After a tough week of several top defenses on a bye, fantasy owners will find a bit of normalcy in Week 8. Washington, Jacksonville, Philadelphia and Buffalo all have their teams on bye week now. While Philadelphia has been a top-10 defense so far, the remaining teams are easily replaceable.
Fantasy football rankings 2015: Defense/special teams, Week 8
Here are our consensus Week 8 defense/special teams rankings.
One of the hottest topics for fantasy defenses in Week 8 is the Denver Broncos. The Broncos have been the top fantasy defense by a wide margin in 2015. Unfortunately, they'll be facing a high-octane Green Bay Packers offense this week. Still, the SB Nation Fantasy crew isn't willing to completely take them out of top-10 consideration for the week. The Broncos have just been too good, and they're always capable of crucial turnovers that have enabled them to manage double-digit fantasy points every week, depending on your scoring rules. The Broncos have yet to face an offense as imposing as the Packers. However, unless you have another elite defense for Week 8, you may be better off sticking with the Broncos.
As much as Peyton Manning has struggled this season, it's expected that the Packers would be just outside our top-five picks of the week. Weekly favorites seem to have favorable matchups yet again. The St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets should reward fantasy owners yet again. It's worth mentioning that the Jets are facing the Oakland Raiders. Despite our love for the Jets this week, there is some concern: The Raiders are a top-10 offense in terms of limiting fantasy defenses in points. The Raiders have averaged over 27 points on offense through six games. However, that doesn't always lead to fantasy doom for opposing defenses. Turnovers will be key for fantasy owners if they're starting the Jets in Week 8, and our consensus seems to be optimistic in that regard.
Here are the rest of our Week 8 rankings.
Defense/special teams, Week 8
(DK: Daniel Kelley; DC: Dan Ciarrocchi; AM: Andrew Miller; JD: John Daigle; SK: Scott Kaliska. Buffalo, Jacksonville, Philadelphia and Washington are on bye.)
| Rk | Consensus | Opp. | DK | DC | AM | JD | SK |
| 1 | St. Louis Rams | SF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Seattle Seahawks | @DAL | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 2 | Arizona Cardinals | @CLE | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Carolina Panthers | IND | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | New York Jets | @OAK | 7 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Atlanta Falcons | TB | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
| 7 | Minnesota Vikings | @CHI | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 |
| 8 | Green Bay Packers | @DEN | 5 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 9 |
| 9 | Denver Broncos | GB | 4 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 11 |
| 9 | New England Patriots | MIA | 10 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 8 |
| 11 | Kansas City Chiefs | DET (London) | 14 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| 12 | New York Giants | @NO | 11 | 11 | 20 | 12 | 12 |
| 13 | Houston Texans | TEN | 17 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
| 14 | Tennessee Titans | @HOU | 12 | 12 | 18 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | Cincinnati Bengals | @PIT | 16 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| 16 | New Orleans Saints | NYG | 15 | 13 | 19 | 17 | 17 |
| 16 | Detroit Lions | KC (London) | 13 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 |
| 18 | Dallas Cowboys | SEA | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
| 19 | Pittsburgh Steelers | CIN | 19 | 22 | 13 | 23 | 20 |
| 20 | San Diego Chargers | @BAL | -- | 19 | 12 | 21 | 21 |
| 21 | San Francisco 49ers | @STL | -- | 20 | 21 | 22 | 19 |
| 22 | Oakland Raiders | NYJ | 23 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 24 |
| 23 | Chicago Bears | MIN | 25 | 21 | -- | 20 | 25 |
| 24 | Miami Dolphins | @NE | 22 | -- | 22 | -- | 22 |
| 25 | Baltimore Ravens | SD | -- | 25 | 24 | 25 | 23 |
| -- | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | @ATL | 20 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Cleveland Browns | ARI | 21 | -- | 25 | -- | -- |
| -- | Indianapolis Colts | @CAR | 24 | 24 | -- | 24 | -- |
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SB Nation presents: The most impressive teams of the week
