Tag: Bears fantasy football

Is Bears QB Justin Fields poised for breakout year in fantasy football?

There probably aren’t going to be a lot of Bears players coveted by fantasy football managers. But could Justin Fields be a potential steal?

There probably aren’t going to be a whole lot of Bears players that will be coveted by fantasy football managers later this summer.

Running back David Montgomery and wide receiver Darnell Mooney figure to be targeted in most leagues given their success. But could quarterback Justin Fields be a potential steal?

The Athletic took a look at every team’s potential breakout player in fantasy football, and Fields was an easy choice.

QB Justin Fields: Think about what Mitch Trubisky did in 2018. He threw for 3,223 yards and 24 touchdowns, but he also ran for 421 yards and three more scores. He had a 95.4 passer rating and a 71.0 QBR. It went downhill after that with former coach Matt Nagy, but for one season, things clicked. Trubisky started for a playoff team but also became an option for fantasy teams. Fields is learning a new offense in his second season with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, but he should be expected to deliver something similar to Trubisky’s second year, albeit for a worse team. Bears coach Matt Eberflus has commended Fields and his development throughout the offseason program. — Adam Jahns

While Fields is coming off a rough rookie season, he still showed impressive potential even with Matt Nagy as his offensive play caller. Now, Fields gets a fresh start in Luke Getsy’s offense.

Sure, Fields is learning his second offense in as many seasons. But it’s a scheme that caters to his strengths, including getting him on the move, utilizing play action and pounding the football with a strong run game.

While there’s been plenty of criticism about Fields’ supporting cast — including how his only proven wide receiver is Darnell Mooney — Fields has a chance to become a solid option in fantasy football.

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Should we expect big second-year leap from RB David Montgomery in 2020?

The Bears’ biggest fantasy football question hinges on the production of second-year RB David Montgomery in 2020.

ESPN NFL Nation reporters answered the biggest fantasy questions for every team. For the Chicago Bears, it hinges on the production of running back David Montgomery in 2020.

One of Bears coach Matt Nagy’s stated goals is to have a more efficient and consistent running attack. Therefore, it’s reasonable to expect Montgomery’s rushing attempts and yardage will increase from his rookie season. I’m not sure whether Montgomery will take a giant leap, but Nagy knows that Montgomery wasn’t properly utilized in 2019 when he rushed for 889 yards and six touchdowns. Nagy is determined to fix that.

Montgomery had a solid rookie year, where he had 889 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He also added 25 receptions for 185 yards and a score. Montgomery surpassed 1,000 all-purpose yards as a rookie.

Still, it wasn’t what many expected from Montgomery. And it’s not all on him. He struggled behind an ineffective offensive line — averaging 3.7 yards per carry — and he wasn’t helped by Matt Nagy’s aversion to running the football. Montgomery had more than 20 rushing attempts in just four games, and there were seven games where he had less than 15 carries.

Obviously, fixing the run game has been a focal point this offseason for Chicago. While the Bears seem content with the running back room led by Montgomery, Tarik Cohen and Ryan Nall, they did bring in some new offensive coaches that specialize in the run game or offensive line. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, offensive line coach Juan Castillo and tight ends coach Clancy Barone are working to get the run game on track.

Montgomery believes that the run game is going to be much better than it was last season.

“It’s going to be better this year,” Montgomery told reporters via video conference. “I’m going to be better this year for this team and this organization. I’m going to come as prepared as ever to lead that running back room the way I need to — and be who I need to be for this offense and this team.”

Montgomery, who will be the Bears’ featured back, should get a lot more carries than last season, and he should see a bigger role in the passing game. Whether that comes to fruition remains to be seen. But with the increased focus on the run game this offseason, Montgomery should get more opportunities in 2020.

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Bears D/ST ranks among top 10 in ESPN’s fantasy projections for 2020

In ESPN’s 2020 fantasy football projections, the Bears defense and special teams ranks ninth among the rest of the NFL.

While last season was far from a disappointment for the Chicago Bears defense, they certainly regressed following a truly impressive 2018 outing. Certainly injuries to defensive stars and learning a new system under defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano had something to do with that.

But heading into 2020, this defense is looking to get back to their 2018 form. Then there’s Chicago’s special teams, which saw a boost from kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson. In ESPN’s 2020 fantasy football projections, the Bears defense and special teams ranks ninth, which is due in large part to their fantasy decline in 2019.

One season after dominating the NFL with 55 more fantasy points than any other D/ST, Chicago plummeted to 15th in 2019. The Bears fell from a league-high 11 top-10 fantasy weeks in 2018 to three (24th) in 2019. Chicago was still solid in terms of yardage (eighth) and points (fifth) allowed, but plummeted from first to 22nd in forced turnovers and third to 24th in sacks. On the plus side, impact KR Cordarrelle Patterson scored his fifth return touchdown in as many seasons.

The Bears lost three of their top six and seven of their top 12 defenders in terms of snaps during the offseason, including Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Leonard Floyd and Prince Amukamara. The addition of Robert Quinn and return of Akiem Hicks will help, but, even with the likes of Khalil Mack, Eddie Jackson, Danny Trevathan and Kyle Fuller, this unit isn’t nearly as intimidating as it was in 2018. Consider it a back-end starting option.

ESPN projects the Bears defense to have a better outing in 2020, which should be a given with the return of three injured starters in defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and linebackers Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith, as well as the addition of pass rusher Robert Quinn.

They predict Chicago’s defense will notch 39 sacks, 11 interceptions, 11 fumble recoveries and three touchdowns. On top of that, they have the Bears allowing more points than a season ago with 343 and yards with 5,461.

When looking at this roster that general manager Ryan Pace has put together on defense — including one of the NFL’s best front sevens — you have to believe that Chicago’s defense is trending more toward the 2018 season than 2019. Then again, they’ll need a little help from their offense to ensure that they get a breather every now and then. That, and luck on the injury front.

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Three Bears among top-ranked fantasy players for 2020

The Bears offense was terrible in 2019. And yet, Allen Robinson was among 3 players that landed on ESPN’s list of top 100 fantasy players.

The Bears offense didn’t have much to brag about in 2019. They ranked near the bottom of most statistical categories. Simply put, Chicago’s offense was terrible.

And yet, the Bears have three players that landed on ESPN analyst Eric Karabell’s top 100 fantasy football players list for the upcoming 2020 season. Perhaps Karabell sees the Bears offense turning things around, although not necessarily for quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

Receiver Allen Robinson landed the highest ranking at No. 22, while running backs David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen were ranked No. 41 and No. 91, respectively.

Robinson was the lone bright spot on Chicago’s inept offense. He had 98 receptions for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns. Robinson notched the first 1,000-yard season for a Bears receiver since 2014, and that was in a struggling offense with questionable quarterback play.

There was a lot of hype surrounding the selection of third-round draft pick Montgomery, but he underwhelmed for the most part. Montgomery finished his rookie season with 889 rushing yards (which ranked 19th in the NFL) and six touchdowns. A lot of that comes from the Bears’ inability to get the run game going, which is no doubt a major focus this offseason.

Then there’s Cohen, who was expected to light it up in Nagy’s offense this season. That didn’t happen. Cohen rushed for 213 yards on 64 carries and caught a career-high 79 passes for 456 yards and three touchdowns. Nagy needs to decide how to best utilize Cohen, and perhaps he’ll see a similar impact that he had in 2018.

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