With fantasy football season underway, Pro Football Network will have weekly Defense/Special Teams (D/ST) rankings for the 2020 season. We continue with our Week 8 rankings. While singular offensive players dominate fantasy football, the other side of the ball sees players work together as a unit. These rankings can be especially useful if you are streaming your defenses on a weekly basis.
The general scoring for defenses includes points for fumbles, interceptions, sacks, safeties, and restricting offensive yards and points. Special teams scoring incorporates any kickoff or punt return touchdowns, blocked punts, and blocked field goal attempts.
For the defensive side, the most commonly used strategy by analysts is steaming defenses. This concept involves examining weekly matchups for weaker or outmatched offensive opponents and looking for defenses on your league’s waiver wire to maximize your production from this roster spot. If you’re taking that approach, these 2020 defense fantasy rankings will be a bookmark you visit often.
Defense/Special Teams Fantasy Rankings Highlights for Week 8
Kansas City
Currently allowing the third-fewest fantasy points against wide receivers and ninth-fewest against quarterbacks, Kansas City is this week’s top defense. When it comes to turnovers, this unit is one of the best, with 17.6% of drives against this defense ending in a turnover. Sixth in blitz percentage, third in fewest air yards allowed, no number makes this defense look bad. Add in a New York Jets team that somehow only mustered four net yards of offense in the second half, and this game could get ugly. They are one of our top streaming defenses of the week.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Denver Broncos have thrown the second-most interceptions in the NFL. They also have the sixth-fewest percentage of drives ending in a score and third-highest percentage of drives ending in a turnover. Philip Lindsay is in the concussion protocol, and without him, this offense has no speed element out of the backfield. With the second-worst completion percentage and third most fumbles, the offense will afford the Chargers more than enough opportunity to put up points.
New Orleans Saints
With the Chicago Bears allowing the seventh-most points to opposing fantasy defenses, the Saints are a great option for those in deeper leagues or those who waited to fill a streaming defense spot. The Bears have the fewest rushing touchdowns in the NFL, and while their passing offense isn’t overly careless with the ball, they score on under a third of offensive drives. Even with the Saints’ low turnover total, they will be able to hold things down against an underwhelming offense.
Week 8: Defense/Special Teams Fantasy Rankings
If you need to search for specific teams, you can do so using our filters below. Don’t forget to reset them to clear your board and start from the beginning. As injuries and news come in, we will be updating our rankings to make sure you are covered and know which teams are our top streaming defenses of the week.
Please note: On mobile devices, these rankings view best in landscape mode.
| Week 11 Rank | Defense | Def. Rank Against Pass | Def. Rank Against Run | Opponent | Off. Passing Rank | Off. Rushing Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steelers | -15.0% | -28.1% | Jaguars | 1.2% | -10.6% |
| 2 | Chargers | 8.4% | -0.4% | Jets | -18.7% | -24.2% |
| 3 | Dolphins | -4.5% | 2.3% | Broncos | -31.6% | -20.5% |
| 4 | Buccaneers | -15.4% | -32.9% | Rams | 19.8% | 13.2% |
| 5 | Eagles | 13.8% | -13.0% | Browns | 13.6% | -2.2% |
| 6 | Washington | -8.8% | -12.2% | Bengals | -1.3% | -18.4% |
| 7 | Ravens | -1.4% | -30.0% | Titans | 49.6% | -0.1% |
| 8 | Browns | 12.2% | -8.5% | Eagles | -21.9% | -8.0% |
| 9 | Packers | 9.0% | -4.3% | Colts | 13.0% | -10.5% |
| 10 | Vikings | -0.7% | -9.9% | Cowboys | -12.0% | -18.1% |
| 11 | Saints | -5.1% | -37.3% | Falcons | 23.5% | 26.4% |
| 12 | Kansas City | -5.1% | 4.5% | Raiders | 28.6% | -7.0% |
| 13 | Rams | -3.3% | -13.4% | Buccaneers | 26.7% | -7.5% |
| 14 | Colts | -10.1% | -29.9% | Packers | 44.2% | -7.3% |
| 15 | Lions | 16.6% | 0.7% | Panthers | 26.0% | -2.6% |
| 16 | Texans | 14.1% | 5.5% | Patriots | -8.7% | 6.8% |
| 17 | Panthers | 17.2% | -0.2% | Lions | 20.2% | -8.7% |
| 18 | Broncos | 0.5% | -8.7% | Dolphins | 22.9% | -22.0% |
| 19 | Patriots | 27.5% | 5.2% | Texans | 25.3% | -33.3% |
| 20 | Bengals | 23.0% | -5.0% | Washington | -22.7% | -13.4% |
| 21 | Seahawks | 22.1% | -17.9% | Cardinals | 23.2% | 1.9% |
| 22 | Falcons | 22.8% | -21.4% | Saints | 27.6% | -0.9% |
| 23 | Raiders | 11.1% | 0.3% | Kansas City | 58.0% | -14.4 |
| 24 | Titans | 20.6% | -8.0% | Ravens | 3.7% | -6.3% |
| 25 | Cardinals | 0.5% | -14.2% | Seahawks | 35.0% | -3.4% |
| 26 | Cowboys | 10.9% | 0.9% | Vikings | 17.7% | 4.9% |
| 27 | Jets | 33.4% | -16.0% | Chargers | 34.3% | -18.6% |
| 28 | Jaguars | 30.2% | -7.9% | Steelers | 21.9% | -25.1% |
| 29 | 49ers (bye) | 9.3% | -20.3% | 49ers (bye) | 6.9% | -4.7% |
| 30 | Bills (bye) | 7.3% | -0.9% | Bills (bye) | 32.2% | -18.2% |
| 31 | Giants (bye) | 22.6% | -9.0% | Giants (bye) | -10.4% | -9.2% |
| 32 | Bears (bye) | -12.8% | -29.2% | Bears (bye) | -10.7% | -30.2% |