The Chicago Bears will face the Washington Commanders in Week 8. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding QB Caleb Williams.
Is Caleb Williams Playing in Week 8?
Williams is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Bears’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Caleb Williams in Week 8?
Patience. We as a society lack it, and we are no different in the fantasy space. Williams was a mess to open his career, and that might be a disservice to the word “mess.”
Weeks 1-3:
- 59.3% completion percentage
- 5.3 yards per attempt
- 65.3 passer rating
- 13.7 pressure passer rating
- 0.5 touchdown-to-interception rate
Williams’ struggles were magnified by Jayden Daniels’ immediate success (through those three weeks, Williams had the fourth-lowest passer rating in the NFL while Daniels had the fourth-highest). That, naturally, resulted in plenty of people writing him off as an impact fantasy asset in 2024.
But what’s this? A player who can develop with time?
Weeks 4-6:
- 74.1% completion percentage
- 8.5 yards per attempt
- 122.8 passer rating
- 109.6 pressure passer rating
- 7.0 touchdown-to-interception rate
That stretch included scoring the seven-most fantasy points at the position, a mere 1.02 behind the seemingly already-crowned Rookie of the Year in Daniels.
Williams certainly has plus-athleticism in his profile, but it’s less overwhelming than what Daniels or Lamar Jackson has access to. His rushing profile is somewhere in the middle of reckless Baker Mayfield, run-when-needed Joe Burrow, and schemed-up Daniel Jones. All three of those QBs have posted top-seven finishes against the Commanders this season, a plausible outcome for Chicago’s rookie with an extra week of prep time.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 8 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Caleb Williams’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 8
Williams is projected to score 18.4 fantasy points in Week 8. This includes 241 passing yards, 1 passing touchdowns, and 0.6 interceptions. It also includes 5 rushing attempts for 37.2 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Caleb Williams’ Week 8 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 6:00 AM ET on Thursday, January 2. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 18 QB PPR Rankings
1) Lamar Jackson | BAL (vs. CLE)
2) Jayden Daniels | WAS (at DAL)
3) Baker Mayfield | TB (vs. NO)
4) Joe Burrow | CIN (at PIT)
5) Sam Darnold | MIN (at DET)
6) Jared Goff | DET (vs. MIN)
7) Jordan Love | GB (vs. CHI)
8) Bo Nix | DEN (vs. KC)
9) Justin Herbert | LAC (at LV)
10) Kyler Murray | ARI (vs. SF)
11) Bryce Young | CAR (at ATL)
12) Drake Maye | NE (vs. BUF)
13) Russell Wilson | PIT (vs. CIN)
14) Geno Smith | SEA (at LAR)
15) Joe Flacco | IND (vs. JAX)
16) Caleb Williams | CHI (at GB)
17) Michael Penix Jr. | ATL (vs. CAR)
18) Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (vs. MIA)
19) Mason Rudolph | TEN (vs. HOU)
20) Aidan O'Connell | LV (vs. LAC)
21) Mac Jones | JAX (at IND)
22) Kenny Pickett | PHI (vs. NYG)
23) Tanner McKee | PHI (vs. NYG)
24) Cooper Rush | DAL (vs. WAS)
25) C.J. Stroud | HOU (at TEN)
26) Drew Lock | NYG (at PHI)
27) Carson Wentz | KC (at DEN)
28) Jimmy Garoppolo | LAR (vs. SEA)
29) Tyler Huntley | MIA (at NYJ)
30) Davis Mills | HOU (at TEN)
31) Dorian Thompson-Robinson | CLE (at BAL)
32) Joshua Dobbs | SF (at ARI)
33) Spencer Rattler | NO (at TB)
34) Jacoby Brissett | NE (vs. BUF)
35) Taylor Heinicke | LAC (at LV)
36) Bailey Zappe | KC (at DEN)
37) Sam Howell | SEA (at LAR)
38) Tua Tagovailoa | MIA (at NYJ)
39) Josh Allen | BUF (at NE)
40) Patrick Mahomes | KC (at DEN)
Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders Insights
Chicago Bears
Team: The Bears give away just one first down via penalty per game this season (tied for the third-fewest; only the Steelers and 49ers allow fewer).
QB: Caleb Williams took a few games to look like the prodigy he was sold as, but we are moving in that direction:
Weeks 1-3:
-
- 59.3% completion percentage
- 5.3 yards per attempt
- 65.3 passer rating
- 13.7 pressure passer rating
- 0.5 touchdown-to-interception rate
Weeks 4-6:
-
-
- 74.1% completion percentage
- 8.5 yards per attempt
- 122.8 passer rating
- 109.6 pressure passer rating
- 7.0 touchdown-to-interception rate
-
Offense: The scheming hasn’t been effective for the Bears – only the Browns are averaging fewer yards per play in first quarters than Chicago this season.
Defense: The Bears are the only defense in the league this season to have allowed a touchdown to the slot.
Fantasy: There is one running back who has strung together three straight top-six finishes at the position this season, and his name is D’Andre Swift.
Betting: The Bears are coming off their bye and have seen five of their past six games on extra rest go under the total (average difference to the projected total: -5.3 points).
Washington Commanders
Team: The Commanders lead the NFL with a plus-66 point differential. It’s Washington’s best point differential through seven games since 1991, the season of their last Super Bowl title.
QB: Jayden Daniels is averaging 8.4 yards per pass this season, a rate only Brock Purdy topped in 2023.
Offense: Last week was the third time the Commanders have posted at least a 52% success rate in a game this season. The rest of the NFL has done that six times combined, and no team has done it more than once.
Defense: The Commanders allow 9.4 yards per fourth-quarter pass, the second-most in the league (Jaguars).
Fantasy: Brian Robinson Jr. has been a top-25 running back in every game he has played this season, but be careful – he’s gone consecutive games without a target and four straight without a 20-yard rush.
Betting: When rookie QBs oppose one another, the home team has covered six of the past eight.