Few players in the NFL are currently as clear-cut a No. 1 receiver in their respective offenses than Chicago Bears WR Darnell Mooney. His 142 receptions in his first 2 seasons are the most of any Bears receiver in their history — and that goes back more than a tick.
With WR Allen Robinson allowed to leave in free agency, the talent behind Mooney is thin and he will be asked to be the primary guy for young franchise QB Justin Fields.
Below, we look at Darnell Mooney‘s 2022 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.
Mooney’s 81 receptions last year were more than double Robinson’s and the rest of the wide receiver group is far more unproven and unpolished. His ability to run smooth routes and his speed before and after the catch make him an intriguing fantasy prospect because the Bears will be designing plays to get him the ball a lot and take advantage of single coverage.
Darnell Mooney’s ADP: 69.33
(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)
Mooney is finding himself in the deeper end of the WR pool and aligned with the clear No. 2 guys in a potent pass offense and the No. 1 guys in offenses that have some unanswered questions at quarterback.
Mooney is the 30th ranked wide receiver according to ADP, which has him landing at the end of the 7th round in 10-player leagues, behind Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) at 66.65 and Marquise Brown (Arizona Cardinals) at 68.62 and ahead of 8th rounders Amari Cooper (Cleveland Browns) at 72.01 and Jerry Jeudy (Denver Broncos) at 72.16.
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Darnell Mooney’s 2021 stats
Games: 17
Receptions | targets: 81 | 140
Receiving yards: 1,055
Receiving touchdowns: 4
Where should you draft Mooney?
The Fields era begins in earnest with relatively bare cupboards at the wide receiver position. Unless someone else emerges as a legitimate complementary receiver, Mooney will see consistent bracket coverage that will try to take him away from the offense.
However, if he can build a rapport with Fields to do enough short, quick-hitting passes to set defenses up for the deep ball, he could surpass his numbers from last season, especially in terms of touchdowns.
While I wouldn’t put him ahead of Godwin, I would give strong consideration to putting him ahead of Hollywood Brown because Brown is a piece to the puzzle, not the entire puzzle.
Mooney has shown a lot in 2 seasons and if he does it again and breaks more records for the start of a career as Bears receivers as he did in his first two, 2022 could be the year that gets Mooney paid big money for a contract extension. That alone should be incentive enough to get the job done.
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