Getting Defensive: Week 8

The Philadelphia Eagles entered Sunday night’s big showdown with the Miami Dolphins at 5-1 and labeled one of the NFC’s favorites once again. But while the defense had played well, it wasn’t as dominant as 2022.

The Eagles were still nearly impossible to run on, allowing less than 65 yards per game. But due in part to injuries the pass defense ranked in the bottom half of the league, and after racking up a whopping 70 sacks in 2022 Philly had just 20 over the first six games of 2023. Going up against a Dolphins offense chewing up yardage and scoring points at a historic pace, the Eagles appeared to be a shaky fantasy start.

Well, they showed us.

In a 31-17 win, the Eagles allowed less than 250 yards of offense total. The negative-seven rushing yards they allowed in the first half were the fewest Miami had in a half in almost 15 years. Tua Tagovailoa was sacked four times and intercepted once, and the Dolphins scored just one offensive touchdown.

Even with that the performance, the Eagles still aren’t the fantasy asset they were last year—the team sits 10th in fantasy points for the season. But it served as a reminder that the Eagles can shut down anyone, and this week they face a Washington Commanders team that has allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to defenses and surrendered a staggering 40 sacks in 2023.

They will have dropped Washington quarterback Sam Howell twice by the time you finish reading this.

THE NO-DOUBTERS

San Francisco 49ers (vs. Cincinnati Bengals)

When last we saw the 49ers, they were very uncharacteristically being shredded by the Minnesota Vikings in a game where the Niners allowed over 450 yards of offense and didn’t sack Kirk Cousins once. It was San Fran’s worst fantasy performance of the year, and dropped them outside the top-12 defenses in fantasy points. But now an angry 49ers team that has lost two straight returns home to take on a Cincinnati Bengals team that ranks dead last in total offense and 28th in scoring. This is a “get right” spot for Nick Bosa and the boys—expect them to tee off Sunday.

New York Jets (at New York Giants)

The Jets entered the 2023 season with massive expectations, but given all that has happened coming out of the bye at 3-3 is quite an accomplishment—and the New York defense deserves a big chunk of the credit for that success. The Jets are giving up under 220 passing yards and under 20 points per game, and the Jets are third in the league with 14 takeaways and rank among the top-12 defenses in terms of fantasy points. Perhaps most importantly, there isn’t a team in the NFL that has surrendered more fantasy points per game to defenses this season than the Jets’ Met Life Stadium roommates.

Baltimore Ravens (at Arizona Cardinals)

Six weeks into the 2023 season, only the Buffalo Bills have more fantasy points among team defenses than the Ravens, who completely shut down the Detroit Lions in Week 7. No team in the National Football League has amassed more sacks this season than the 28 the Ravens have tallied, and Baltimore ranks second in the NFL in both total defense and pass defense and leads the NFL in points allowed at just 13.9 per game. The Cardinals are just a middling fantasy matchup defensively, but Arizona ‘s offense has struggled since running back James Conner went on injured reserve.

Buffalo Bills (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

After losing a last-second heartbreaker to the New England Patriots, the Bills are suddenly a 4-3 team that has dropped two of its last three games. However, the Bills are also fantasy football’s No. 2 scoring defense, in large part due to 25 sacks (second-most in the league), 14 takeaways (also second-most in the NFL) and a defense that ranks 10th against the pass and fifth in points allowed. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers started the season 3-1, but they have dropped two in a row, scoring just 19 points in those two defeats combined.

Dallas Cowboys (vs. Los Angeles Rams)

The Cowboys don’t have a favorable fantasy matchup in Week 7—the Rams have actually surrendered the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to defenses this season. But despite having their bye last week, the Cowboys remain the highest-scoring defense in fantasy, largely because Dallas has an uncanny nose for the end zone—four non-offensive touchdowns so far this year. There’s at least some bust potential each week with the Cowboys, but the Rams probably don’t have the offensive weaponry to exploit it—and pass protection has been an issue in LA at times this season.

New Orleans Saints (at Indianapolis Colts)

The Saints may be the best defense in the league that no one is talking about—New Orleans ranks fourth in the league in total defense, fourth against the pass, seventh in points allowed, sixth in the league in takeaways and fourth in fantasy points. The Colts haven’t exactly been a fantasy bonanza this season, but they were last week against Cleveland—the Browns sacked Gardner Minshew four times, caused four turnovers and returned a fumble for a touchdown. Of course the Colts also scored 38 points, but hey—no plan’s perfect.

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Detroit Lions (vs. Las Vegas Raiders)

Detroit’s drastic defensive improvement took a bit of a beating last week in Baltimore. Actually, it was pounded into goo—the Lions allowed touchdowns on the Ravens’ first four drives and were down 28-0 before the team had a first down. But the Lions aren’t playing the Ravens this week—on Monday night the Lions face a Raiders team that could be without quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and wasn’t exactly tearing it up when Jimmy G was out there. The Raiders are sixth in fantasy points per game allowed to defenses in 2023—and that’s what this recommendation is all about.

Cleveland Browns (at Seattle Seahawks)

The Browns are 4-2 because of a defense that has stood on its head most of the season. For the year, the Browns are allowing just 243 yards per game—tops in the NFL. Cleveland is surrendering just 149.2 passing yards per game—also tops in the NFL. The Browns are seventh in the league against the run and 10th in points allowed even after giving up 38 points to the Indianapolis Colts last week. Prior to last week the Browns hadn’t tallied a lot of big plays and the Seahawks aren’t a great matchup, but the Browns are at the very least a solid streaming option in Week 8.

Seattle Seahawks (vs. Cleveland Browns)

The flip side of this matchup is something of a mirror image. Whereas rolling out Cleveland is taking an excellent defense in a poor matchup, starting the Seahawks is going with an average defense in an excellent matchup. Seattle has been stout against the run, allowing just 87.2 yards per game on the ground. But the pass defense has been an issue. Of course, if Deshaun Watson can’t go this week that probably won’t matter—P.J. Walker has been atrocious as a passer and is a big part of the reason the Browns have surrendered the fifth-most fantasy points to team defenses in 2023.

Jacksonville Jaguars (at Pittsburgh Steelers)

There isn’t a more surprising defense in fantasy football than the Jacksonville Jaguars, who rank fifth in the league in fantasy points after seven weeks. The Jaguars have been a difficult team to run against in 2023, allowing just over 80 yards a game on the ground. But where the team has truly shined is in taking the ball away from the opponent—Jacksonville’s 16 takeaways lead the league. The Steelers have been hit-or-miss offensively this season, especially in games where they haven’t been able to get their oft-faltering run game going.

Miami Dolphins (vs. New England Patriots)

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins offense have garnered all the headlines this year, but whether it’s defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, edge-rushers Jaelan Phillips and Andrew Van Ginkel, linebacker David Long or safety Jevon Holland, the defense has some talent as well—and will have that much more once cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard are healthy. The Patriots were able to put 29 points on the board last week against the Bills, but the Pats are still giving up the most fantasy points in the AFC to team defenses.

Kansas City Chiefs (at Denver Broncos)

When people talk about the Kansas City Chiefs, the conversation almost always centers on quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and the offense, But the defense has been quietly excellent in 2023—Kansas City is seventh in the league in total defense, sixth in the league against the pass, second in the league in scoring defense at just 15.0 points per game and sixth in the league in fantasy points among defenses. Add in a Denver offense that has been wildly inconsistent at times this year, and you have the makings of another big day for the Chiefs defense—and a seventh-straight win for the Chiefs.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on Twitter @IDPSharks.