Best Fantasy Football D/ST Streaming Options for Week 8: Chiefs, Lions, Texans, Chargers

Ted breaks down the top defenses to add to your fantasy football roster for Week 8's action.

We are really hitting our stride as the season goes on, with our second straight great week of streaming picks in Week 7. Of last week’s four streaming recommendations, two (the Bengals and Rams) cleared 15 fantasy points, while the Jaguars also hit double-digits. The Saints led the group down with a one-point outing on Thursday night, but I will absolutely take an average score of 11 points across four widely available streaming picks.

I will try to keep the good results rolling for this week, although things get a little tougher without Deshaun Watson available to target. Luckily, no teams are on bye this week, so we have more options than we have had over the last few weeks. Here we go!

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Week 8 Fantasy Football Defense Streaming Options

Kansas City Chiefs (42.7% Rostered) @ Las Vegas Raiders

Honestly, I was surprised to see that the Chiefs are even eligible for this list. They are one of the best defensive units in the league, especially against the run. Luckily for us, they had their bye in Week 6 followed by a matchup with the 49ers last week, so the reigning Super Bowl champs are available in 57% of leagues.

That won’t last, however, as they have one of the best matchups of the week against the Raiders’ offense. No matter what metric of offensive ineptitude you look at, Vegas is bound to be near the bottom. They rank third-worst in EPA per play, eighth-worst in points per game, and seventh-worst in both yards per game and yards per play. They also lead the league with an absurd 19% of their drives ending in turnovers.

This week, Vegas will be going back to Gardner Minshew, as Aidan O’Connell fractured his thumb on Sunday. That’s good news for the Chiefs’ defense, as Minshew ranks third worst among qualified quarterbacks with an absurd 27.9% pressure-to-sack rate. That’s a sign that this game could get ugly, as Kansas City ranks fourth in the league in pressure generated. Fire up the Chiefs with confidence for this divisional matchup.

Detroit Lions (29.7% Rostered) vs. Tennessee Titans

They have a (well-earned) reputation as a glass cannon, but the Lions have actually been shockingly good on the defensive side of the ball to start the season. PFF has them graded as the single best defensive unit in the league, and they rank sixth-best in EPA per play allowed. They will likely regress some going forward without Aidan Hutchinson, who is out for the season after a DPOY-level start to the season, but this Lions' defense is still massively improved from in years past.

Meanwhile, the Titans have been terrible offensively. To put into perspective how bad things are in Tennesee, Mason Rudolph has been a huge improvement for their offense. Anyone playing the Lions’ defense is hoping for Will Levis to recover in time for this matchup, as he has a gift for committing inexplicable turnovers (not to mention taking sacks). If Levis is out, Detroit should slide down rankings slightly. 

With that said, Rudolph is still a perfectly valid quarterback to target. He led the Titans to just 10 points against the Bills on Sunday and has the seventh-lowest PFF Offense Grade of any qualified QB … which is saying a lot given some of the quarterback play we’ve seen this season. Regardless of who is under center, the Titans rank eighth-worst in points per game, second-worst in yards per play and yards per game, and fourth-worst in EPA per play. In a game where they’ll be trying to keep up with the Lions’ explosive offense, we can expect things to get ugly. 

Houston Texans (40.5% Rostered) vs. Indianapolis Colts

Speaking of ugly, Anthony Richardson has struggled mightily in his sophomore season. His 7.9% turnover-worthy play rate is second only to the aforementioned Levis, and his 11.2% below-expected completion percentage is the worst in the NFL by a country mile. To his credit, Richardson is effective at avoiding sacks, with the lowest pressure-to-sack rate in the entire league. The fact that he still ranks 13th-worst in EPA per dropback despite mostly avoiding sacks points to how ineffective he is otherwise.

Meanwhile, the Texans’ defense ranks third in the league in both pressure rate and pressure rate over expected. They have allowed the second-fewest yards per game and third-fewest yards per play. The lack of predictable sacks is a bit concerning, but I have faith in their ability to force a turnover of five at home against Richardson this week.   

Los Angeles Chargers (33.3% Rostered) vs. New Orleans Saints

I’ve seen some arguments that Spencer Rattler hasn’t looked too bad in his first two NFL starts, but I certainly can’t find any data to back that up. His -0.47 EPA per play is saved from being the worst in the league only by just a tenth of a point (and Bryce Young). He has the fifth-lowest PFF Grade and fifth-highest pressure-to-sack rate among qualified quarterbacks. 

This all sets up great for the Chargers, who have quietly been elite on the defensive end to start the season. LA’s defense leads the league in points per game allowed, as well as ranking third-best in EPA per play allowed. They should be able to provide a solid outing against a Saints offense that has been absolutely decimated by injuries. 

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