Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Alec Pierce

Saturday, October 25, 6:21 PM

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota will make his third start of the season on Monday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs. With Jayden Daniels (hamstring) ruled out early in the week, Washington will rely on the 31-year-old quarterback for a big primetime matchup. Mariota led Washington to a 1-1 record and has been solid in both of his starts, completing 31 of 48 pass attempts for 363 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception while also adding value with his legs, with eight carries for 60 yards and a rushing score. And he'll be getting a big boost in Week 8 with both top wide receivers, Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) and Deebo Samuel Sr. (heel), cleared from the injury report and set to play on Monday. Mariota will face a Chiefs defense that just pitched a shutout in Week 7 against the Raiders, but has been mediocre against the pass outside of that game, ranking 21st in dropback success rate (48.9%). The veteran QB has value as a streamer in a potential high-scoring matchup, ranking as RotoBaller's QB14 for Week 8.

Saturday, October 25, 9:29 AM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce has carved out a productive role with his team in 2025. Pierce has caught 16 passes for 317 scoreless yards in five games as the Colts have looked his way often on deep passes downfield. The speedy wideout will look to keep it going in Week 8's home matchup against the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee does not represent a difficult matchup for Pierce as their defense is allowing the 13th-most fantasy points per game to opposing receivers this year. Pierce isn't a safe play in fantasy but he does have value as a boom/bust flex option in a week with six NFL teams on bye.