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Fantasy football starts/sits for MNF, expert advice for all Commanders vs. Chiefs Week 8 NFL matchups on Monday Night Football. Our start em, sit em picks for Isiah Pacheco, Xavier Worthy, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, more.
Welcome to our Monday Night Football start/sit chart for Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season. Below you will find our start/sit matchups charts for all players in the MNF games between the Washington Commanders and the Kansas City Chiefs. With several high-end fantasy assets in this game, many managers may see their fantasy matchup decided on Monday night.
In addition to our start/sit recommendation and matchup ratings for each player, you can also read the fantasy football outlooks for key players like Isiah Pacheco, Brashard Smith, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, Travis Kelce, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel Sr., Zach Ertz, Marcus Mariota, and Patrick Mahomes. Which Commanders and Chiefs players should you start or sit in Week 8?
We are here to help you set those winning lineups for Week 8, whether you're playing in season-long leagues or DFS contests. We will have our fantasy football start/sit matchup charts available all season long -- focusing on who to start, who is on the fence, and who should find the bench -- so be sure to check back. 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 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 |
| Matthew Wright, 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 |
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, Commanders
Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (heel) is "good to go" for his team's Week 8 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Samuel Sr. was sidelined in Week 7 due to a heel injury. Across six games so far this season, the 29-year-old has recorded 34 catches for 315 yards and three touchdowns on 43 targets.
Samuel has been Washington's top option in the passing game for much of 2025, although that may change with Commanders wideout Terry McLaurin (quad) also set to return in Week 8 after missing the team's last four games due to a quad injury. Still, Samuel could see close to double-digit touches against Kansas City. He profiles as a low-end fantasy WR2 in Week 8.
Terry McLaurin, WR, Commanders
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) is "good to go" and will play in his team's Week 8 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. McLaurin has missed each of his team's last four games due to a quad injury. In three games before getting injured, the 30-year-old recorded 10 catches for 149 yards on 17 targets.
Given his long layoff, Washington may choose to limit his snaps in Week 8 and re-integrate him into the offense slowly. Additionally, McLaurin will be playing with backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, who is filling in for the injured Jayden Daniels (hamstring). Both of those factors should lead fantasy managers to temper expectations for McLaurin.
Still, he profiles as a low-end WR3/flex option in Week 8 against Kansas City.
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 |
Isiah Pacheco, RB, Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco will take on the Washington Commanders in Week 8. The Chiefs running back handled 15 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown in their 31-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7. Pacheco has seemingly taken over the lead role out of the Kansas City backfield, handling at least 12 carries and 50 yards in each of the past two weeks. Pacheco has quietly been efficient with his touches, averaging at least 4.5 yards per carry in more than half of his games.
The struggles of the Kansas City run game early on could more likely be attributed to the inefficiency of Kareem Hunt and the team's dedication to keeping him involved. Pacheco should continue being the lead back this week against the Commanders, who have been middle-of-the-pack in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this season. The 26-year-old back should see a high volume of touches in a home game that the Chiefs have favored by nearly 12 points.
Pacheco is ranked RB23 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a low-end RB2 option on Monday night.
Xavier Worthy, WR, Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy will face the Washington Commanders on Monday night in Week 8. Worthy was listed on the injury report with shoulder and ankle injuries, but practiced fully all week and does not have an injury designation ahead of this week's contest. Worthy had a pedestrian performance in Week 7, catching three passes for 35 yards in the 31-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
With the return of Rashee Rice from suspension in Week 7, Worthy was relegated to a more complementary role in the offense. Worthy's production moving forward will likely be sporadic, given that he was one of five Chiefs to catch at least three passes in last week's contest. The speedy wideout is more of a downfield winner with the ability to produce big plays, but his fantasy production could be lacking if he doesn't hit on one of those plays.
Worthy will look to break off an explosive play this week against the Commanders, who have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. Worthy is ranked WR21 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a viable WR2 option during a week with six teams on bye.
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 Isiah Pacheco, Brashard Smith, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, Travis Kelce, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel Sr., Zach Ertz, Marcus Mariota and Patrick Mahomes. 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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