You should never underestimate the power of The Dark Side.
As was the case back in the halcyon days of 2013, the Seattle Seahawks won their championship last year with defense. Back in Super Bowl XLVIII it was Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and the “Legion of Boom.” In Super Bowl LX, it was Ernest Jones IV, Leonard Williams and “The Dark Side.”
And in a year when so many highly-drafted defenses have disappointed (Looking at you, Houston. Looking…right…at…you.), the fourth defense drafted on average over the summer is doing their best to repeat last season’s success.
Sunday night against Kansas City, the Seahawks completely put the clamps on an undefeated Chiefs team. Patrick Mahomes and Co. managed just 213 yards of offense, three points and three third-down conversions in 11 attempts. There wasn’t much in the way of big plays—just one takeaway and a single sack. But all told, it was a solid performance.
The Emperor was pleased.
That has been Seattle’s MO so far this season. There haven’t been the explosive fantasy outbursts like the late-season surge that propelled the Seahawks to the top spot among defenses in 2025. But there also haven’t been any clunkers, and the Seahawks presently sit right where they were drafted—in fourth place.
Flash is fun in fantasy. But at a position that is as high-variance as defenses, Steady Eddie isn’t a bad friend to have—even if he insists you call him Darth Eddie.
Omar Cooper Jr. stayed hot with another 100 yards and a touchdown in Week 7. Fellow rookie Caleb Douglas also broke out with two touchdowns of his own. Both players headline the list of best waiver wire targets for Week 8.
▶ THE NO-DOUBTERS
Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Tennessee Titans)
In what is the most 2026 thing about 2026, the surest bet among fantasy defenses (or as sure as they get) in Week 8 may well be…the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincy’s offseason improvements on the defensive side of the ball have resulted in an AFC-high 21 sacks, a tie for the fifth-most takeaways in the league and the sixth-most fantasy points among defenses. The Bengals have had four good weeks and a pair of bad ones, and this week they host a Tennessee offense that ranks dead last in total offense and 31st in points per game. Good week incoming.
Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Indianapolis Colts)
After a hot start to the season, the Jaguars have tailed off in recent weeks, with their loss in London two weeks ago being their worst defensive effort of the season. Now back in the States and coming off the bye, the Jags are in a prime spot to rebound against a reeling Colts team that appears headed toward a trade deadline fire sale. The Jaguars are leading the league in run defense for the second year in a row. The only reliable offense the Colts have is Jonathan Taylor—assuming he isn’t dealt. Get where I’m going with this?
Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Cleveland Browns)
Not since these two teams met in the Wild Card Round in 2021 have the stakes been this big for a matchup between these longtime rivals in the Steel City. The Browns won that matchup, but the last time the Browns beat the Steelers in the regular season in Pittsburgh was 2003. The Steelers are third among all defenses in fantasy points and tied for third in sacks. The Browns lead the league in sacks allowed with 25 and have given up the sixth-most fantasy points per game to defenses. Can’t argue with math.
Denver Broncos (vs. Kansas City Chiefs)
The Broncos opened the season getting boatraced at Arrowhead by the Chiefs, and Denver’s inconsistent offense has put a lot of pressure on the defense to make plays. But the Chiefs team that won that Week 1 matchup wasn’t 13 kinds of banged up at wide receiver, and the injuries showed last week in Seattle. Since that Week 1 faceplant, only the Vikings have more fantasy points among defenses, and the return of edge-rusher Jonathon Cooper is a boost to an already formidable pass rush.
Green Bay Packers (vs. Carolina Panthers)
Despite being down their best pass-rusher and top two linebackers on the road against Detroit’s high-octane offense last week, the Packers held the Lions to 20 points and posted the sixth-most fantasy points among defenses for the week—the same spot they occupy for the season. No team in the league has turned opponents over more. And this week at Lambeau Field brings a visit from a Panthers team that just got hammered at home by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while surrendering the biggest fantasy score of the week.
Cleveland Browns (at Pittsburgh Steelers)
This matchup has the potential to be quite the old-school brouhaha—a defensive battle where the first team to 17 wins. Someone forgot to tell Cleveland they can’t play defense without Myles Garrett—the Browns are seventh against the pass, sit second in the NFL with 20 sacks and have scored the eighth-most fantasy points among defenses, Meanwhile, the Steelers sit just outside the top-10 in points per game allowed to the position, and Aaron Rodgers has been dropped 22 times. The last time these teams met, Rodgers was sacked five times and the Steelers turned the ball over twice.
▶ STREAMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!
Los Angeles Rams (vs. Los Angeles Chargers)
This is where we are with the Rams defense. A team that was drafted as an elite fantasy option has so thoroughly disappointed through half of the fantasy regular season that they are a matchup play at best despite taking on the only thing at SoFi Stadium more depressing than they are—the winless Chargers. The Chargers are mired at the bottom of the league in many offensive categories and have surrendered more fantasy points per game to defenses than any team in the league. If the Rams can’t post a number here? Drop them.
New England Patriots (at Miami Dolphins)
It has admittedly been a rollercoaster ride for the Patriots defense this year. There have been highs, and there have been lows. Week 7 brought the latter, although they aren’t the first defense that the Chicago Bears have made look foolish in 2026. But the former should be in store this week—the Miami Dolphins have shown some signs of life on offense the past couple of times out, but we’re still talking about a one-win team that has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to defenses this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Atlanta Falcons)
Will the real Tampa Bay Buccaneers please stand up? On one hand, the Buccaneers are a two-win team that just played a game where they completed seven passes. On the other, the Bucs won that game by 30 points, because the defense has played at a high level all season long. The Buccaneers are second among all defenses in fantasy points after seven weeks, and perhaps most importantly this week, Tampa has the NFC’s best run defense. Atlanta is second in the NFC in fantasy points per game allowed to defenses. So there’s that, too. If the Bucs shut down Bijan Robinson and make Michael Penix throw to beat them, there’s some there there. So there.
Atlanta Falcons (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
The only team in the NFC allowing more fantasy points per game to defenses than the aforementioned Atlanta Falcons? Your Tampa Bay Buccaneers! If last week’s gameplan straight from 1958 is any indication, Baker Mayfield’s busted thumb isn’t close to 100 percent, and going run-heavy on the league’s fourth-best run defense isn’t going to be easy. Fresh off an upset of the unbeaten 49ers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium that included two sacks and four takeaways, the Falcons are a decent streamer play this week.
Washington Commanders (vs. Philadelphia Eagles)
From the “In Case of Emergency Break Glass” files, we have our weekly look at the bottom of the streaming barrel and the Washington Commanders. Is Washington’s defense good? Nope. Rookie linebacker Sonny Styles looks like the real deal, but the Commanders are 25th in total defense, 31st in scoring defense and 26th in fantasy points. But the Eagles have well and truly imploded—at this point the team is going to have to hold running back tryouts in the parking lot at Geno’s.
▶ CAVEAT EMPTOR, FOLKS
Seattle Seahawks (vs. Chicago Bears)
To be clear, fantasy managers who have rostered the Seahawks should just go ahead and start them—the team has shown they can at least slow down any offense, especially at home. But “slow down” may be about the best Seattle can hope for against Chicago’s buzzsaw offense—the Bears are third in the league in total offense and seventh in points scored without the services of Caleb Williams for multiple games. Their quarterback is healthy now though—and the offense is rolling.
Minnesota Vikings (at Detroit Lions)
It’s not hard to figure out why the Vikings are fantasy football’s No. 1 defense at the halfway point. Brian Flores is sending blitzers at a rate we haven’t seen since Buddy Ryan was punching Kevin Gilbride on the sideline in Houston—last week against the Indianapolis Colts, the Vikings’ blitz rate was north of 80 percent. But this week’s trip to Motown is the stiffest test the Minnesota defense has faced—on the road on a fast track indoors against the No. 2 offense in yards and the NFC’s top offense in points scored.