Need help picking a D/ST for your fantasy lineup? Click here to see our Week 8 team defense rankings.
Week 8 Fantasy Defense Rankings: D/ST lineup tips on who to start, best sleepers, streamers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The D/ST position in can be underappreciated at times. However, starting the right defense can be the difference between a win and a loss on any given week.
Fantasy managers are facing a true "byepocalypse" with six teams being on a bye in Week 8. This, of course, limits the number of options, but there are still great matchups to target.
You should never start a good NFL defense in a bad match, which does not equate to fantasy points. The best way to address the D/ST position is purely based on matchups.
Here are our Week 8 D/ST fantasy rankings, best starts, sleepers, and some matchups to avoid.
Fantasy Football Defense Rankings Week 8: Who to start, sit at D/ST
Track our weekly fantasy football rankings for every position's lineup tips.
| Rk | Team Defense | OPP |
| 1 | Atlanta Falcons | MIA |
| 2 | New England Patriots | CLE |
| 3 | Indianapolis Colts | TEN |
| 4 | Los Angeles Chargers | MIN |
| 5 | Chicago Bears | @BAL |
| 6 | Green Bay Packers | @PIT |
| 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers | GB |
| 8 | Philadelphia Eagles | NYG |
| 9 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | @NO |
| 10 | Cincinnati Bengals | NYJ |
| 11 | San Francisco 49ers | @HOU |
| 12 | Cleveland Browns | @NE |
| 13 | Kansas City Chiefs | WAS |
| 14 | Buffalo Bills | @CAR |
| 15 | Minnesota Vikings | @LAC |
| 16 | Carolina Panthers | BUF |
| 17 | Denver Broncos | DAL |
| 18 | New York Giants | @PHI |
| 19 | Tennessee Titans | @IND |
| 20 | Washington Commanders | @KC |
| 21 | Houston Texans | SF |
| 22 | New York Jets | @CIN |
| 23 | New Orleans Saints | TB |
| 24 | Baltimore Ravens | CHI |
| 25 | Miami Dolphins | @ATL |
| 26 | Dallas Cowboys | @DEN |
| BYE | Detroit Lions | BYE |
| BYE | Seattle Seahawks | BYE |
| BYE | Las Vegas Raiders | BYE |
| BYE | Arizona Cardinals | BYE |
| BYE | Jacksonville Jaguars | BYE |
| BYE | Los Angeles Rams | BYE |
Who are the best fantasy defenses in Week 8?
The Atlanta Falcons find themselves at the top of this week's rankings, in large part due to their matchup. They will face off against the Miami Dolphins, who are crumbling before our eyes.
Tua Tagovailoa has played so badly in the last two weeks that there might be a chance we see Quinn Ewers start at QB. Either way, the Falcons are a must-start.
The Patriots and Colts should both handle their matchups with ease. Neither the Browns nor the Titans has a juggernaut offense, and the favorites should control the pace of the game.
MORE: Fantasy Week 8 waiver wire
Who are the best fantasy D/ST sleepers in Week 8?
The Chargers did just get smacked by the Colts, but they should still have no problem getting plenty of sacks against the Minnesota Vikings.
While the Bengals are still bad on defense, the Jets truly may be worse on offense. Only start the Bengals D/ST with extreme caution.
Defenses to avoid in fantasy Week 8
Avoiding Denver this week feels like the right move. This is the point I've consistently tried to hammer home. Good defenses are not an every-week start in fantasy football. The Cowboys are incapable of having a game not result in high scores.
It goes without saying, but don't play the Cowboys or Dolphins D/ST ever, no matter the matchup.
Category: General Sports
