The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 8 matchup between the Raiders and Chiefs.
Find a breakdown of every Week 8 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Kansas City | Rank | @ | Las Vegas | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -10 | Spread | 10 | ||
| 25.75 | Implied Total | 15.75 | ||
| 24.3 | 13 | Points/Gm | 17.7 | 25 |
| 17.2 | 5 | Points All./Gm | 26.1 | 29 |
| 64.5 | 5 | Plays/Gm | 61.9 | 17 |
| 58.5 | 8 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 59.4 | 11 |
| 5.4 | 16 | Off. Yards/Play | 4.8 | 26 |
| 5.2 | 12 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.3 | 18 |
| 48.84% | 9 | Rush% | 36.26% | 28 |
| 51.16% | 24 | Pass% | 63.74% | 5 |
| 40.46% | 7 | Opp. Rush % | 47.60% | 23 |
| 59.54% | 26 | Opp. Pass % | 52.40% | 10 |
- The Raiders have turned the ball over on a league-high 19% of their possessions.
- The Chiefs have turned the ball over on 16.4% of their possessions, 29th in the league.
- Las Vegas has a takeaway on 3.7% of opponent possessions, 29th in the league.
- 60% (9-of-15) of Kansas City's touchdowns have been rushing, the 3rd-highest rate in the league.
- Kansas City leads the NFL with a 49.7% success rate on rushing plays.
- Las Vegas is last in the NFL with a 28.7% success rate on rushing plays.
- Kansas City has converted 12.4% more third downs than their opponents, 2nd in the NFL behind the Lions (12.8%).
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes: Mahomes had another limited week through the air, connecting on 16-of-27 passes for 154 yards (5.7 Y/A) with 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
He added 39 yards and a rushing touchdown to boost his line but still ended the week as QB19 (12.1 points).
Mahomes has been the QB16 or lower in 5 straight games.
With the Chiefs losing JuJu Smith-Schuster now, this passing game was running through a rookie wide receiver and a 35-year-old tight end.
Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy, and Justin Watson were the only players to run a route on over 50% of the team dropbacks on Sunday.
Mahomes does not have a bad matchup by any means here, but do the Chiefs have enough to make him more than a floor-based QB2?
The addition of DeAndre Hopkins is a step in the right direction.
Even this version of Hopkins is averaging more yards per route run than any player on the Titans and more than any active Kansas City wide receiver this season.
We have already seen the Chiefs resurrect a few fantasy ghosts this season, and I still believe Hopkins can play.
But for the short term this week, I still have a hard time elevating Mahomes as a ceiling play.
The last time these teams played, Mahomes was QB18 (16.7 points) with Rashee Rice.
The Raiders are 27th in pressure rate (29.2%) but are middle of the road as a pass defense in bulk.
They have allowed 6.9 yards per pass attempt (14th) and a 3.9% touchdown rate (14th) while ranking ninth in passing points allowed (11.7 per game).
Gardner Minshew: Minshew is again the starter after Aidan O’Connell suffered a broken thumb last week.
Entering in relief, Minshew was a disaster.
He completed 15-of-34 passes for 4.5 yards per pass attempt.
He threw 3 interceptions, giving him 8 interceptions to 4 touchdowns on the season.
Minshew was the QB44 in scoring this week.
He was outscored by Jarrett Stidham, who came in and took two kneel-downs for the Broncos.
That was against the Rams.
This week, he gets a Kansas City defense that has allowed a 61.3% completion rate (7th), 6.7 yards per pass attempt (11th), and a 3.5% touchdown rate (9th) to opposing passers.
Outside of desperation and being forced to fill a starting requirement, Minshew is not much of a fantasy option.
Running Back
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Learn MoreMore Week 8 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Vikings @ Rams -- FREE | Thursday Night Football |
| Eagles @ Bengals | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Ravens @ Browns | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Titans @ Lions | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Cardinals @ Dolphins | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jets @ Patriots | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Falcons @ Bucs | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Packers @ Jaguars | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Colts @ Texans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Saints @ Chargers | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Bills @ Seahawks | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Panthers @ Broncos | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Chiefs @ Raiders | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Bears @ Commanders | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Cowboys @ 49ers | Sunday Night Football |
| Giants @ Steelers -- FREE | Monday Night Football |