Fantasy Football Defense Rankings Week 8: Who to start, best sleepers & streamers at D/ST

Sloan Piva

Fantasy Football Defense Rankings Week 8: Who to start, best sleepers & streamers at D/ST image

After last weekend's byepocalypse, all 32 teams will be in action for Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season. That means less streaming will be needed at the fantasy skill positions, but savvy owners will take the opportunity to optimize their lineups with high-upside D/ST streams. Our Week 8 fantasy defense rankings will help you decipher which sleepers you can trust and which you should avoid starting. 

In Week 7, some weird stuff happened. The Lions, one of the better defenses in the NFL this season, got rocked by Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. The Browns and Colts, whom we listed as good starts last week, saw what we thought would be a defensive battle turn into a 60-point barnburner. The Saints got walloped 31-24 on Thursday Night Football, and the Bills got upset by Mac Jones and the Patriots 29-25. Mother of God.

Now that we have caught our breath a bit, let's hit the reset button and get prepared for a full slate of NFL football. Below, we will list the best fantasy defenses, the top sleepers and streamers of the week, and our full D/ST rankings for Week 8. Let's go!

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Which fantasy defenses are on bye in Week 8?

None! After six teams got last weekend off, all 32 teams will be in action for Week 8. This marks the first bye-free week since Week 4 and the last bye-free week until Thanksgiving weekend. Keep an eye on your waiver wire for good defenses with Week 7 byes that might have been hastily cut loose by fantasy owners.

WEEK 8 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Kickers

The Cowboys (vs. Rams in Week 8) probably didn't get dropped — they're 93 percent rostered — and the Bengals (@ 49ers) probably don't warrant a start in a few weeks (they face the Bills in Week 9...talk about a rugged back-to-back). However, the Titans (vs. ATL, @ PIT the next two weeks) and Texans (@ Panthers, vs. Bucs the next two weeks) also just got out of byes and might be worth scooping up.

WEEK 8 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Kickers

Who are the best fantasy defenses in Week 8?

Coming off a bye, the Jets (@ Giants) serve as the No. 1 option this weekend. Sauce Garner and Gang Green rank top-four in takeaways and rushing TDs allowed, and opponents have the fifth-worst red-zone TD rate against them. We've got New York even higher than the Lions (vs. Raiders) and Bills (vs. Buccaneers), who both have good matchups but come off underwhelming Week 7 performances.

The 49ers (vs. Bengals) draw one of their tougher matchups of the first half of their season, but they're an auto-start. Entering Week 7, San Francisco had averaged 8.5 fantasy points per game in standard D/ST formats and 12.3 per game in leagues that award points for three-and-outs. We also love the Ravens (@ Cardinals) after stifling the Lions, and we like the Saints (@ Colts) and Browns (@ Seahawks) to bounce back from disappointing Week 7 Ls.

What a difference Devon Witherspoon makes for the Seahawks (vs. Browns)! The rookie cornerback has looked like a dark-horse Rookie of the Year candidate with his game-changing presence all over the field. He and the underrated Seahawks D could feast against an inconsistent Cleveland offense, whether it's Deshaun Watson (shoulder, head) or P.J. Walker under center for the Browns.  

We can't forget about the Eagles (@ Commanders), who face a much easier challenge than the Dolphins presented last weekend. Lastly, you can feel fine about firing up the Cowboys (vs. Rams) coming out of a bye even though Los Angeles has some serious aerial firepower. The Steelers contained L.A. pretty well in Week 7. 

WEEK 8 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start 'em, sit 'em

Who are the best fantasy defense sleepers, waiver pickups in Week 8?

The top-ranked defense under 50-percent rostered at the start of the week is the Dolphins (vs. Patriots), who get a much-needed home game against a Mac Jones offense that has scored 17 or fewer points in five different games this season. The Fins held their own against the NFC defending-champion Eagles in Philly last week, and we like Mike McDaniel's team to be on the happy side of a blowout this Sunday. 

The Jaguars (@ Steelers) won't be at home, but they do enter Week 8 with momentum as well as a juicy matchup against Kenny Pickett. Over the past four weeks, Jacksonville has quietly racked up eight sacks, seven interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and two defensive TDs. Give us a partridge and we could turn Doug Pederson's defense into a Christmas jingle.

With every team playing, you'll find plenty of streams if you want to avoid Rams (@ Cowboys), Steelers (vs. Jaguars), Raiders (@ Lions), Buccaneers (@ Bills), and Patriots (@ Dolphins). Among the upside streamers owned in fewer than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, consider the Packers (vs. Vikings) at home against a squad desperately missing Justin Jefferson, the Falcons (@ Titans) with Ryan Tannehill banged up, the Titans (vs. Falcons) against the turnover-prone Desmond Ridder, the Chargers (vs. Bears) at home in prime against Tyson Bagent, the Chiefs (@ Broncos), or even the Colts (vs. Saints). 

Be sure to check in throughout the week for updates and tweaks. Good luck and have fun in Week 8!

WEEK 8 DFS: DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks

Fantasy Defense Rankings Week 8: Who to start, sit at D/ST

Rank    Player
1    New York Jets @ Giants
2    Detroit Lions vs. Raiders
3    Buffalo Bills vs. Buccaneers 
4    San Francisco 49ers vs. Bengals
5    Baltimore Ravens @ Cardinals
6    New Orleans Saints @ Colts
7    Seattle Seahawks vs. Browns
8    Cleveland Browns @ Seahawks
9    Philadelphia Eagles @ Commanders
10    Dallas Cowboys vs. Rams
11    Miami Dolphins vs. Patriots
12    Jacksonville Jaguars @ Steelers
13    Green Bay Packers vs. Vikings
14    Atlanta Falcons @ Titans
15    Kansas City Chiefs @ Broncos
16    Indianapolis Colts vs. Saints
17    Los Angeles Rams @ Cowboys
18    Las Vegas Raiders @ Lions
19    New York Giants vs. Jets
20    Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Jaguars
21    Washington Commanders vs. Eagles
22    Minnesota Vikings @ Packers
23    Tennessee Titans vs. Falcons
24    Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Bills
25    Arizona Cardinals vs. Ravens
26    Carolina Panthers vs. Texans
27    Houston Texans @ Panthers
28    Los Angeles Chargers vs. Bears
29    Chicago Bears @ Chargers
30    Cincinnati Bengals @ 49ers
31    New England Patriots @ Dolphins
32    Denver Broncos vs. Chiefs

Week 8 D/ST fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks

Draft Sharks projections for the new week will update every Tuesday and be constantly adjusted throughout the week

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Sloan Piva

Sloan Piva Photo

Sloan Piva is a content producer for The Sporting News, primarily focused on betting, fantasy sports, and poker. A lifelong New Englander, Sloan earned his BA and MA in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts and now lives in coastal Rhode Island with his wife and two kids.