Top 12 Fantasy Football Defense Rankings for Week 8 (2022)

Defenses are usually just an afterthought in fantasy football. That's leaving points on the board though. Savvy fantasy managers will be scouring the waiver wire to capitalize on the best defensive matchups each and every week.

With that in mind, here are the top 12 fantasy football defenses for Week 8 of the 2022 NFL season.

Fantasy Football Defense Rankings Week 8

12. New York Giants (at SEA)

11. Tennessee Titans (at HOU)

10. New York Jets (vs NE)

9. Carolina Panthers (at ATL)

8. Jacksonville Jaguars (vs DEN)

The Denver Broncos are turning into the New York Giants of 2021, or the New York Jets of the 2020 season. When your defense plays against them, it's a must-start fantasy option. Denver's offense is atrocious. The only thing they somewhat excel at is hanging onto the football as they rank 18th with 8 turnovers. But, this team scores the fewest points per game (14.3), the 10th-fewest yards per game (328.6) and has allowed the sixth-most sacks (21).

7. Indianapolis Colts (vs WAS)

6. San Francisco 49ers (at LAR)

5. Denver Broncos (at JAX)

4. New England Patriots (at NYJ)

3. Buffalo Bills (vs GB)

2. Dallas Cowboys (vs CHI)

It took seven weeks, but the Dallas Cowboys performance against the Lions was what fantasy managers have been waiting for the entire season. The unit erupted for a combined 5 turnovers (2 INTs, 3 FUM) in a 24-6 beatdown, and showed why they are one of the best fantasy options in the NFL. Dallas ranks a few spots ahead of the Eagles on the season rankings, but the Chicago Bears have done a slightly better job holding onto the football than the Steelers, which is why Philadelphia gets the edge.

1. Philadelphia Eagles (vs PIT)

Technically the fourth-best fantasy unit in football (9.7 points per game), the Philadelphia Eagles enter Week 8 with a savory matchup. Philly enters this clash with a league-leading 14 turnovers forced, even after sitting around in Week 7 on a bye. That spells trouble for rookie QB Kenny Pickett, who has shown an early proclivity (like many rookies before him) for throwing INTs. Pickett is in for a long day against this fierce Eagles squad.

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Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.