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Matt's must-start fantasy football waiver wire defenses (D/ST) to stream and start for Week 8 of the 2025 season. His fantasy defense start 'em, sit 'em picks.
Week 8 has many fantasy managers in desperation mode, as the NFL schedule features SIX teams on byes in Week 8! Trying to navigate Bye-mageddon? You've come to the right place! RotoBaller analyst Matt Donnelly drops his fantasy football must-start defenses (D/ST) for Week 8 of the 2025 season.
These defenses can impact your matchups in what will be a tough Week 8! We are here to help with your Week 8 D/ST streamers, to give you the tools needed to set those winning lineups and dominate your matchups.
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2025 Fantasy Football: Week 8 Defenses To Start (D/ST)
Matt Donnelly drops his top Defenses for Week 8 of the 2025 fantasy football season:
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Week 8 Fantasy Football Defense Outlooks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at NO
The Buccaneers will come in as a top-5 play in Week 8 against the New Orleans Saints. The Saints rank 29th in points scored per game, and the offensive line ranks 31st in pass block win rate. As a result, Tampa Bay should be all over New Orleans' offense in this game.
The Buccaneers rank top-6 in both pressure rate and pass rush win rate to begin the season and had an incredible defensive performance two weeks ago against the San Francisco 49ers. In that game, Tampa Bay tallied a season-high six sacks and forced two interceptions. That's enough to start them in Week 8 against a Saints offense that let up a season-high four sacks in Week 7.
Buffalo Bills D/ST at CAR
With Bryce Young (ankle) expected to miss this game, Andy Dalton appears in line to start for the Panthers in Week 8. While Young not starting does hurt Buffalo's defense a little bit, this unit is still a top-5 play this weekend.
In Dalton's five starts with the Panthers last year, opposing defenses averaged eight fantasy points per game. That included two defenses scoring over 15 fantasy points. So, the Bills' D/ST has a ton of potential in this game. Buffalo has totaled multiple sacks in five of its six games this season, and currently ranks 12th in pressure rate.
Cincinnati Bengals D/ST vs. NYJ
This game is a matchup between a poor offense (Jets) and a below-average defense (Bengals). Although this is a fantastic matchup for Cincinnati's defense, it's hard to trust them even in a game like this. This defense ranks 31st in points allowed per game (30.6) and has only tallied five sacks since Week 4. As a result, the Bengals' D/ST shouldn't be any higher on this list.
Nonetheless, this unit can be used in some 12-plus team leagues this week. No offensive line has allowed more sacks than the Jets (31) this year, and New York hasn't scored over 22 points in a game since Week 1. If Trey Hendrickson -- who ranks 12th in pass rush win rate among all edge rushers -- is back for this game, that would tremendously help this defense.
Atlanta Falcons D/ST vs MIA
The Dolphins look lost on offense right now. Tua Tagovailoa has thrown six interceptions in his last two games, and the offensive line has allowed multiple sacks in five of seven contests this season. That makes the Falcons' D/ST a top-3 play in Week 8.
Atlanta ranks in the top 10 in pressure rate through seven weeks, which should help this defense because Tagovailoa isn't the best quarterback when under pressure. Look at what he did last week against a Browns defense that ranks top-3 in pressure rate (100 pass yards and three interceptions). So, the Falcons' defense is a fantastic start this week.
San Francisco 49ers D/ST at HOU
Even without Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, the 49ers played well defensively against the Falcons last week. They totaled multiple sacks for the first time since Week 2 and held the Falcons offense to just 10 offensive points. While the San Francisco defense has had a hard time generating pressure without Bosa, this unit can capitalize on a plus matchup in Week 8.
C.J. Stroud has been sacked multiple times in every game this season, and Houston's offensive line ranks 29th in pass block win rate. The 49ers might not be a very good defense overall, but they have enough of a fantasy floor to start them in some 12-team leagues.
Week 8 D/ST Rankings
| D/ST Tier | D/ST Rank | D/ST Name | Pos. |
| 1 | 1 | Indianapolis Colts | DST |
| 1 | 2 | Buffalo Bills | DST |
| 1 | 3 | Atlanta Falcons | DST |
| 1 | 4 | New England Patriots | DST |
| 2 | 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DST |
| 2 | 6 | Cincinnati Bengals | DST |
| 3 | 7 | Kansas City Chiefs | DST |
| 3 | 8 | Green Bay Packers | DST |
| 3 | 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | DST |
| 3 | 10 | Houston Texans | DST |
| 4 | 11 | Denver Broncos | DST |
| 4 | 12 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DST |
| 4 | 13 | Minnesota Vikings | DST |
| 4 | 14 | Los Angeles Chargers | DST |
| 4 | 15 | San Francisco 49ers | DST |
| 5 | 16 | Cleveland Browns | DST |
| 5 | 17 | Baltimore Ravens | DST |
| 5 | 18 | New York Jets | DST |
| 5 | 19 | New York Giants | DST |
| 5 | 20 | Washington Commanders | DST |
| 5 | 21 | New Orleans Saints | DST |
| 5 | 22 | Chicago Bears | DST |
| 6 | 23 | Dallas Cowboys | DST |
| 6 | 24 | Miami Dolphins | DST |
| 6 | 25 | Carolina Panthers | DST |
| 6 | 26 | Tennessee Titans | DST |
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding defenses like the Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 8. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 8 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific defenses like the . These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 8.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 8 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 8 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 8 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 8 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for the Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers compared to others:
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