It is not wise to try to force something when it is not there. This may create a bit of a dilemma when trying to come up with Week 8 D/ST streamers. We cannot treat defenses like other positions in fantasy football in the sense that there is no “next man up” when it comes to fantasy defenses. It is not like when Christian McCaffrey gets hurt and Mike Davis is sitting on the waiver wire ready to take 90 percent of his workload. Or when Travis Fulgham goes from also ran journeyman to fantasy starter in a matter of weeks due to injuries on the depth chart. Fantasy defenses play every week, and they are very much matchup dependent. This looks like a week where there are not a whole lot of good looking options.
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Over the past week, fantasy managers have jumped on the Tennessee Titans in anticipation of their upcoming matchup against Cincinnati. That seems like a solid enough move. But it means that the Titans are now rostered in nearly 60 percent of leagues, making them ineligible to be considered a streamer. I would never advise taking a zero at any position in fantasy, even defense. But please take your league settings into account before settling on a streamer. Some leagues penalize defenses with negative points. If your league penalizes for yards allowed, points allowed, and roughing the passer penalties, you might want to avoid the New York Jets, for example. I am going to operate under the belief that the defenses below are indeed available in most leagues. Here are some of the best Week 8 D/ST streamers as I see them.
Week 8 D/ST Streamers
Green Bay Packers (vs. Minnesota Vikings, 40 percent rostered in Fantrax leagues)
The Green Bay Packers defense scored at least nine fantasy points for the third time in the last five games in their victory last week. Despite that, turnovers have been hard to come by for the Packers this year. Green Bay has yet to force multiple miscues in a single game this season. That could change this week when they will take on the 1-5 Vikings. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has thrown 10 interceptions in just six games so far this year. Minnesota is fresh off a much-needed bye, but it is yet to be determined whether the week enough will be enough to cure what ills Cousins. This game does have shootout appeal if Cousins finds his footing, but the Packers D/ST has a high ceiling considering the chances Cousins continues to gift the football to his opposition.
Dallas Cowboys (at Philadelphia Eagles, 37 percent rostered)
It is difficult to have a ton of faith in anything related to the Dallas Cowboys. Things have quickly fallen apart for them, culminating in last week’s blowout loss in Washington. Admittedly, this matchup looked a bit better for Dallas before that game. Assuming that seventh-round rookie quarterback Ben DiNucci gets the nod for the Cowboys, they will probably try to ride Ezekiel Elliott and their ground game to play keep away from Carson Wentz and company. Explosive rookie wideout Jalen Reagor will return for the Eagles, but they are still likely to be without several of their top offensive weapons. Wentz has also been sacked 28 times this year, which is tied for tops in the NFL. The Cowboys have a league average sack rate, so there is a floor here, although the ceiling does not figure to be especially high.
Las Vegas Raiders (at Cleveland Browns, 8 percent rostered)
Did you not believe me when I said this was an ugly week to stream defenses? Other potential options include the Giants against Tampa Bay, the Dolphins against the Rams, or the Lions versus the Colts. It is not pretty, friends. I cannot pretend the Raiders have even a decent defense, but defenses can get to Baker Mayfield. He started last week’s game against the lowly Bengals with five straight incompletions, including an interception. To his credit, Mayfield turned things around in a big way, tossing five touchdowns en route to a last-minute victory. Still, last week’s game was just the third time all season that Mayfield has surpassed 200 passing yards. I do not expect Vegas to shut Cleveland down by any means. But they can hopefully luck their way into a couple of turnovers and some positive points.
Looking Ahead
Next week’s crop of potential streamers looks a bit better than this week’s group, at least initially. it is no coincidence that most of these teams are off this week. Most will be highly coveted during next week’s claim periods.
Washington Football Team (vs. New York Giants, 40 percent rostered)
I would highly recommend grabbing Washington’s defense before another manager in your league can claim them. I do not anticipate Washington being in next week’s column. Not because they won’t be worthy of starting against the Giants, but only because by this time next week, they will be rostered in a majority of leagues.
Arizona Cardinals (vs. Miami Dolphins, 34 percent rostered)
It is finally Tua’s time in Miami, and excitement is at a fever pitch. Tua Tagovailoa may set the world on fire from the moment he steps onto the field this Sunday. Odds are, however, that there will be a learning curve and that the rookie may struggle to acclimate himself to the speed of NFL defenses. Arizona is already 8th in fantasy scoring per game among defenses, so they would make a solid option even if they were not hosting a rookie quarterback in his first career road start.
New York Giants (at Washington Football Team, 24 percent rostered)
I have said it before, and I will say it again – any time NFC East foes square off, both fantasy defenses are in play for streaming. All four teams in the division have yielded plenty of fantasy points to opposing defenses. Each one of them is in the top 10 in terms of sacks, turnovers, and fantasy points per game allowed to D/ST units. I would rather have Washington but have no issue with putting a backup bid or claim on New York.
Houston Texans (at Jacksonville Jaguars, 17 percent rostered)
Houston’s defense was blanked at the hands of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers last week, but they had scored 19 points in their previous two games. That included a 13-point effort against this same Jaguars squad just three weeks ago. Gardner Minshew is dealing with a fractured right thumb and is uncertain for next week. As it is, he had been struggling enough anyway recently to make the Texans an attractive streamer.
If you found Mick’s Week 8 Flex Rankings helpful, make sure to check out the rest of our NFL Week 8 Slate of Analysis.
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