Week 8 is nearly upon us, meaning we’re rapidly barreling towards the midway point of the NFL regular season. And despite that fact, it remains clear that football is unpredictable and we are very much still learning what the 2025 version of these teams looks like. Whether you’re watching Joe Flacco and the Bengals put up 33 points to beat Pittsburgh, the Colts dismantle the Chargers as road underdogs, or the absolute chaos that was the Giants/Broncos game in Denver, the fact remains — anything can happen in any given game.
However, if you tailed our D/ST streamer picks from last week, you may have thought we had a crystal ball or That’s So Raven-esque visions of the future, because we nailed it. The Browns, who still only jumped up to around 50% ownership this week, manhandled the Dolphins to the tune of 26 points, putting them at the top of all Week 7 D/ST scoring through Sunday’s games. Meanwhile, our other picks of the Bears and Chiefs also came through, as they finished with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
While Week 8 doesn’t have many matchups that immediately scream instant classic, I think we’ll be treated to some fun games over the course of the week. The Giants head to Philly for a rematch of their shocking Thursday night win a few weeks ago, the Panthers, winners of three straight, host Buffalo off a bye, and Aaron Rodgers welcomes his old team to Pittsburgh as the Steelers face Green Bay.
While I pat my back for finally having a week of all double-digit scorers, let’s take a look at the best fantasy football Week 8 defense streamers (D/ST) that should be available on the waiver wire.
TEAMS TO AVOID IN WEEK 8
Pittsburgh Steelers (91% rostered): As is generally the case, the Steelers have been one of the better defenses league-wide in 2025. Currently the DST12 this season, they put up 14 points per game across Weeks 3 to 6, but averaged less than three points per game in their other three contests. Most recently, they managed just two sacks and no turnovers against the Bengals, as Joe Flacco torched them for 33 points and a primetime win.
Pittsburgh isn’t dead by any means, but coming off a tough game I’m hesitant to lean on them in Week 8. They’ll have a few extra days to prepare, but this week brings a primetime matchup at home with the Green Bay Packers. Jordan Love and the Packers have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing defenses this year, as they’ve given up only ten sacks and turned the ball over just three times. The Steelers may certainly be competitive in this one, especially with Aaron Rodgers facing his old team, but I don’t see it being a huge day for the defense.
Denver Broncos (97%): The Broncos are a top five unit again in 2025, but they definitely appear to have more holes this year than last. They’ve racked up 22 sacks over their last four games, but have forced only one turnover in that time, and they have just two interceptions and four total turnovers on the season. The defense came up big late in Week 7 to help out in Denver’s huge comeback win over the Giants, but they didn’t look great for the first three quarters of the game.
Denver has a pretty decent ROS schedule and are still at over eight points per game on the season, so I’m not out on them entirely, but I am this week. Denver will host the Dallas Cowboys, who have allowed the second-fewest points to opposing defenses in 2025 thanks to Dak Prescott playing like an MVP candidate and the duo of George Pickens and Ceedee Lamb looking like one of the best WR pairs in football. Denver is a hold for sure, but I’m not going to be starting them this week.
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 8 DEFENSE STREAMERS (D/ST)
ATLANTA FALCONS (9%)
The Falcons currently sit at 3-3 after a primetime loss to San Francisco and will look to get over .500 again as they host the Miami Dolphins in Week 8.
Atlanta has put up double digit fantasy points in two games this year, including their most recent win over Buffalo. In those two contests, they’ve totaled ten sacks and five turnovers, but in their other four games they’ve mustered up just five sacks and two turnovers. Despite these inconsistencies, they’re currently ranked second in total defense, first in pass defense, and eighth in scoring, allowing just 20 points per game on the year.
That 20 point average was exactly what the 49ers put up against Atlanta in Week 7, but the Falcons managed just one turnover and one sack of Mac Jones while struggling mightily to contain Christian McCaffrey, who had over 200 yards of total offense and two touchdowns on Sunday night.
I firmly believe Atlanta is better than how they’ve looked in their down games, and they’ll have a chance to show it on Sunday in Miami.
The Dolphins are coming off a 31-6 loss to the Browns in which Cleveland’s D/ST finished with 26 points via four sacks and three interceptions, including a pick six in the third quarter. With the loss, the Dolphins have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses at just over nine per game. Tua Tagovailoa is 27th in the league in passer rating, and his ten interceptions are tied with Geno Smith for the highest total in the league. Tyreek Hill isn’t walking through that door anytime soon, and now it sounds like Jaylen Waddle may possibly be on the move before the November 4th trade deadline.
My main concern in this game is De’Von Achane and his ability to play a CMC-like role in Miami’s offense. Sunday’s game in Cleveland was played in bad weather, making the run game virtually the only way to move the ball for either team, so Achane’s contributions in the pass game were minimal. But if he can have the same ground game success he had against a good Cleveland run defense (82 yards on 6.3 YPC) and add in his usual contributions in Miami’s aerial attack, the Dolphins can look like a relatively competent offense for stretches of games.
Given Atlanta’s struggles to contain McCaffrey in Week 7, I expect them to make some adjustments heading into this matchup and be better-equipped to limit the impact of a dual-threat running back. As long as they can do this to some extent, they’ll have opportunities to flex their formidable pass defense against an offense that’s low on weapons and high on turnovers and costly mistakes.
BUFFALO BILLS (40%)
Coming off two straight losses heading into their Week 7 bye, the Bills are back in action this week and will head to Charlotte to face the (red-hot?!) Carolina Panthers. Buffalo dropped consecutive contests to New England and Atlanta in Weeks 5 and 6, scoring six fantasy points per game on defense with six sacks and one turnover over those two games.
With a week of rest, Buffalo will hope to get DT DaQuan Jones and LB Matt Milano back for Week 8, as both missed the team’s most recent game in Atlanta. Meanwhile, both TJ Sanders and Damar Hamlin have made their way to IR in the last few weeks, depleting the Bills defense even further.
Despite these injury woes, I’m counting on a bounce back from Buffalo this week. The Panthers have looked surprisingly decent over the past few weeks, but they’re still scoring under 21 points per game in 2025 and have yielded the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses.
The key to Buffalo’s success in this one will be containing Carolina’s run game, which has surged in recent weeks as Chuba Hubbard‘s injury opened up an opportunity for Rico Dowdle, who has been running like a mad man ever since. Hubbard returned against the Jets in Week 7 and Carolina employed a pretty even split with their new committee, although Dowdle (79 yards on 17 carries) outperformed Hubbard (31 yards on 14 carries) by a considerable margin.
Buffalo’s run defense has been one of the worst in the league so far this year, ahead of only Miami in run yards per game allowed at over 156. With Jones and Milano back along with the recent return of Ed Oliver, my hope is that Buffalo can right the ship in their run prevention starting this week.
It’s being reported that Bryce Young is doubtful for this game, meaning Carolina will likely be turning to Andy Dalton for a spot start. Dalton has played in nine game for Carolina since 2023, throwing for nine TDs and six interceptions in those games, but with the progress Young has made with his young receiving group over the past few games, this is a less than ideal time for him to miss a game. Carolina isn’t ruling him out yet, but whether it’s Dalton or a less-than-100% Young at QB for Carolina, they could be in trouble either way if the run game can’t carry them like it has being doing.
Buffalo has put up decent numbers thus far in 2025 without a multi-turnover game to their credit, so if they can make a few plays in the pass game and contain Carolina’s new-look backfield, they should be in for a solid day.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (18%)
After a 3-0 start, the Chargers have lost three of four, with their lone win in that stretch coming at the last second against Miami. Most recently, they let up 38 points in a loss to the Colts, recording just one sack and no turnovers on the day. LA has a quick turnaround this week as they try to get back in the win column and into contention in the AFC West, hosting the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night.
Uncharacteristic for a Harbaugh team, these Chargers have not been the top ten defense they were expected to be heading into the season, and through seven weeks they’re the DST26 in fantasy scoring. They have just seven turnovers on the year with six coming via interception. Three of those picks came against the Raiders and three came against Miami, meaning the Chargers have yet to pick off a pass that wasn’t thrown by a current league leader in interceptions.
Thursday night games have been higher-scoring affairs than usual this year, with only three of the seven TNF games so far going under on the total, but I expect a return to the norm over the next few weeks, starting with the Chargers and Vikings in LA.
Carson Wentz has thrown four picks in four games since assuming Minnesota’s starting job, including two (one going for a pick six) against Philadelphia in Week 7. Jordan Addison is back in the lineup and has performed well alongside Justin Jefferson, but Minnesota’s offense has been relatively stagnant otherwise, with their rushing offense currently ranking 21st on the season with just under 104 yards per game.
In the ultra-competitive AFC West, the Chargers currently sit in second, ahead of Kansas City via the head to head tiebreaker and just a game behind Denver for the division lead. With each game weighing so heavily in a division that very well may produce three playoff teams this year, I expect LA to come out firing with constant pressure on Wentz. If Jordan Mason can’t get Minnesota’s run game going early, Wentz will be forced to make plays with his arm, which can go any number of directions as we’ve seen throughout his tumultuous career so far.
LA isn’t my favorite option of the week, but they should be able to put together a decent performance if they can keep Jefferson and Addison relatively in check on a short week at home. The Chargers also get Tennessee in Week 9, so they could be a strong two-week streaming option.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
San Francisco 49ers (27%): The 49ers followed up a tough showing against Tampa with nine points versus the Falcons on Sunday night. San Francisco will head back on the road this week to face off against the Texans.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (14%): Tampa has been a mixed bag on defense this year despite their great record. After a tough Monday night matchup with Detroit, they’ll stay on the road and face Spencer Rattler and the Saints in Week 8.
Cincinnati Bengals (2%): Coming off a surprising win over the Steelers, Cincinnati has a few extra days to prepare for a home game against the Jets.
