The fantasy DST rankings might be the most matchup-dependent position in all of fantasy football. That said, if your league requires you to start the position, you’re wise to put in the work — or trust that I did!
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Which DST Should You Start in Fantasy Football?
MORE rankings from Soppe: QB | RB | WR | TE | K
1) Cleveland Browns | CLE (at SEA)
2) Buffalo Bills | BUF (vs. TB)
3) San Francisco 49ers | SF (vs. CIN)
4) Baltimore Ravens | BAL (at ARI)
5) Kansas City Chiefs | KC (at DEN)
6) Dallas Cowboys | DAL (vs. LAR)
7) New York Jets | NYJ (at NYG)
8) Philadelphia Eagles | PHI (at WAS)
9) Detroit Lions | DET (vs. LV)
10) Seattle Seahawks | SEA (vs. CLE)
11) Miami Dolphins | MIA (vs. NE)
12) New Orleans Saints | NO (at IND)
13) Pittsburgh Steelers | PIT (vs. JAX)
14) Green Bay Packers | GB (vs. MIN)
15) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TB (at BUF)
16) New York Giants | NYG (vs. NYJ)
17) Jacksonville Jaguars | JAX (at PIT)
18) Houston Texans | HOU (at CAR)
19) Washington Commanders | WAS (vs. PHI)
20) Atlanta Falcons | ATL (at TEN)
21) Los Angeles Rams | LAR (at DAL)
22) Las Vegas Raiders | LV (at DET)
23) Indianapolis Colts | IND (vs. NO)
24) Los Angeles Chargers | LAC (vs. CHI)
25) Tennessee Titans | TEN (vs. ATL)
26) New England Patriots | NE (at MIA)
27) Minnesota Vikings | MIN (at GB)
28) Carolina Panthers | CAR (vs. HOU)
29) Cincinnati Bengals | CIN (at SF)
30) Arizona Cardinals | ARI (vs. BAL)
31) Chicago Bears | CHI (at LAC)
32) Denver Broncos | DEN (vs. KC)
The Top DSTs To Start in Week 8
Baltimore Ravens (at Cardinals)
On a per-play basis, the Ravens are 7% better than any other defense in the league, and they get a Cardinals offense struggling to move the ball on a consistent basis.
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This unit has scored at least eight fantasy points in four straight games, averaging 12.3 PPG over that stretch. With Lamar Jackson playing at a high level, this DST should benefit from forced aggression, giving them week-winning/slate-breaking potential.
Philadelphia Eagles (at Commanders)
The Birds have at least four sacks in four straight games, and now they get a Commanders offensive line that is on pace to allow a record number of QB takedowns. Like the Ravens, the Eagles figure to be playing with a lead and thus seeing Sam Howell drop back 40+ times.
This will be the DFS chalk defense, so I might avoid them there, but in season-long formats, you get the greenest of lights.