available in your league, while some are owned in nearly all fantasy leagues already.

Whether you can claim them or not, these are five defenses that must be started by whoever owns them.

In the spirit of competition, if you notice your opponent leaving one of these teams on the bench, I'd suggest you call them up and tell him or her to start them.

Actually, don't do that. 

Cleveland Browns

All season long, I have adopted a theory to play the defense that's opposing the Seahawks.

While I have to admit that Seattle is much better than I thought they would be, they still turn the ball over an awful lot. On top of that, they sometimes have a problem protecting the quarterback.

Tarvaris Jackson is also coming off an injury. It will either be him starting against Cleveland, or a terribly unproven Charlie Whitehurst.

On top of that, the Browns have a decent defense. Against a strong Raiders offense, they allowed only one offensive touchdown in the Coliseum.

The Raiders returned one kick off, and scored on a fake field-goal. 

Baltimore Ravens

Thinking back to the Ravens' Super Bowl win, it's hard to remember a single week where the Ravens wouldn't have been a good fantasy play.

They simply do everything well. Baltimore is loaded with All-Pros and even a few future Hall of Famers.

The Jaguars offense simply isn't good enough to even consider benching the Ravens.

On a sidenote, while the Jaguars defense doesn't crack the Top Five, they're probably not the worst play this week, either. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

I guess the AFC North is all about the defenses. Normally, the Bengals aren't even a bad play, but they're off this week.

As for the Steelers, even with an injured defensive unit, they are still a great play. The chances are good that they're not going to allow a lot of points, that they will get to the quarterback and that they will force some turnovers.

Plus, after some initial doubt, it seems like Pittsburgh will indeed have Troy Polamalu.

The Cardinals offense is having a hard time getting going this year. I really like this matchup for the Steelers. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This is another game where either defense is a good play. Tampa is a solid unit, who has actually put up good fantasy numbers in every week, except in their Week 5 loss in San Francisco.

The Bears have yet to prove that they can keep Jay Cutler on his feet on a consistent basis. Cutler's actually only thrown four interceptions this year, which is nothing short of remarkable given the constant pressure in his face.

No matter who wins, I see a low-scoring game, with plenty of sacks and possible turnovers coming from the Buccaneers. 

San Diego Chargers

A few teams could take this spot, but I am going with the Chargers. The Jets offense is just not clicking right now. I'm wondering what kind of effort some of those players are putting in.

The Chargers have defensive issues, but they also have a lot of talent in place. It's quite likely that they will force a few turnovers and not allow a lot of points.

Until the Jets offense proves their worth, their opponent will always be a good play.