Streaming Defenses: Picking a Week 8 Defense

This article is part of our Streaming Defenses series.

Titans

How much will the Texans struggle on offense without Arian Foster again? The star RB tore his Achilles' tendon last week against the Dolphins and is out for the season, meaning the offense will need to rely on the combination of Alfred Blue (3.9 YPC) and Chris Polk (3.5 YPC), neither of which have shown much upside. Polk is the more active pass catcher, but even so, he's unlikely to have a game plan built around his skill set. The Titans rank 26th in YPC (4.6) and it wouldn't be too surprising to see them pushed around in this matchup.

In the passing game, QB Brian Hoyer ranks 15th in YPA (7.48) and has an 11:3 TD:INT ratio. He's 27th in completion percentage (58.9) and hasn't had much to work with, outside of stud WR DeAndre Hopkins, who can make all the catches and often does. Nate Washington has had a couple of very productive games this season and has really complemented Hopkins, as best he can, when healthy. The problem with this offense in general is that it's tough to find playmakers, when the QB play is at best league average, Foster isn't on the field, and the opposing defense knows the ball is going to Hopkins. To expect Polk, Blue, Washington, and Cecil Shorts to score more than three touchdowns is a stretch, unless there's significant garbage time in this one. Vegas does not have an over/under for this game yet, but does have the Texans favored by 4 points. Facing the Texans on the road , the Titans defense/special teams has an ownership of 18.8 percent at ESPN and 7 percent at Yahoo.

Giants

QB Drew Brees and the Saints started the season 0-3, but have turned things around to go 3-1 in their last four games and have finally started to find some balance. Brees ranks 18th in YPA (7.40) and has thrown exactly one TD in four of his six starts this season, as the passing yards have been there, but the team has elected to run the ball more in the red zone. The WR/TE corps has had to adjust to life without Jimmy Graham, though Benjamin Watson in his 12th season remains productive. Willie Snead, Brandin Cooks, and Marques Colston are contributing, but none have emerged as go to weapons, as Brees has spread the wealth. The Giants are an average pass defense, ranking tied for 19th in YPA (7.2). They have a good enough secondary to keep up, but will really need a push from their front four to turn this matchup in their favor.

On the ground, RB Mark Ingram has been excellent with 4.4 YPC, but he's been maybe even better in the passing game, as he's caught 29-of-32 passes thrown his way. The Giants are average against the run, ranking 16th in YPC (4.1) and will have their hands full with Ingram and backup Khiry Robinson. The real reason to go with the Giants in this spot is because the Saints have one of the worst defenses of the league themselves and if the Giants are able to take advantage and play from ahead, they should be able to generate enough sacks and turnovers (they rank fourth in 2.3 per game) to help owners. Vegas has this over/under set at 49.5 with the Saints favored by 3, which puts this at about a 26-23 game. Facing the Saints on the road , the Giants defense/special teams has an ownership of 19.3 percent at ESPN and 24 percent at Yahoo.

Chiefs

The Lions fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi this week, along with two offensive line coaches, as the team looks to shake things up, after watching QB Matthew Stafford get sacked seven times against the Vikings. If that isn't a ringing endorsement of why to take the Chiefs, I don't know what is, as their pass rush could have a big game against this porous line. Add to that Stafford is third in interceptions thrown (nine) and ranks 20th in YPA (7.10) and you start to see part of why the Lions have won only one game this season. WR Calvin Johnson still strikes fear in opposing secondaries, but he hasn't gotten much help from Golden Tate. TE Eric Ebron, when healthy, is a redzone threat, but not much more. The Chiefs rank tied for 19th in YPA (7.2).

On the ground the Lions are one of the worst, as they rank 31st in YPC (3.5) and have seen rookie RB Ameer Abdullah struggle to stay on the field, what with fumbling and an embarrassing offensive line. RB Theo Riddick is a non-factor most games on the ground, but has really helped out in the passing game, as he's second on the team in catches (36), but really that just speaks to the lack of secondary options in the passing game, after Megatron. The Chiefs rank ninth in YPC (3.9) and shouldn't have too much trouble making the Lions one dimensional. The Lions might have some dead-cat-bounce upside to them this week, but even still, on the road, they're not likely to find much traction. Vegas has this over/under set at 45 with the Chiefs favored by 5, which puts this at about a 25-20 game. Facing the Lions in London, the Chiefs defense/special teams has an ownership of 23.1 percent at ESPN and 45 percent at Yahoo.

Vikings

Coming off a bye, the Bears figure to be the healthiest they've been all season and yet maybe their timing couldn't be worse, as they face a Vikings team that has won four of their last five games. QB Jay Cutler ranks 21st in YPA (7.08) and 25th in completion percentage (60.9), as he's seen his best weapon WR Alshon Jeffery injured for much of this season. Now healthy, he figures to draw the most attention, though TE Martellus Bennett will also see his share of targets. The Vikings rank 10th in YPA (6.7) and have done really well this season to limit opposing QBs, as none have passed for more than 286 yards and only two have thrown two or more TDs. A vintage Cutler performance full of turnovers would surely help the Vikings, though he's done a decent job of limiting the turnovers, by his standards at least.

On the ground, Matt Forte is averaging 4.0 YPC, though he has only one game this season with over 100 yards and that game in Week 1. The Vikings have done well to limit opposing backs, as only two have had 100 yards or scored a TD against them. Still Forte is to be feared, especially in the passing game. The Vikings like to run the ball and play defense, and if that formula holds up in this one, it should limit the possessions and make for a lower scoring game, right where the Vikings like it. Vegas has this over/under set at 42.5 with the Vikings favored by 1, which puts this at about a 22-21 game. Facing the Bears on the road, the Vikings defense/special teams has an ownership of 47.4 percent at ESPN and 32 percent at Yahoo.

Bengals

QB Ben Roethlisberger (knee) is back, but just how mobile he is remains to be seen. Last week he experienced pain after practicing and if that that continues into this week, we'll likely see him limited in his ability to extend plays and shake off defenders, which when healthy, he does so well. Were he fully healthy, there is no way anyone in their right mind would start a fantasy defense against this offense, but again, this is an offense still looking to put all the pieces together, as WR Martavis Bryant has yet to play in a game with Big Ben this season. Antonio Brown is a matchup nightmare with Big Ben at QB and the Bengals will have to make him their top priority in the secondary, though RB Le'Veon Bell is also tough to cover as well. Still, the Bengals are coming off a bye, rank 13th in YPA (6.9), and in a divisional game, shouldn't be surprised by anything the Steelers throw at them.

On the ground the Bengals rank 28th in YPC (4.9) and are likely to be gashed by Bell and company. I expect the Steelers to exploit this match up and feed Bell early and often to limit the times Big Ben has to throw, if his knee is still affecting him. An explosive offense in their own right, the Bengals could find themselves in a shootout, which would be awful for fantasy owners of either defense, the hope here though is that following the bye week, the Bengals are rested and able to take advantage of a non-mobile Big Ben. Vegas has this over/under set at 48.5 with the Bengals avored by 1.5, which puts this at about a 25-24 game. Facing the Steelers on the road, the Bengals defense/special teams has an ownership of 25.0 percent at ESPN and 23 percent at Yahoo.

Here are my rankings for this week, the next four weeks, and remainder of the season: