The 4-2 Chicago Bears travel to our nation’s capital to take on the NFC East-leading 5-2 Washington Commanders in what we hope to be a battle of two of the league’s top young quarterbacks. Chicago comes off the Week 7 bye and winner of three straight. Caleb Williams has heated up and has the Bears playing well heading into this feature Sunday afternoon contest.
As we alluded to above, the big question mark is the availability of Commanders starting quarterback Jayden Daniels. As of this writing, he has sat out practice on both Wednesday and Thursday. We are not featuring Jayden Daniels in this article, but obviously, you are starting him if he is active against the Chicago Bears.
Chicago Bears vs. Washington Commanders DFS Start ‘Ems
Here are a few of the players that we are leaning on heavily in this game. These players are in a good spot to put together a solid performance and have a favorable matchup.
Chicago Bears WR D.J. Moore ($6.6k DraftKings and $6.6k Fanduel)
D.J. Moore is the top option in the Chicago Bears passing game. Moore is PPR WR23, has a 23.6% target share, and is top seven in red zone targets among wide receivers. Moore is also targeted 23% of the routes he runs and faces a Commander’s defense that allows the ninth most fantasy points to perimeter wideouts. With Caleb Williams trending up, we are starting D.J. Moore in our DFS lineups.
Washington Commanders WR Terry McLaurin ($6.9k DraftKings and $9k Fanduel)
We still like Terry McLaurin even with the possibility of Marcus Mariota under center. McLaurin is the overall WR12 in PPR scoring and the alpha is the Commander’s passing game. McLaurin is also among the league leaders in catch rate, receiving yards, and yards per target. Marcus Mariota was solid in relief last week with 205 yards, two touchdowns, and 19.6 fantasy points. That makes us less uneasy about recommending McLaurin in Week 8 even against a tough Chicago Bears’ secondary.
Chicago Bears vs. Washington Commanders DFS Sit ‘Ems
On the flip side of things, here are a few of the players we recommend sitting in this one.
Washington Commanders RB Austin Ekeler ($5.6k DraftKings and $5.9k Fanduel)
Austin Ekeler’s snap rate in the last two games has averaged 44.5% and that is with Brian Robsinan at less than full strength. That has amounted to 7 touches and 58.5 total yards per game. We simply can not recommend him at such minimal production. Robinson is also the goal line back, capping Ekeler’s upside as well. Finally, Chicago’s defense is top 11 in rushing yards allowed per game, making Ekeler a sit.
Washington Commanders TE Zach Ertz ($4.2k DraftKings and $5.2k Fanduel)
In addition to being tough against the run, the Bears are a difficult matchup for tight ends. Chicago is ranked in the top 10 in fantasy points allowed and receiving yards allowed to the tight end position. Zach Ertz does have six red zone targets in his past three games but has not had for than 4 receptions since week 3. Over his last three games, Ertz is averaging just 6.96 FanDuel fantasy points. Ertz is more of a TE2 this week and we are sitting him in DFS.
Total Apex Lock of the Game
Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams ($6k DraftKings and $7.4k Fanduel)
Caleb Williams has caught fire for the Bears in his last two starts, finishing as a QB1 in both. During that stretch, Willians is QB4, has 6 touchdown passes, and averaged 28.05 FanDuel points. This match-up sets him up for another top performance against the Commander’s defense ranked bottom half of the league in fantasy points allowed to the position and passing yards allowed per game. We feel very comfortable using Williams as our DFS lock of the week.
Total Apex Fade of the Game
Washington Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. ($6.4k DraftKings and $7.6k Fanduel)
Brian Robinson fits our description of a fade and not a straight-up sit. We are tempering expectations against the Bear’s defense ranked in the top half of the league in rushing defense, missed tackle rate, and lowest yards after contact. Robinson has also seen his snap share drop to 36% in the last two games with the knee injury. He is a fade because even though it is a tough matchup, he is still a threat to score with his goal-line usage against a Chicago Bears run defense that is more inconsistent.
Conclusion
This game has the potential for some excellent fantasy value but some of that hinges on the status of Jayden Daniels. Both teams when healthy possess potent offenses, the Washington Commanders ranks fifth overall and the Chicago Bears are averaging 28.5 points in their last three. We like Caleb Williams as the best DFS option based on salary and potential lineup build options.
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