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Fantasy football rankings - updated defense (DST) Week 8 rankings for 2025. Read the top-accuracy fantasy football DEF rankings for NFL team defenses.
Six defenses are out of action on a bye, so the choices are a bit slimmer this week. Defenses can make the difference between wins and losses in fantasy matchups, so it's important to find a high-upside D/ST. Use our updated Week 8 fantasy football defense (DST) rankings for 2025 to pinpoint the best team defense for your lineups. In the rankings below, you will see where the Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, and Pittsburgh Steelers defenses stand, among all other D/STs.
Our defense fantasy football rankings for Week 8 are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find key fantasy football outlooks from our RotoBaller staff, as well as the "Who to Start?" tool. Also, be sure to check our fantasy football news for this week. There are always key injuries and developments to keep track of, so check back throughout the week for updates.
Be sure to bookmark our fantasy football rankings portal and check back regularly for updates. Most importantly, our free mobile app is a must-have - download it and configure your push notifications. We deliver all the top NFL news, injuries, and fantasy analysis 24x7 with our free push notification alerts... all for free!
Editor's Note: Stay on top of your draft prep with RotoBaller’s fantasy football rankings, featuring expert analysis, ADPs, and draft insights for both PPR and non-PPR leagues.
Week 8 Defense (DST) Rankings for Fantasy Football
Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings
| D/ST Tier | D/ST Rank | D/ST Name | Position |
| 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 | Kansas City Chiefs | DST |
| 3 | 7 | Green Bay Packers | DST |
| 3 | 8 | Cincinnati Bengals | DST |
| 3 | 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | DST |
| 3 | 10 | Houston Texans | DST |
| 4 | 11 | Denver Broncos | DST |
| 4 | 12 | Los Angeles Chargers | DST |
| 4 | 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DST |
| 4 | 14 | Minnesota Vikings | DST |
| 5 | 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 |
| 6 | 21 | New Orleans Saints | DST |
| 6 | 22 | Chicago Bears | DST |
| 6 | 23 | Dallas Cowboys | DST |
| 6 | 24 | Miami Dolphins | DST |
| 6 | 25 | Carolina Panthers | DST |
| 7 | 26 | Tennessee Titans | DST |
Week 8 Defense (DST) Rankings Outlooks
New England Patriots D/ST
The New England Patriots D/ST continues to rank as a high-end fantasy option heading into another favorable matchup against the Cleveland Browns in Week 8. New England's defense has improved this year under Mike Vrabel, and they looked particularly strong against the Titans last week, tallying five sacks, two turnovers, and a touchdown.
The Patriots capitalized on a favorable matchup against Tennessee's rookie quarterback, Cameron Ward, and they could find similar success against the Browns, led by rookie Dillon Gabriel. Cleveland has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing D/ST units so far, putting New England in another favorable position for Week 8. RotoBaller's experts have the Patriots ranked No. 4 at D/ST this week.
Green Bay Packers D/ST
The Green Bay Packers' defense and special teams unit have been underwhelming for the majority of the season, but they'll look to take advantage of a good matchup when they head to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers on Sunday night. The Packers had a season-high six sacks plus a fumble recovery against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7 as their D/ST unit scored the most fantasy points since Week 1.
The hope for starting a defense like the Packers is that Micah Parsons and some of the other pass-rushers can get home on less-than-mobile Aaron Rodgers to rack up points and turnovers. The Packers' defense is very volatile and inconsistent, but against Pittsburgh, their D/ST is worth starting in Week 8.
Philadelphia Eagles D/ST
The Eagles' defense/special teams unit secured their third touchdown of the season last week against the Vikings, as Jalyx Hunt picked off quarterback Carson Wentz for a 42-yard score. Philadelphia intercepted Wentz twice in Week 7 while adding on two sacks along the way. This week, Philly has a rematch against the Giants after suffering a 34-17 loss to New York two games ago.
In that contest, the Eagles forced no turnovers and let rookies Jaxson Dart and Cameron Skattebo run all over them for four scores. On Sunday, the Eagles will have home-field advantage and a thirst for revenge. While the Giants' offense has impressed lately, Philadelphia has shown it can turn defense into points at any moment. They're worth a fantasy start in Week 8.
Denver Broncos D/ST
The Denver Broncos' defense will face one of its most challenging matchups yet when they take on the second-highest-scoring offense in the league, the Dallas Cowboys, in Week 8 at home. The Broncos have allowed an average of 273.1 yards per game, but the Cowboys' offense leads the league with 390.6 total offensive yards per game so far.
With the Cowboys just getting star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb back into the lineup last week, the Denver secondary will have a great test in coverage in all areas of the field. Former Broncos running back Javonte Williams will also be looking for a big revenge game as he returns to Denver for the first time since leaving. Despite the difficult matchup, the Broncos' defense is still ranked 11th overall for their Week 8 contest.
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 defense options like Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, and Pittsburgh Steelers. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 8.
Week 8 Player Decisions. 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.
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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, 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 circles), 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:
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