Sit Ravens D/ST in Week 8 if you have a real alternative — 3.5 projected points lands 3 under the DST starter line.
- Projection
- 3.5 pts
- DST rank
- #11
- Matchup
- at BUF
Ravens D/ST's fantasy role in Week 8
Ravens D/ST goes into Week 8 of the 2026 season as a matchup-dependent DST option for the BAL. He is rostered in 66% of leagues and actually started in 52% of them, and we rank him DST11 on our own weekly board at 3.5 projected points.
Interest is cooling — roster rates slipped roughly 5% in the last week, so he is getting cheaper to acquire if you believe in the role.
No injury designation to work around right now, which keeps his projection honest.
Week 8 matchup breakdown
The matchup: at BUF. Our Pepper Meter heat rating for this spot is 1 out of 5, which is how we grade the combination of role, projection and opponent difficulty.
Against a typical starting DST baseline of 6.5 points, his 3.5-point projection is 3 points short. That gap is the whole start/sit argument in one number.
How to play it
Sit Ravens D/ST in Week 8 if you have a real alternative — 3.5 projected points lands 3 under the DST starter line.
If you are deciding between him and another DST, compare projections first, then lean on the Pepper Meter heat rating as the tiebreaker.
Sally's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Ravens D/ST (BAL DST), our DST11 this week for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season at BUF, projecting 3.5 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Sally's honest about it: 3 points under the starter line isn't the ceiling she chases. He grades 46% below the average weekly DST number, which is a floor problem more than a ceiling one. BUF is the opponent, and that's the part of this I'm least worried about. Mild on the Pepper Meter is generous, honestly.
Tina's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Ravens D/ST (BAL DST), our DST11 this week for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season at BUF, projecting 3.5 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Tina calls it a floor problem: 3 points under the starter line is a lot of risk for a lineup spot. BUF is the opponent, and that's the part of this I'm least worried about. He's being dropped at a 5.3% clip, and I don't think the market is wrong about it. He's still in 52% of lineups at 66% rostered, which is exactly the trap I'm trying to talk you out of. Tina keeps him at Mild until the usage says otherwise.