Should you drop the Ravens defense? Week 7 fantasy projection explored
The Baltimore Ravens defense was one of the most desirable units to target during fantasy football drafts this year. They were the top-ranked fantasy defense at the end of last season and turned in incredibly consistent weekly results. This includes finishing among the top 15 weekly defenses in 14 of their 17 games last season.
The 2024 season has been a much different story for Baltimore as its defense has uncharacteristically struggled. It has finished among the top 15 weekly defenses just once across the first six games and has become an outright drop candidate with Week 7 quickly approaching.
Should I drop Ravens defense for Week 7 fantasy football?
Many managers choose to stream defenses for their weekly fantasy football lineups depending upon which offense they are matched up against. This has proven to be a valuable startegy for any manager that failed to draft an elite defense. Those who drafted the Ravens defense thought that they were getting an elite unit, but it has failed to live up to expectations.
Baltimore has turned in just one game through the first six weeks of the 2024 season where it has finished in the range of being a starting defense in fantasy lineups. It has already finished twice outside of the top 20 weekly defenses this year after doing so just once last season.
Defenses aren't necessarily a premium fantasy position, so most managers choose to just keep one of them on their rosters. Considering how poorly it has performed so far, it makes sense to drop the Ravens defense ahead of Week 7. A challenging matchup against a strong Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense this week further suggests that now is the time to move on.
Ravens defense fantasy outlook for rest of 2024 season
The Ravens defense is expected to score just 6.5 fantasy points in Week 7 of the 2024 season, according to Sportskeeda's Who Should I Start tool. This valuable generator gives managers fantasy projections and lineup suggestions to help them make better weekly decisions.
Six weeks is a long enough sample size to identify that the Baltimore unit has not been the same defense as it was last season. It surely has the ability to bounce back, but that's not enough for fantasy managers to stick with it right now. It has dropped out from being a must-roster unit to a weekly streaming option in favorable matchups, like most other defenses.