Top 9 Fantasy Football Defense Rankings for Week 8: Kansas City DST to Obliterate the Jets

As predicted, last week saw loads of high-scoring games and few real great plays. Washington’s DST turned out to be one of the best as they destroyed the Cowboys’ line, and that was really the only waiver play to hit.

A complete 180 from last week’s barren market for DST plays, this week sees tons of great matchups for your defense. This week there should be quite a few defensive matchups and low-scoring games. There is plenty of good plays to go around and I am sure that you can find one on the waivers.

Kansas City Chiefs

Vs. NYJ

Adam Gase and this offense are the laughing stock of the league. Gase is so bad that the owners are forced to keep him on because he is the only NFL caliber head coach who could try and win every game but still end up 0-16. The owners are desperate for #1 overall and Trevor Lawrence, and it shows. Therefore, you get the benefit of playing the Chiefs’ DST and gaining massive points in this game. The Jets will have multiple turnovers, sacks, and I would be surprised if they score double-digit points. This Chiefs’ defense is legitimate and in a good place. The Jets have no chance at scoring in this game; play KC with extreme and utter confidence.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

@ NYG

Tampa Bay announced itself as a top tier defense when they dominated the Packers a couple of weeks ago. Now the DST gets the luxury of taking on one of the worst and turnover-prone offenses in the NFL. Daniel Jones has only had one game where he did not throw an interception, and that was against a terrible Dallas defense that just about any QB can see success against. Tampa Bay against the Giants is one of the better combinations all season, and if it was not for the Jets existing, this would be by far the #1 play on the week.

Philadelphia Eagles

Vs. DAL

With Andy Dalton trending out, the Eagles are going to be taking on a banged-up Cowboys team that has little left in the tank. The offense was already inefficient with the offensive line missing pieces and a backup QB in there. Now the offense has to deal with a 3rd string QB. Zeke Elliot has been a non-factor in many recent matchups, and against this very stout Eagles’ rush defense, this week looks no different. I am projecting sacks and interceptions for this Eagles’ DST as they rise up the rankings. Play the Eagles with tons of confidence this week.

Los Angeles Chargers

@ DEN

While this Chargers’ defense can be beaten on the ground, that is not a huge concern with your DST pick. You want your DST to have turnover and sack opportunities. The Chargers will have plenty of those. With Herbert leading this team to an early lead, Lock will be forced to air it out at some point. When this happens, the Chargers’ DST has a great opportunity to feast. I do not project the Chargers’ defense to keep it low scoring, and I do not love the floor; this play is all about ceilings. The Chargers’ DST could easily turn into a top play based on the sack and turnover points that they will earn in this one.

Baltimore Ravens

Vs. PIT

The Steelers’ offense is good, but I do not think that it is good enough to ruin the weekly play that has been the Ravens’ DST. The Ravens just added Yannick Ngakoue in a trade with Minnesota, and this defense is just scary talented. One of the best secondaries in the league, a speedy LB core, and one of the best defensive lines in football, it all adds up to a weekly play. This is one of the very few teams that I play because of the group rather than the matchup. Roethlisberger, despite his weapons, will have little time to get the ball off and might make some mistakes. I do not see James Conner getting going in this one, which will also lead to passing downs where the Ravens can send pressure. I believe that there will be more than a few sacks by this Ravens’ DST in the game.

New Orleans Saints

@ Chicago Bears

I project this to be a Bears win in a very low-scoring game; however, I do think that the Saints’ defense has the higher upside in the game, hence, why they are ranked above the Bears. Nick Foles throws picks, he has been bad with his pocket awareness, and the Bears’ offense, in general, has not been good. The Saints’ DST has an extremely high ceiling due to turnover potential in this game. You also can play this DST with the peace of mind of knowing that it will not be high scoring, so a reasonably safe floor.

Green Bay Packers

Vs. Minnesota

Kirk Cousins is tied for the most interceptions in the league at 10, and this is following his BYE week. Yes, the Packers gave up 34 points to the Vikings in their last meeting, but 21 of those were in garbage time 4th quarter play. This game sees an even weaker offensive line for the Vikings, taking on this strong Packers’ defense. While Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen might be two of the highest-rated WRs in the league, the Packers have an extremely strong secondary. Cousins could have four wide open WRs, and sometimes he will still throw a pick. The Packers will feast on sacks and turnovers in this game.

Chicago Bears

Vs. Saints

The Bears are on the other side of the defensive matchup in Illinois on Sunday. While Brees does not normally turn the ball over much, this year has been different. On top of that, this is an elite defense with speed and playmakers at every level. Even with Michael Thomas back, I do not project the Saints to have a ton of success on offense. The key part of the game that I believe the Bears will see success in is stopping Kamara. With that said, I think that the Bears are a great floor play this week with sack and interception upside.

Los Angeles Rams

@ MIA

Tua is getting hist first start, and what a matchup to do it in. The Rams are one of the few stacked secondaries in this league. Jalen Ramsey has led the charge as he comes back into shutdown form this season. Also, dealing with Aaron Donald is going to be a massive issue for this Dolphins’ offensive line. This game is a bit of an unknown since Tua could be the next Payton Manning; however, I doubt it. I am going to bank on the Rams to ruin the kids’ debut and win this game.