Fantasy Football Rankings and Starting/Sitting Lineup Tips: Defenses (Week 8)

We have a break from the free spins this week with all 32 teams playing, but it still doesn’t feel like a particularly strong streaming week due to the lack of low-seeded teams in good matchups. The roster numbers come from Yahoo on Tuesday morning, before waiver claims are announced in most leagues. You can find me on Twitter and Threads.

We’re racing toward the middle of the fantasy season and mostly have a good idea of ​​which offenses make good opponents for fantasy defenses. However, some situations are still in flux, mainly due to injuries, so let’s take a look:

• Cleveland Browns: Deshaun Watson suffered a non-contact ruptured Achilles tendon last week, ending his season. Jameis Winston had been demoted to emergency QB3 before this game, suggesting he might be replaced, but now it looks like he will be the starter for the rest of the season. The Browns have signed Bailey Zappe as a backup while Dorian Thompson-Robinson is dealing with a finger injury. This change means the Browns are no longer the league’s top defensive target. Watson was clearly the worst starting quarterback in football and was only able to keep the job because his contract contained a ridiculous amount of guaranteed money. With Winston, the Browns are still a team to target on defense, but riskier.
• Las Vegas Raiders: Aidan O’Connell is expected to miss four to six weeks with a broken thumb, so Gardner Minshew II will be the starter. The Raiders used both players this season because neither of them played well enough to really claim the starting spot.
• Miami Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa is expected to return from IR this week, taking Miami out of the conversation for viable defensive targets. It’s become clear that this offense can’t really function without Tua, but with him they should return to their previous strong form.
• New Orleans Saints: Derek Carr has been out for two weeks with an oblique injury and has a chance to return this week. Currently I think a return in Week 9 is more likely. Rookie Spencer Rattler is now the Saints’ QB and has been an excellent matchup for the fantasy defense. Once Carr returns, the Saints’ matchup will be significantly less exciting, but still doable. The Saints offense looked fantastic in the first two weeks with Carr, but then fell apart again in part due to multiple injuries to the wide receiver.
• Pittsburgh Steelers: In a widely criticized move, the Steelers traded Justin Fields for veteran Russell Wilson, who is finally healthy. This proved to be a good decision as Wilson posted a passer rating over 100 and earned a decisive win against the Jets. The Steelers are playoff contenders that I only want to target with the best defense.
• Tennessee Titans: Mason Rudolph made his first start of the season for the Titans last week, replacing Will Levis, who is dealing with an AC sprain every week. Things didn’t go well, with the Titans only scoring 10 points against the Bills. Compared to Levis, Rudolph is downgraded overall offensively, but he may not be as reliable a source of turnovers. Either way, the Titans are a good defensive pairing.
• Washington Commanders: Rookie sensation Jayden Daniels left last week’s game with a pectoral injury and is questionable for this week. The Commanders absolutely fall into the avoid category if Daniels plays, but are a reasonable defensive target if Marcus Mariota ends up starting.

Streaming Defenses: Waiver Wire & Start/Sit Advice (Week 8)

Matchups

1. LAC vs. NO: There’s a chance that Derek Carr returns this week, but my current guess is that we’ll have another week with rookie Spencer Rattler. Rattler was a standout DST matchup in his two starts, allowing top-2 DST performances with defensive touchdowns in both weeks. Rattler avoided interceptions against the Broncos last week but has recorded an incredible 11 sacks in two games. Against a stout defense like the Chargers, I expect the sacks – and possibly fumbles – to continue. If Derek Carr can return this week, the Chargers will fall down in my rankings but will likely still end up as the bottom starters. The Saints under Carr are no longer the car they looked in the first two weeks, but his ability to avoid sacks limits the chances for opposing defenses.
2. PIT against NYG: This is a classic case of good defense versus bad offense. Due to weaker defenses, the Giants were able to score fewer than 10 points in the last two games. Daniel Jones isn’t particularly turnover-oriented, but he can take a lot of sacks against a good pass rush. His 7 sacks allowed to the Eagles were the most in the league last week. The Giants also have the distinction of having the fewest points allowed in Las Vegas this week.
3. KC @ LV: The Raiders are vacillating between Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew II at quarterback this season because both have been similarly bad. O’Connell suffered a broken thumb on his throwing hand last week, so Minshew will be alone for a while. Minshew’s relief appearance last week was about as bad as it gets, with four total turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble). Again, it might not be as bad, but it’s still a great matchup for a Chiefs team that, despite their best efforts, just can’t find a way to lose.
4. DET vs. TEN: Mason Rudolph started at quarterback in place of the injured Will Levis, who is questionable again this week with an AC sprain. Rudolph may not offer quite as much turnover potential as Levis, but his presence represents a downgrade on offense overall. This is a good matchup for a good Lions defense.
5. NYJ @ NE: In his second career start, Drake Maye continued to show promising signs against a pretty poor Jaguars defense, but that ultimately resulted in just 16 team points. Maye retains his must-target rookie status. A big part of this is his terrible offensive line, which the Jets’ pass rush should handle.
6. BAL@CLE: The Browns’ offense received two upgrades last week. Running back Nick Chubb played for the first time since suffering a serious knee injury at the start of last season. More importantly, Deshaun Watson suffered a torn Achilles tendon that ended his season and possibly his career. Watson was by far the worst quarterback in football, and the fact that the Browns are using a backup player is a clear improvement. First reliever Dorian Thompson-Robinson suffered a finger injury that is unlikely to be a long-term issue, but the Browns have signed Bailey Zappe as a replacement in the meantime, with veteran Jameis Winston becoming the new starter. Winston has been a bit of a gunslinger in his career with great potential for touchdowns and turnovers. It remains to be seen what level he can play at with this team, but in the meantime I feel comfortable starting a good defense like Baltimore.
7. DEN vs CAR: Andy Dalton may have felt like a breath of fresh air when he replaced Bryce Young in Week 3, but ultimately he was the replacement for a reason. The Panthers have gone 1-4 during his tenure, and recently Dalton recorded back-to-back interceptions against the Falcons and Commanders’ more run-happy defenses. Now he faces a very good Broncos defense that could lead to Pat Surtain II returning from concussion protocol this week.
8. HOU vs. IND: Anthony Richardson made a triumphant return last week after missing two weeks with an oblique injury and didn’t have to do much to secure a win against a struggling Dolphins team. Due to his injury in his rookie season, this is only Richardson’s 10th career start. He’s not particularly prone to sacks, but he does tend to throw interceptions. This is a solid matchup with a lot of potential for the Texans.
9. MIN@LAR: It’s been a tough year for Matthew Stafford and the Rams as their top two receivers were sidelined. Cooper Kupp is on track to return this week, but it’s still a pretty good matchup for the Vikings, who have one of the best defenses in the league. The experienced Stafford has good ball security, but has had a medium-high rate of 2.8 sacks per game this year. The Vikings DST are the hardest defense to lose, and only in the worst matchups are they worth benching, and this isn’t one of them.
10. SF vs. DAL: It really looks like the Super Bowl window has closed for the Dallas Cowboys. Their running game has been woefully ineffective with a league-worst 77.2 rushing yards per game, and the Dak Prescott-CeeDee Lamb connection can’t make up for that. While the 49ers have been decimated by injuries on offense, their defense is still strong enough to handle the Cowboys’ offense, which has floundered.