All 32 teams are in action in Week 8, giving fantasy managers their full complement of roster players to choose from. It also makes streaming defenses more viable with the full 16-game slate. Below, we rank every fantasy D/ST unit for Week 8, highlighting the best of the best and potential streaming options.
All stats courtesy TruMedia unless otherwise stated.
1) Los Angeles Chargers (vs. NO)
Jake Haener may get the start after Spencer Rattler’s disastrous Thursday night showing, but either would make the Chargers the best unit of the week. Los Angeles has the league’s top-ranked scoring defense, and they could get a Saints offense that was stuck on three points until Haener’s garbage-time touchdown on the final drive.
The Saints rank 27th in points per drive since Week 3, as the offense was struggling even before Derek Carr’s oblique injury. The Chargers D/ST will drop down a couple spots if it turns out Carr can return for this game, but they are a top-five unit no matter what in this matchup.
2) Denver Broncos (vs. CAR)
Even without All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the Broncos totally suffocated the New Orleans Saints in Week 7. The Broncos piled up four sacks and two takeaways, returning the second fumble for a 52-yard score. Only a garbage-time touchdown from Jake Haener got the Saints to double digits.
CODY BARTON PICK SIX!
📺: #TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/8cvp88LPte
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos)
The Panthers might be nearly as hopeless, but they are unlikely to stress the Broncos’ defense much more in Denver. The Broncos have a difficult three-game stretch coming up against the Ravens, Chiefs, and Falcons, but they are an elite unit you can start without question in Week 8.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. NYG)
The Steelers enter their Week 7 Sunday night game vs. the New York Jets as the No. 4 defense in terms of points allowed per drive. That has helped sustain Pittsburgh’s ceiling, even as their pass rush has fallen outside the top half of the league in both pressure rate and sacks.
The Giants won’t pose much of a threat with an offense that averages the fourth-fewest points per drive this season. As such, expect another typical Steelers D/ST performance where the ceiling might not be as high as in past seasons, but the floor for points and yards allowed is as solid as any unit in Week 8.
4) New York Jets (at NE)
The Jets get a game against boom-or-bust rookie Drake Maye. Although Maye makes the Patriots’ offense more exciting from a real-life perspective, his aggressive nature also makes him more vulnerable to negative plays (AKA gold for fantasy defenses).
Maye has already taken six sacks with three turnovers in his first two starts, one of which was against the woeful Jacksonville Jaguars defense. The Jets rank third in sack rate, which should allow them to pile up a handful of points through their pass rush alone.
5) Green Bay Packers (at JAX)
The Jaguars are a talented but dysfunctional offense, which makes for a toxic combination against the best takeaway-generating unit in the league. The Packers continue to lead the NFL with 17 takeaways this season, even after failing to record one on Sunday vs. the Houston Texans.
The takeaway-less performance from the Packers may have actually been their best defensive game of the season, holding C.J. Stroud to 86 pass yards on 21 attempts. The Jaguars are actually an above-average unit in terms of turnovers per drive, but the Packers are a must-start unit at the moment.
6) Kansas City Chiefs (at LV)
The Raiders have been one of the most hapless offenses in the league, ranking 26th in points per drive and last in turnovers per drive. The latter is key to the Chiefs’ fantasy value, as they should be able to generate a few takeaways against a banged-up Raiders offense that was missing Zamir White and Jakobi Meyers on Sunday after trading away Davante Adams.
The Chiefs will almost certainly enjoy a positive game script, allowing the pass rush more opportunities to get after Gardner Minshew. Kansas City just posted its best dropback success rate of the season on defense in Sunday’s win over the 49ers. The Chiefs are certainly playing well enough to take advantage of this matchup.
7) New York Giants (at PIT)
The Giants continue to lead the league in sacks (31), which makes them a must-start defense against Russell Wilson. Wilson has traditionally ranked near the top of the NFL in terms of average time to throw, which naturally invites more pressure. That should give New York plenty of opportunities to tee off in their pass rush.
The one X-factor to watch out for is the health of the Giants’ two best pass rushers, Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns. Both played in Week 7 after missing practice throughout the week, but any setbacks in their health (particularly that of Lawrence, who leads the NFL with 9.0 sacks this season) could drop this unit a few spots.
Dexter Lawrence is the best defender in football. 2 sacks already today, incredible. pic.twitter.com/DRryDQCWVE
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM)
8) Houston Texans (vs. IND)
The Texans have the fourth-highest sack rate in the NFL, which has helped boost more middling rankings in points per drive and takeaways. The pass rush alone gives this unit a fairly high floor, especially against a Colts offense that looked totally lost with Anthony Richardson back at quarterback (10/24 passing for 129 yards).
The health of Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is one to watch here, as it could move the Texans ranking down a bit if Taylor returns. Taylor is averaging a robust 4.8 yards per carry, compared to 3.5 for all other Colts running backs.
9) Chicago Bears (at WAS)
The Bears are coming off their Week 7 bye as one of the elite units in the league. Chicago ranks fourth in EPA per play, including first in EPA per dropback. That might make for a best-on-best matchup against Jayden Daniels, who leads all quarterbacks in EPA per dropback.
However, Daniels exited Sunday’s game with a rib injury on the first drive and did not return. By all indications, this is not a serious injury that will force Daniels to miss extended time, but he may need a week off. Even if he does play, there’s a chance the Commanders could dial back his designed rush attempts, which would neuter one of the game’s best rushing attacks.
As such, the Bears are a more comfortable start than they would have been had Daniels remained totally healthy. If Marcus Mariota starts, Chicago is an easy top-five unit.
10) Minnesota Vikings (at LAR)
The Vikings are playing on the road on Thursday night and facing a Rams offense that will apparently return Cooper Kupp, as Rams coach Sean McVay revealed after Sunday’s game. For that reason, they don’t rank quite as high as they would in a normal week.
#Rams WR Cooper Kupp is expected to return on Thursday night vs the Vikings after missing the last four games, coach McVay confirmed. pic.twitter.com/OhFX77xnUV
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report)
However, there should still be moments for Brian Flores’ pass rush to get after Matthew Stafford. The Rams quarterback ranks 24th in sack rate, and he now faces a Vikings defense that has generated the third-most sacks this season despite already having their bye week.
11) San Francisco 49ers (vs. DAL)
The Cowboys have turned it over at the second-highest rate in the NFL on a per-drive basis this season. So while there may be some residual doubt about starting your defense against Dallas, remember that the 2024 Cowboys don’t bear any resemblance to the unit that led the league in scoring last season.
San Francisco has a middling sack total, but they’ve generated pressure at the eighth-highest rate, suggesting that some positive regression could be in store. The Cowboys’ offensive line was banged up before bye week, with left tackle Tyler Guyton missing their last game vs. the Lions and Zack Martin not performing at his usual All-Pro level while dealing with injuries. Check the injury report for their statuses, as that could bump the Niners up a spot or two.
12) Detroit Lions (vs. TEN)
The Lions’ first game without Aidan Hutchinson was up-and-down against the Vikings on Sunday. Seven of Minnesota’s 29 points came from a defensive score, but the Lions also allowed a season-worst 7.4 yards per play.
Thankfully for Detroit, they’ll get a softer landing spot in Week 8 against the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans have not fared well regardless of their quarterback, though the Lions would surely love to see Will Levis return. Levis is still somehow tied for the league lead with 10 turnovers despite missing Sunday’s game, already having his bye, and missing most of their Week 4 win over the Dolphins.
But even in their two games with Mason Rudolph playing the majority of the game, the Titans are averaging -0.18 EPA per play, which would rank 30th. So the Lions are a fairly strong start regardless of Tennessee’s quarterback situation.
13) Baltimore Ravens (at CLE)
The Ravens have fallen far from the elite unit that allowed the fewest points per game in 2023. Entering their Week 7 Monday night game in Tampa Bay, the Ravens ranked 29th in EPA per dropback and last in pass yards per game allowed.
This previously looked like an extremely juicy matchup, but the Browns could show a little more life with Jameis Winston potentially taking over at quarterback with Deshaun Watson (Achilles) and Dorian Thompson-Robinson (finger) both exiting Sunday due to injuries.
The Ravens still rank highly, given Winston’s historic propensity for turnovers. But there’s a little more downside with playing this unit than there would have been if Watson was still at quarterback.
14) Buffalo Bills (at SEA)
The Bills are steadily getting healthier on defense, returning standouts like DT Ed Oliver and CB Taron Johnson in recent weeks (though LB Terrel Bernard did injure his ankle on Sunday). A road game against the Seahawks is still not a particularly appetizing matchup if your league penalizes for yardage allowed, but there should be turnover opportunities here.
The Bills rank ninth in takeaways per drive, and with Oliver returning to bolster the pass rush, their fantasy potential is higher than it’s been the last few weeks. Proceed with caution, but Buffalo is potentially a streamable option this week.
15) Miami Dolphins (vs. ARI)
The Dolphins have quietly been a very strong pass defense this season (fifth in EPA per dropback), but it hasn’t translated to much fantasy success.
The frustrating stat is the unit’s inability to convert pressures to sacks. Miami has the highest pressure rate in the league but only ranks 27th in sack rate. When the Dolphins do get pressure, they sack the quarterback 14% of the time, the third-worst pressure-to-sack rate in the league.
As such, the Dolphins remain a middling unit for fantasy purposes, even if their real-life performance is better than that.
16) Cleveland Browns (vs. BAL)
The Browns’ talented defense seems to be struggling to hold on while being weighed down by the worst offense in the league. Although Cleveland has still generated the third-highest pressure rate this season, they’ve also slipped to a middle-of-the-pack team in points per drive while ranking 28th in takeaways per drive.
That won’t cut it against arguably the league’s best offense in Baltimore. Entering their Monday night game in Tampa Bay, the Ravens ranked second in points per drive and EPA per play. The Browns are not an ideal starting option barring a major Monday night injury.
17) Tennessee Titans (at DET)
The Titans continue to excel at real-life defense without providing enough upside to make them an elite fantasy unit. Tennessee ranks third in yards per play but just 31st in takeaways per drive and 28th in sack rate.
The Lions are not particularly error-prone, with the seventh-fewest turnovers per drive and a middle-of-the-pack sack rate on offense. Against an elite offense on the road, the Titans D/ST would ideally reside on your bench this week.
18) Cincinnati Bengals (vs. PHI)
The Bengals have performed at a legitimately high level the last two weeks, albeit against a pair of non-functional offenses in the Browns and Giants (who were missing rookie WR Malik Nabers). Even after those two strong games, the Bengals rank only 23rd in points per drive.
The issue here could be stopping Saquon Barkley. Although their yards per carry allowed figure is not egregious, the Bengals rank last in defensive success rate against the run (the only team below 50%). That suggests that the legs of Barkley and Hurts should be able to keep the Eagles’ offense on schedule, making for lots of long drives for Philly.
19) Philadelphia Eagles (at CIN)
The Eagles stifled Daniel Jones but have otherwise been an underperforming unit all season. The Eagles don’t really generate negative plays, ranking 30th in takeaways per drive. And unlike teams such as the Steelers or Titans, their down-to-down defensive performance doesn’t give them a very high floor.
Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ passing game has not been hitting on all cylinders the last two weeks, but they’re still a dangerous unit. Avoid the Eagles D/ST, especially if your league penalizes for yardage allowed.
20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. ATL)
The last time we saw the Bucs play the Falcons, they were getting steamrolled by Kirk Cousins and his franchise-record 509 pass yards. However, Tampa Bay did not have Antoine Winfield Jr. or Calijah Kancey for that game, both of whom have since returned from injury.
The Bucs will be playing on a short week after hosting the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night, so by no means are they a strong option against a Falcons offense that has begun to click the last few weeks. However, they should be less of a disaster than what we witnessed in their Week 5 matchup.
21) Seattle Seahawks (vs. BUF)
The Seahawks did have an encouraging bounce-back on Sunday in Atlanta, generating three takeaways and scoring on a 64-yard Derick Hall fumble return.
Even with that strong game, Seattle ranks 26th in points per drive since Week 4. Against Josh Allen (who has still yet to throw an interception this season), the Seahawks are likely to get gashed without generating many positive plays of their own.
Seattle still owns the second-highest pressure rate of the season, but Allen is one of the more difficult quarterbacks to bring down. The Bills quarterback has the fourth-lowest sack rate when pressured (13%), which could negate one of the Seahawks’ few defensive strengths.
22) Washington Commanders (vs. CHI)
Caleb Williams has improved his EPA per dropback every game this season, as the Bears have become an ascendant offense. Washington has performed well in favorable matchups at home against the Browns and Panthers, but the Bears no longer represent a plus matchup for D/ST units.
Washington ranks 27th in defensive EPA per dropback, as this unit has been consistently exploited by functional offenses. The Bears are better than functional now, which makes this a unit you want to avoid in fantasy.
23) Dallas Cowboys (at SF)
Better Cowboys defenses than this one have been steamrolled by the 49ers, making it an ominous week to play the Dallas D/ST. The Cowboys have allowed the most EPA in run defense (-22.3) despite having their bye in Week 7.
This ranking is subject to change if Micah Parsons can return, however. Parsons is a game-wrecker who can produce sacks and turnovers on his own, which would make Dallas a much more viable play. Brock Purdy has the longest average time to throw this season (3.05 seconds), giving the Cowboys a chance to force some mistakes if they have their superstar pass rusher back.
24) Atlanta Falcons (at TB)
The Falcons continue to rank last in sack rate, which alone makes them nearly unstartable in fantasy. Most people remember the first Falcons-Bucs meeting for Kirk Cousins’ 509-yard outing, but the truth is that Baker Mayfield was actually more efficient. Mayfield posted a higher passer rating (137.5 to 114.8 for Cousins) and graded out slightly higher by PFN’s QB+ metric that week.
Week 5 NFL quarterback grades, per our QB+ metric 🍎 pic.twitter.com/ZdwDDPLQv9
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365)
With the Buccaneers’ offense getting healthier and now boasting a three-headed committee at running back, the Falcons don’t seem likely to have much more defensive success than they had in the first meeting, when they gave up 30 points and 6.5 yards per play.
25) Arizona Cardinals (at MIA)
The Cardinals are a very risky play no matter what given their significant defensive deficiencies. With Tua Tagovailoa reportedly expected to return to practice this week and potentially start barring any setbacks, that moves Arizona back down near the bottom of these rankings.
To be fair, Miami was not a thriving unit with Tagovailoa in the lineup. The Dolphins ranked 26th in points per drive over the first two weeks, most of which Tagovailoa played. But after five weeks off, Tagovailoa’s return would almost have to inject some life into a unit that has sputtered without him. Coupled with the dreaded 1 p.m. Eastern start for a Pacific time zone team, this is definitely a spot to avoid the Cards.
26) Indianapolis Colts (at HOU)
The Colts can’t get after the quarterback, ranking 30th in pressure rate and 24th in sack rate. They also can’t stop the run, which is trouble against a Texans team that has averaged 5.4 yards per rush in three games with Joe Mixon in the lineup.
The Colts are a pass virtually every week when ranking D/ST units, and they are lower than usual this week due to the difficult matchup.
27) New England Patriots (vs. NYJ)
The Patriots have the misfortune of seeing the Jets in their second week after acquiring Davante Adams, which should allow him to shake off any rust he may experience with ex-Packers teammate Aaron Rodgers.
We’ve already seen the Patriots get gashed by the Jets in their Week 3 Thursday night matchup. That game was Rodgers’ best of the season, as he posted season highs in completion percentage (77.1%), EPA per play (0.34), and fantasy points (21.04). The Patriots couldn’t take advantage of their favorable matchup on Sunday in London, and they aren’t worth starting this week, either.
28) Las Vegas Raiders (vs. KC)
The Raiders may have shocked Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs last Christmas, but they’ll likely receive some belated coal in their stockings this week. Las Vegas is struggling on defense, ranking 19th in points per drive and 29th in takeaways per drive.
The latter is one of the few Chiefs’ weaknesses, as Mahomes has been more turnover-prone this season with eight interceptions (tied for the league lead). But the Raiders are not in position to exploit that, and given their reckless offseason needling of Mahomes, it feels like Kansas City may twist the knife a little deeper than necessary in this one.
The #Raiders appear to have a Patrick Mahomes Kermit the Frog doll at training camp. 👀
(🎥 @RaidersAQ)
pic.twitter.com/vaOs2TNrQh— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate)
29) Los Angeles Rams (vs. MIN)
A home Thursday night game can sometimes be a good spot for a team catching an opponent on a short road week. The Rams’ defense is not good enough to trust even with those circumstances, ranking 28th in EPA per play.
Los Angeles ranks 20th in yards per target allowed to wide receivers this season, which spells doom against Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Coupled with the potential season debut of Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson, the Rams are a stay-away in fantasy this week.
30) New Orleans Saints (at LAC)
While the Chargers are not the most powerful offense, they commit to running the ball. Los Angeles runs by design on 52% of its plays, the third-highest rate in the NFL.
That could spell disaster for a Saints defense which has totally collapsed over its last two games. The run defense has been especially catastrophic, allowing 502 yards and four touchdowns to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos. It’s the Saints’ worst two-game stretch in terms of rush yards allowed since 1980, and you can bet the Chargers will continue to press where it hurts.
31) Carolina Panthers (at DEN)
Some matchup favorability keeps the Panthers out of the basement, but only barely. Carolina’s defense has no strengths, and their run defense could get exposed against a Broncos offense that has suddenly found its rhythm.
The Broncos averaged 6.1 yards per rush two weeks ago vs. the Chargers and 6.4 yards per rush on Thursday vs. the Saints. It’s the first time Denver has averaged over six yards per rush in consecutive games since 2011. Carolina has given up a league-high 13 rushing touchdowns.
The Panthers have allowed 34.7 PPG, tied with the 2020 Dallas Cowboys for the most through seven games over the last 50 years. Hopefully, that’s enough to discourage anyone from even thinking of rostering this unit.
32) Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. GB)
The Jaguars get the dubious distinction of displacing the Panthers in the cellar, at least for this week. Jordan Love may provide opportunities for the defense to make plays, as the Packers quarterback leads the league with eight interceptions this season despite playing only five games.
Still, the Jags are as ill-equipped as any team to exploit that tendency, ranking last in takeaways per drive. Love also has the highest touchdown rate, and the Packers’ offense’s propensity for explosive plays should make for an extremely difficult day in Duval County.
