Let’s face it. As much as we value our skill position players, fantasy weeks are often won or lost at the DST and kicker positions. A couple of extra points at each spot can even be the difference between your team making or missing the playoffs.

The problem is that there’s a lot of volatility in these positions on a week-to-week basis. If you don’t get your hands on good options, you’re likely stuck working the waiver wire.

Starting the right team defense can give you the edge that you need to take down your weekly opponent. With the fantasy playoffs now just six weeks away in most leagues, every win counts.

Let’s take a look at what this week has to offer at the fantasy team defense position.

Editor’s Note: Rotoworld’s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-week $2.5 Million Fantasy Football league for Week 8’s games. It’s only $25 to join and first prize is $500,000. Starts Sunday, October 26th at 1pm ET. Here’s the link. 

The Usual Suspect

Detroit (at Atlanta) didn’t quite meet our expectations last week in a tough matchup against the Saints, but look for the Lions to rebound in London against a Falcons team that has yielded nine sacks in their last two games.

Preferred Plays

Your solid fantasy defenses with a weekly matchup upgrade. They’re just below the Usual Suspects tier.

1. Buffalo (at NY Jets) – The Bills delivered with a solid fantasy day against Minnesota, posting five sacks and two takeaways. They remain a strong play this week against a turnover-prone Jets team that yields roughly 2.5 sacks per game.

2. Houston (at Tennessee) – J.J. Watt is a football rock star and makes this entire Texans unit better. While Houston does let up some points (a combined 63 over the last two weeks), their pass rush and big play upside make them a preferred option this week. The potential of Jadeveon Clowney getting back on the field is an added bonus.

3. Seattle (at Carolina) – It almost feels weird having the Seahawks outside the elite tier, but they’ve really struggled this season. Hopefully their performance against Austin Davis and the Rams wasn’t enough for you to cut Seattle because they get a strong matchup this week against a Panthers offense that really didn’t move the ball until garbage time last week. Give Seattle one more chance.

4. Baltimore (at Cincinnati) – The Ravens have allowed the fewest points per game to opposing offenses, and this week they face a Bengals team that was just shut out last week. Baltimore is a Top 10 fantasy play this week.

Still Solid

They’re not elite plays, but you’re not likely to find anything better on the wire.

While the Steelers aren’t the best matchup, we’re going to continue to ride the hot hand with an Indianapolis (at Pittsburgh) unit that averages four sacks and just over two takeaways per game over their last five.

Plug-and-Play

You don’t want to rely on these D/STs on a weekly basis, but their matchup is too juicy to pass up.

1. Miami (at Jacksonville) – The Jags actually didn’t yield double-digit fantasy points last week, but they still gave up a combined five sacks and takeaways to the Browns. Miami is this week’s top streamer and comes in only behind the Bills in this week’s rankings.

2. Cleveland (vs. Oakland) – You have to love a multi-week streamer. The Browns just faced Jacksonville, and now get a Raiders offense that doesn’t yield a lot of sacks. However, they also don’t score a lot of points. Oakland’s 15.3 points per game currently ranks them No. 31 in the league.

3. Kansas City (vs. St. Louis) – Sure, the Rams looked decent last week against Seattle, but this is still a team with a lot of deficiencies. While the Chiefs are by no means the unit they were last season, they make for a strong streamer against a Rams team that can give up sacks in bunches. 

4. Dallas (vs. Washington) – The Cowboys have been one of this season’s biggest surprises. While they’ve been unable to general much of a pass rush, Dallas still makes for an intriguing play against a Colt McCoy led Washington offense.

5. Minnesota (at Tampa Bay) – They posted a combined 10 sacks and takeaways last week, and face a Bucs team that yields the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses on a per game basis. You can get away with streaming the Vikes again this week, but they’re outside the Top 12 in this week’s rankings.

6. Tampa Bay (vs. Minnesota) – It’s never easy to recommend a defense that gives up 34 points per game, but fantasy is all about the matchup. The Vikings have surrendered 19 sacks and eight turnovers in their last three games. If you’re scrounging around, you could do worse than the Bucs this week.

7. NY Jets (vs. Buffalo) – If you’re really dumpster diving, you may also want to take a look at the Jets this week. Sure, they’ve only managed two turnovers on the season, but they face a Bills team that has given up double-digit fantasy points to each of their last five opponents, including the lackluster Vikings defense last week.

Middle of the Road

These are fantasy option who will be streamers at times, but it’s best to avoid in this matchup.

Carolina (vs. Seattle) showed back in Week 5 that they’re still streamable, but they also have negative fantasy points in four of their last five. Fade the Panthers this week. … Despite managing 10 interceptions already this season, it’s tough to like Green Bay (at New Orleans) on the road in the Super Dome this week. … Chicago (at New England) was a decent streamer over the last three weeks, but it’s back to the free agency pool this week, as they face a Pats offense that has yielded just four sacks and zero turnovers in their last three games. … Tennessee (vs. Houston) faces a Texans team that has yet to give up double-digit fantasy points to an opposing defense this season. … With Jerod Mayo out for the season and Chandler Jones sidelined for potentially the next month, New England (vs. Chicago) gets a downgrade.

Matchup Downgrade

They shouldn’t be dropped, but a tough matchup limits the fantasy upside of these units.

1. San Diego (at Denver) – You want no piece of the action against Peyton Manning and company (did you hear he set a record last week?). The Broncos have yielded a combined negative-four fantasy points to opposing fantasy defenses this season.

2. Denver (vs. San Diego) – We’re avoiding Thursday night altogether this week, as the Charges and Broncos are respectively the No. 31 and 32 fantasy matchups for defenses.

3. Pittsburg (vs. Indianapolis) – The Steelers did managed three takeaways in Monday’s win over Houston, but you’ll want to steer clear of them this week in a brutal matchup against the league’s No. 2 scoring offense.

4. Arizona (vs. Philadelphia) – Despite being without Calais Campbell, this Cards unit performed well in each of the last two weeks. However, they’re going to have their hands full in this one against a potent Eagles offense that has yielded just two sacks in their last five games.

5. Philadelphia (at Arizona) – While the Eagles are likely the top scoring defense in your league, they’re not the No. 1 fantasy defense. They’ve really out-kicked their coverage so far this season, scoring seven touchdowns in six games. Expect that number to regress and downgrade Philly this week against a Cards offense just four times in 2014.

Bottom of the Barrel

A season that began with such promise for the Cincinnati (vs. Baltimore) defense, has devolved to a point where the Bengals have scored a combined negative-12 fantasy points in their last three games. … Despite the Jags exploding for double-digit fantasy points last week, you’re not looking to stream Jacksonville (vs. Miami). … The Jags posted that performance against the Browns, but it’s still too tough to trust a banged up Oakland (at Cleveland) unit this week. … New Orleans (vs. Green Bay) has rebounded slightly in their last two games, but they remain the No. 32 unit in fantasy scoring and get a tough matchup this week. … St. Louis (at Kansas City) quadrupled their sack total for the season last week, but they still have a long way to go to get back in our good graces. … With a combined three fantasy points over their last five games, Washington (at Dallas) isn’t worth consideration this week. … An inability to rush the passer and create turnovers keeps Atlanta (vs. Detroit) off the fantasy radar.

Streaming Ahead

Here are some potential streamers with good matchups in the coming weeks.

Week 9 – Washington at Minnesota, Kansas City vs. NY Jets

Week 10 – Dallas at Jacksonville, Arizona at St. Louis, Pittsburgh at NY Jets, Kansas City at Buffalo

Week 11 – Chicago vs. Minnesota, Washington vs. Tampa Bay, Miami vs. Buffalo

Can I Kick it?

Here are my top 12 kickers for Week 8:

1. Stephen Gostkowski (vs. CHI)

2. Dan Bailey (vs. WAS)

3. Justin Tucker (at CIN)

4. Steven Hauschka (at CAR)

5. Adam Vinatieri (at PIT)

6. Mason Crosby (at NO)

7. Cody Parkey (at ARI)

8. Nick Novak (at DEN)

9. Chandler Catanzaro (vs. PHI)

10. Brandon McManus (vs. SD)

11. Dan Carpenter (at NYJ)

12. Blair Walsh (at TB)