There is a group of defenses that fantasy managers absolutely need to avoid playing in Week 8. With that, here are four of those defenses that are set up to be some of the worst-performing in fantasy this week.

Carolina  Panthers

The Carolina Panthers ' defense has had extreme lows and highs in 2026. Coming off  Week 7, where they were tied for being the worst defense in fantasy, they should have another rough outing in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers.

The Panthers have one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL, as they are currently allowing the most rushing yards per game in the league: 153.2. Although Green Bay is averaging the fewest rushing yards per game, they should be much improved in Week 8, with RB Josh Jacobs now back. He played in just 52% of snaps last week. That should ramp up this week.

Also, Green Bay has one of the best passing games in the NFL. Their balanced attack should give Carolina fits and cause them to give up a large point total, which they have done routinely this season. The Panthers are currently tied for giving up the sixth most points per game in the NFL, 27.7 

Buffalo Bills

Over seven weeks, the Buffalo Bills have had one of the worst fantasy defenses. They currently rank as D/ST29. They should continue their trend of poor defense against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8.

The Ravens' offense should get a lot better against Buffalo, with the return of QB Lamar Jackson seeming highly likely. In the first three games of the 2026 season, in which he played full games, Baltimore averaged 30.7 points per game. Also, in Baltimore and Buffalo’s last three meetings, the Ravens have consistently put up high point totals, averaging 33.3 points per game

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons defense is coming off an impressive game against one of the best offenses in the NFL. For the week, they ranked as D/ST2. Despite their high-level performance, they should have a letdown game in Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers' offense looked much improved with QB Baker Mayfield back in Week 7, scoring a team-high in points for the season: 43. With their offense trending up, it is not a great idea to play Atlanta given how the two teams' last four games have gone. Over that stretch, Tampa Bay has averaged 26.8 points per game.

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens become an automatic sit with their opponent for Week 8 being Buffalo. The Bills are averaging the most points per game in the NFL, 32.8. Also, the Bills had great success against them last season, scoring 41 and 27 points. One of those weeks was in the regular season, and Baltimore ended up ranking as the worst defense in fantasy for the week. They put up a total of -3 fantasy points.

More NFL Fantasy News On SI