Fantasy Football Takeaways from Week 8 Monday Game: Travis Kelce, Kareem Hunt, Terry McLaurin and More

Week 8 of the NFL regular season wrapped up with the Kansas City Chiefs taking down the Washington Commanders.

Let's go over some fantasy football takeaways and IDP performances, just like we did after games on Sunday (offense and defense) and Thursday.

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Rice Leads Way; Mahomes, Kelce Deliver

Rashee Rice was the team's top fantasy performer in his second game played this season. He was the No. 2 performer in his first game back.

Rice caught all nine of his targets for 93 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed twice for 12 more yards. 

It's clear he's the guy the Chiefs' offense is going to feature the rest of the season, so that's why I was on board with adding him before he played, and definitely after his first game. He's going to cost a lot now, but I think he'd be a worthwhile addition if you don't have to overpay too much.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had another nice fantasy showing. He threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns, but was picked off twice too. Mahomes was 25-of-34 passing, while adding 30 rushing yards on four carries.

He's the top fantasy quarterback so far this season, and this performance added to what's been a great start to the year. Mahomes is going to carry some fantasy squads to greatness, so keep expecting great things from him.

Travis Kelce also enjoyed a big fantasy showing. He caught six of his eight targets for 99 yards and a score. 

He's at a premium fantasy spot, so it's tougher to move on from him, but I think now would be a perfect time to sell high on the aging tight end. I don't see many more big performances like this coming, so see if you can flip him for a nice return.

Chiefs' Backfield Breakdown

It was Isiah Pacheco who led the KC backfield again, but it was Kareem Hunt who was the top fantasy asset. Brashard Smith also factored in a bit.

Pacheco rushed 12 times for 58 yards, so it was a pretty efficient night for him. He played 40 offensive snaps, which was 58% of the team's total.

Hunt was on the field for 22 snaps. He carried the ball nine times, gaining 40 yards and also scoring a touchdown. Hunt had a two-yard touchdown grab to really deliver a big fantasy total.

Smith logged just nine offensive snaps. He had three rushing attempts, gaining eight yards.

For now, it still looks like Pacheco is the leader in the backfield, but Hunt stealing most of the red zone work is going to mean Pacheco's fantasy ceiling is hampered a bit. It also gives Hunt some streamer value. 

Smith is a deep-league stash right now, and probably shouldn't be rostered in standard leagues. I'd maybe make an exception if the Chiefs have a super favorable matchup, or Pacheco or Hunt are banged up going into a game.

Really, all three backs are better deep-league assets, but Pacheco will still get a bunch of standard league starts, and Hunt could be used in a pinch as well. Smith is a guy to keep an eye on, but is just a stash option at this point.

Other Chiefs' Pass Catchers

Outside Rice and Kelce, Xavier Worthy was the only other KC pass catcher over 30 receiving yards. He caught five of his seven targets for 53 yards.

I think that's a pretty solid expectation for Worthy the rest of the season. That puts him on the flex starting line most weeks. Touchdowns would turn his expected fantasy totals into good/great weeks, but those will be inconsistent with Rice and Kelce leading the way.

I'd be happiest to trade Worthy away. You might get a bit more valuable player, just because Worthy is on such a good offense. Maybe try finding a team's No. 2 option, or a team without a No. 1 target, as they might have better outlooks than Worthy in the long run.

JuJu Smith-Schuster had 29 yards on two catches and targets. Marquise Brown was targeted just one, and he failed to catch it. Backup tight end Noah Gray had 23 yards on two grabs and four catchers. Nobody else had a target.

At this point, Rice is the KC wideout you want on your fantasy team. Kelce would be the guy I'd want most next, but a lot of that has to do with him being a tight end - I like Worthy more most weeks.

Worthy again is a flex-level starting option. Brown is just a deep-league asset when the team is at full health. Smith-Schuster is an even deeper league starting option.

Tyquan Thornton should be let go in most leagues, but he's another deep-league desperation play.

Washington Leaders

The game went about as expected for Washington on offense. With Marcus Mariota filling in for an injured Jayden Daniels again, the Commanders' offense had just 260 total yards.

Terry McLaurin had the best fantasy day, catching three of his four targets for 54 yards. A touchdown made a so-so fantasy day a pretty good one.

It was good to see McLaurin back, and he looks to be the top fantasy pass catcher on the team. He's the second-best fantasy option to Daniels.

Deebo Samuel Sr. was held to 11 yards on three catches and six targets. He rushed once for a yard.

I thought Samuel had emerged as the team's top pass catcher and playmaker, but McLaurin stole that title back. Having Daniels back would help Samuel, but he's back to being a flex-level option, in my eyes.

Jeremy McNichols was the top running back, but did most of his fantasy work as a pass catcher. He rushed once for four yards, while catching five of his six targets for 64 yards.

I wouldn't overreact too much to this performance for McNichols, but with bye weeks hitting some fantasy owners hard, it at least gives McNichols some flex-level possibility. 

Other Commander Performances

Mariota was 21-of-30 passing for 213 yards and a score, but he also threw two picks. He added 28 rushing yards on eight carries.

His fantasy showing was subpar, as expected. He'll remain a below-average option if he makes any more starts for Daniels.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt had 25 rushing yards on nine carries, while failing to catch his lone target.

It was a poor showing for the rookie, and it will make it tougher to start him in bad defensive matchups. As the team's lead back, he's still a decent weekly option, but if he's not even getting 10 touches some weeks, he's not worth starting spots in all leagues.

Chris Rodriguez only got one touch, so it's not like Croskey-Merritt had many attempts taken away on the ground. If not for McNichols work in the passing game, Croskey-Merritt would have clearly been the most-utilized back.

Luke McCaffrey had 24 yards on three catches and targets. He's emerged as a deep-league option, but with McLaurin and Samuel back, McCaffrey isn't likely to have too many big fantasy showings.

Zach Ertz only had 16 yards on four catches and six targets. His usage was solid, but his overall stats lacked. That's why he's an average-or-so fantasy tight end.

He was outperformed by fellow tight ends Ben Sinnott and John Bates, who each had a 22-yard catch.

Jaylin Lane was the only Washington pass catcher involved. He caught one of his two targets, but for no gain.

McLaurin is probably back as the top fantasy option among the pass catchers (if he stays healthy), with Daniels leading the way overall. Samuel is probably after that before we get to Croskey-Merritt. Ertz is close to the running back overall.

IDP and Kicker Stats

Washington's Quan Martin had 14 tackles to lead the way in the contest. He has 55 tackles overall, so while this was a standout performance, he's still a good weekly IDP option.

Commanders' Bobby Wagner had 10 tackles and an interception. He has 83 tackles overall, plus some other big plays, so he's still a very good weekly option.

Kansas City's Chamarri Conner had 10 tackles. He has 63 tackles overall, showing he's another good weekly option.

Chiefs' Mike Danna had a sack among his three tackles and an interception. He has 10 tackles, the sack and the pick overall, so this was easily his best showing of the season. Danna still has a little IDP value in really deep setups.

Washington's Jacob Martin had two sacks for his lone tackles on the night. He has 3.5 sacks among his 20 tackles, so there's some IDP value to take advantage of here.

Commanders' Jer'Zhan Newton had a sack among his four tackles and a forced fumble. He's got two sacks and 18 tackles overall, so again, there's a bit of IDP value in him.

KC kicker Harrison Butker made all four of his extra points. Washington fill-in kicker Matthew Wright made his lone kick, an extra point. Wright kicked for an injured Matt Gay.