Week 8 Sunday Night Football Preview: Commanders vs Eagles

Two injured NFC East foes face off on Sunday Night Football in Week 8. While playoff hopes are dwindling, your fantasy team should continue to fight. From the clear starts to the difficult decisions, a full Sunday Night Football fantasy football preview in Week 8. Who can you trust in your lineup?

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Week 8 SNF Fantasy Preview

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders (-6) O/U: 40.5

Clear Starts: Dallas Goedert, Jayden Daniels, Stefon Diggs

Saquon Barkley – RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Despite a successful fantasy game last week, Saquon Barkley was a disappointment. Barkley finished with a combined nine rushes and targets. His day was saved thanks to a TD. To his credit, Barkley only played 10 snaps and saw a rush or target in nearly all of those snaps. However, his constant injuries is concerning for fantasy managers. Even if he does play on Sunday Night Football, can you trust him?

The Commanders are allowing the 10th fewest fantasy points to RBs this season. While Washington does also rank 10th in defensive run DVOA, RBs have found ways to find success against the Commanders. Aside from Javonte Williams and Jadarian Price, most RB1 have had successful days on the ground against Washington. They just haven’t always had the biggest high-end upside. Barkley ran 15 times for 83 yards against the Commanders in Week 1. The only difference now is that Tanner McKee is likely to be in more pass-heavy situations. That could limit rushing opportunities.

Unfortunately for most fantasy managers, they have to take a risk and start Saquon Barkley. With injury concerns, Barkley is a low-end RB2 or high-end RB3 in Week 8. His range of outcomes is massive, though, so be warned.

Elijah Mitchell – RB, Philadelphia Eagles

While Saquon Barkley logged a limited practice on Friday, there will be questions about how much work he will see. Barkley does not officially carry an injury designation. The Eagles have a short week, and Barkley got banged up on Monday, playing just 10 total snaps. This team is running thin on RB options. Dameon Pierce joins Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley on IR. That leaves just Barkley, Elijah Mitchell, and Jaydon Blue as the only RBs on the roster. Pierce was handling the bulk of the RB work on Monday, rushing a team-high 14 times but drawing just a single target. Elijah Mitchell was the only RB to get a carry in that game. Mitchell ran three times for 11 yards but also drew four targets. That’s important for fantasy football, especially PPR leagues.

The Eagles have been plagued with WR injuries. DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks have been ruled out once again. While that helps the Eagles’ WRs and TEs, it is also great for Mitchell. Tanner McKee is averaging 40 pass attempts per game. While the Commanders allow the 10th fewest fantasy points to RBs, they allow the 11th most targets to the position. Mitchell looks to be in line for the bulk of the rushing and receiving work should Barkley miss this game. That would make him a plug-and-play RB2. Even in Barkley plays, Mitchell could have some appeal for a desperate fantasy manager. It’s hard to know how much Barkley would play if he starts, but there could be room for a split between the two backs in Week 8.

Makai Lemon – WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Both DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks have been ruled out for Week 8. That should allow for Makai Lemon to have another opportunity as the Eagles WR1. Last week, against a terrible Cowboys defense, Lemon saw career highs in targets, receptions, and yards. Lemon also scored his first career TD. Lemon benefited from a perfect storm of injuries, game script, and matchup. That should not be much different this week. The Commanders are favored by nearly a TD, and they allow the sixth most fantasy points to WRs.

Lemon plays mostly as a slot WR, meaning he will face CB Mike Sainristil quite a bit. Sainristil is allowing a passer rating of 140.1 when targeted, per Pro Football Reference. That’s even more of a positive on an already enticing matchup. Tanner McKee is averaging 40 pass attempts per game and should continue to look Lemon’s way on Sunday Night Football. Start Makai Lemon with confidence in Week 8.

Antonio Williams – WR, Washington Commanders

With Terry McLaurin out for the year, Antonio Williams could have a second-half boom. Williams is third on the Commanders in targets and just led the WRs in both snaps and routes in their last game. While Stefon Diggs drew the most targets, Williams could be the future of this WR group. The Commanders drafted him in the third round for a reason, and we have seen consistently solid target numbers all year. In all six games this year, Williams has drawn at least three targets. He peaked with eight targets against the Colts in Week 4.

The Eagles are allowing the second most fantasy points to WRs. They’re especially bad against slot WRs. Both Diggs and Williams split time between the slot and outside, but it’s just another plus for those matchups. Ryan Flournoy just had a four-catch, 70-yard game operating mostly out of the slot against the Eagles. That was while competing with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens for targets. Williams will be competing with Diggs, Chigoziem Okonkwo, Treylon Burks, and even Rachaad White for targets. While those are solid enough players, they are not elite target earners. We could see Williams’ best game yet.

We saw Williams catch all four of his targets for 64 yards and a TD in his NFL debut in Week 1 against these very same Eagles. The main difference in this game is likely to be the game script. With injuries obliterating the Eagles and a point spread favoring the Commanders at home, there may not be quite the same pass-heavy script. The biggest benefit to Williams, though, is the matchup and Terry McLaurin’s injury. Head Coach Dan Quinn said that Williams would be the one to see more targets with Diggs out when speaking with the media earlier this week. Coach speak can be wrong, but it’s just another positive to consider. Williams has WR2 and FLEX appeal on Sunday Night Football. Even in 10-team leagues, you can start Williams in Week 8.

Treylon Burks – WR, Washington Commanders

While Stefon Diggs, Antonio Williams, and Chigoziem Okonkwo look to benefit the most from Terry McLaurin’s injury, Treylon Burks in a name to watch. The former first-round pick has never drawn more than 54 targets in a season, but has seen a resurgence with the Commanders. Burks has drawn 17 targets in five games this season, and he is averaging a career-high 16.9 yards per reception. Burks has also caught two TDs, the same amount he had in his previous four seasons combined.

Over his last three games, Burks has played over 55% of offensive snaps and has a combined 14 targets. Last week’s loss to the 49ers was his best game yet. Burks caught four of six targets for 66 yards. That was only one target, and three yards shy of the team lead. Burks has a 17.6 aDOT, the fourth highest amongst qualified receivers per Pro Football Reference. The only Washington pass-catcher within five yards of that is Dyami Brown, who has seen a drop-off in targets and snaps over the past two weeks. It’s not a guarantee, but Burks should dominate the deep work on this Washington team.

Unfortunately, it will be hard to justify starting him in all but the deepest of leagues. For now, keep an eye on Burks and how the Commanders use him going forward. He could play a big role in Week 8 and beyond.

Chigoziem Okonkwo – TE, Washington Commanders

After a mediocre fantasy career, Chigoziem Okonkwo is having a real breakout. The former Titan is setting career-highs in receptions and yards per game. Okonkwo has 13 targets and 129 yards over his last two games. Jayden Daniels is healthy and feeding his TE. Terry McLaurin is on IR as well, so there is less target competition. Antonio Williams and Treylon Burks may be leaned on more, but it is evident that Okonkwo is becoming a part of this offense. Over his last two games, Okonkwo has seen his average snap share rise from 56.8% to 73.6%.

The Eagles are allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to TEs, but they have not faced many great ones yet. Okonkwo caught two of three targets for 16 yards against them in Week 1. After that, the Eagles faced the Titans, Bears, Rams, Jaguars, Panthers, and Cowboys. Tyler Higbee is arguably the most fantasy-relevant TE from those teams, and he caught five of six targets for 67 yards against the Eagles. Matthew Stafford threw 51 times in that game. Colston Loveland is also fantasy relevant, but he, and most of the Bears pass-catchers, were still struggling at that time. Okonkwo could still struggle, but he overcame a difficult matchup against the 49ers last week. Just from his volume, Okonkwo should be a low-end TE1 in Week 8.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!