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Fantasy football start em, sit em MNF lineups advice for Commanders vs. Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Week 8 (2025). NFL matchups analysis and MNF starts/sits.
The Week 8 NFL slate concludes with what is supposed to be a lopsided matchup thanks to the absence of Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, but you never know what to expect, and fantasy matchups will be decided by this one.
Below, read about the fantasy football outlooks for key players like Rashee Rice, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel Sr., Zach Ertz, Isiah Pacheco, Xavier Worthy, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Marcus Mariota, Kareem Hunt, and more. Which Commanders and Chiefs players should you start or sit in Week 8?
We will bring you Monday Night Football analysis all season, focusing on who to start, who is on the fence, and who should find the bench. Good luck in Week 8, RotoBallers!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Washington Commanders at Kansas City Chiefs
Monday, October 27th, 8:15 PM ET
Game Total: 47.5
Spread: Seahawks -11.5
Matchups We Love
Patrick Mahomes should continue to be started in all leagues as a QB1. He has scored at least 26 fantasy points in four straight games, and the Commanders' defense has struggled to stop the pass in recent weeks. Washington has allowed a top-10 fantasy QB finish in back-to-back weeks, making Mahomes a must-start option.
Matchups We Hate
Marcus Mariota will start for Jayden Daniels in Week 8, as he is currently dealing with a hamstring injury. While Mariota scored 20.3 fantasy points (Week 3) and 17.2 fantasy points (Week 4) in his two previous starts this year, he will be more of a QB2 play against the Chiefs in Week 8. Kansas City has allowed a top-16 fantasy QB finish just once since Week 2.
TE Zach Ertz
Zach Ertz has been a solid TE1 play in recent weeks. He scored 16.3 PPR fantasy points in Week 6 and 12.7 PPR fantasy points last week. However, in his two games with Mariota under center this year, he averaged just 6.5 PPR fantasy points. Additionally, the Chiefs have only allowed one TE to finish top-16 at the position this year. That makes Ertz a risky TE1 option in Week 8.
Other Notable Matchups
Jacory Croskey-Merritt is still the Washington back to own. He has played above 47% of the team's offensive snaps in three straight games, and his rush share is around 50% in those three contests. But with back-to-back fantasy finishes outside the top-35 at the RB position, Croskey-Merritt is more of an RB3 in Week 8. The Chiefs have also given up the seventh-fewest fantasy points to RBs this year.
Things appear to be trending up for Isiah Pacheco. He has played at least 40 snaps in three straight games and just carried the ball a season-high 15 times in last week's win. With Kareem Hunt's status in doubt due to a knee injury, Pacheco could climb up to RB2. The Commanders have allowed a 100-yard rusher in consecutive games, which included a 116-yard, one-touchdown performance from Javonte Williams last week.
Chiefs WRs
In his season debut, Rashee Rice totaled seven catches for 42 yards and two touchdowns while playing just 40% of the team's offensive snaps. Therefore, he will be a must-start WR1 this week. As for Xavier Worthy, he will be more of a WR3, considering his target share is expected to decline. Still, Worthy could be a start in 12-plus team leagues due to his big-play potential.
Commanders WRs
Both Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel Sr. will be back for Week 8. Both WRs practiced in full on Thursday and Friday. So, Samuel will come in as a solid WR2, while McLaurin will be more of a low-end WR3 in his return. The Chiefs have allowed the fifth-fewest receiving yards to opposing WRs this year, meaning this isn't the best matchup for either player.
Still, fantasy managers can trust Samuel enough this week. He has three top-12 fantasy WR finishes this year and scored 20.1 PPR fantasy points in a game with Mariota back in Week 4. As for McLaurin, it might be better to leave him on your bench. He could be matched up against Trent McDuffie on the outside and will likely be on a snap count.
TE Travis Kelce
The return of Rice could hurt Travis Kelce's fantasy value moving forward. He only caught three passes in last week's win, and his target share was just 8.8% in that game. For that reason, Kelce is a lower-end TE1 this week against the Commanders. Washington is allowing the ninth-fewest receptions per game to opposing TEs (4.6), which isn't great news for the Chiefs' playmaker.
Injuries:
- Jayden Daniels (hamstring)
Washington Commanders Start/Sit Matchups
See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections
| Player | Start/Sit | Matchup Rating |
| Deebo Samuel Sr., WR | Start | 108.5 |
| Terry McLaurin, WR | Start | 106.5 |
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB | Start | 106 |
| Zach Ertz, TE | Risky Start | 103 |
| Marcus Mariota, QB | Risky Start | 102.2 |
| Luke McCaffrey, WR | Sit | 101 |
| Jeremy McNichols, RB | Sit | 100.9 |
| Chris Moore, WR | Sit | 100.1 |
| Matt Gay, K | Sit | 99.7 |
| Jaylin Lane, WR | Sit | 99.2 |
| Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB | Sit | 98.4 |
| John Bates, TE | Sit | 91.9 |
| Ben Sinnott, TE | Sit | 90.8 |
| Washington Commander, DST | Sit | 78.3 |
Kansas City Chiefs Start/Sit Matchups
See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections
| Player | Start/Sit | Matchup Rating |
Game Matchup |
| Rashee Rice, WR | Start | 120.7 | vs. WAS |
| Patrick Mahomes, QB | Start | 114.7 | vs. WAS |
| Harrison Butker, K | Start | 109.1 | vs. WAS |
| Isiah Pacheco, RB | Risky Start | 108.1 | vs. WAS |
| Kansas City Chiefs, DST | Start | 107.6 | vs. WAS |
| Xavier Worthy, WR | Risky Start | 107 | vs. WAS |
| Marquise Brown, WR | Risky Start | 106.8 | vs. WAS |
| Travis Kelce, TE | Risky Start | 105.8 | vs. WAS |
| Kareem Hunt, RB | Risky Start | 104 | vs. WAS |
| Brashard Smith, RB | Risky Start | 102.8 | vs. WAS |
| Tyquan Thornton, WR | Sit | 102.3 | vs. WAS |
| Noah Gray, TE | Sit | 102.3 | vs. WAS |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR | Sit | 100.2 | vs. WAS |
| Nikko Remigio, WR | Sit | 99.5 | vs. WAS |
| Jalen Royals, WR | Sit | 95 | vs. WAS |
| Jared Wiley, TE | Sit | 95 | vs. WAS |
| Elijah Mitchell, RB | Sit | 93.4 | vs. WAS |
| Gardner Minshew, QB | Sit | 91.5 | vs. WAS |
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel Sr., Zach Ertz, Isiah Pacheco, Xavier Worthy, Jacory Croskey-Merritt. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 8.
Week 8 Player Decisions. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, we've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 8 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 8 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 8 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 8 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool:
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