Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 10th, 1:00 PM ET
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Betting Odds: DET -3, 40.5 total via Oddsshark
Expected Weather: 34 F; Mostly Cloudy
Network: Fox
Writer: Mario Adamo Jr. (@marioadamojr on Twitter, /u/dotcaim on Reddit)
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Justin Fields (Start, QB1)
In Week 12, Justin Fields and his 10.6 points were his worst full-game performance this year. I’m looking forward to a bounce-back opportunity this week at home against the Detroit Lions, who give up the fifth-most points to opposing quarterbacks (20.17 points per game). I believe Fields is still a QB1 going forward despite a poor performance before the bye week.
Running Backs
Khalil Herbert (Sit), Roschon Johnson (Sit), D’Onta Foreman (Sit)
This backfield is a mess. D’Onta Foreman missed Week 12 due to an ankle/shin injury. Foreman has had a mostly forgettable season except for two standout games. The first came in Week 7 when both Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson missed time and Foreman scored 33 points in a three-touchdown game. The second game in Week 10 in a revenge game against Carolina where he scored 17.2 points. Taking out those two games Foreman averages 6.48 points per game this year. Roschon Johnson finally had his first game of double-digit carries in Week 12, though he only managed 35 yards. Johnson still managed to have his best finish since Week 1 with 12.5 points thanks in part to his five catches on just as many targets for 40 yards. Lastly, there’s Khalil Herbert, the man who appeared to lead this backfield at the start of the year. Herbert played 15 snaps in Week 12 compared to Johnson’s 52(!). The cherry on top of this matchup is the fact that the Lions allow the seventh-fewest points to running backs this season, only 12.83 points per game. I’m avoiding this backfield like the plague, if I had to start someone it would be Herbert, but I’m exploring all other options before I start one of these backs.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
DJ Moore (Start, WR1), Darnell Mooney (Sit), Tyler Scott (Sit), Cole Kmet (Start, High-TE2/Low-TE1)
Before the bye, DJ Moore had two back-to-back 22-point games. I predict lightning strikes thrice this week at home against a Lions team allowing the seventh-most moss to wide receivers they face. Moore has over half of all targets thrown to Bears’ wide receivers, 93 out of 180. Start him with confidence as a low-end WR1 option.
Darnell Mooney has had one double-digit finish since Week 4 and is averaging 3.1 points over the last three weeks. We’re on the cusp of playoffs, I’m not starting Mooney anywhere. Tyler Scott finished with zero points in Week 12, an improvement from his Week 11 outing of one catch for two yards and a fumble for a finish of -0.6 points. Don’t roster Scott.
Even without finding the endzone, Cole Kmet finished as TE9 in Week 12. A big part was Kmet catching all seven of his targets for 43 yards. The Lions allow the eighth-most points to tight ends (7.5). Kmet is someone I’ve been favorable of all season when Justin Fields is healthy. I’m firing up Kmet in most situations and consider him a tier above the average TE2.
Detroit Lions
Quarterback
Jared Goff (Start, High-QB2)
After two straight weeks of three turnovers, Jared Goff returned to some form of normalcy last week against the Saints. While his 16.3 points didn’t win you any matchups it didn’t lose you any either. It was Goff’s third straight week of high-teens performance (16.3, 18.2, 16.7) and was the lowest of the bunch despite the lack of turnovers. The Bears are fairly average against quarterbacks, allowing 18 points per game to the position. I expect another high-teens performance this week from Goff, putting him in the High-QB2 range.
Running Backs
Jahmyr Gibbs (Start, RB2), David Montgomery (Start, RB2)
Though Jahmyr Gibbs had a down game last week I still him and backfield mate David Montgomery as RB2s this week. I’ll start with Monty, he continues to get volume, averaging 14.25 carries per game since returning in Week 10. He also has a touchdown in all but one game this season, the game he suffered his injury. Monty continues to be a high-floor RB2 with upside and that doesn’t change this week. For Gibbs, last week stunk. His two targets were his lowest since Week 3 and it’s safe to say his -6 receiving yards are the lowest of his professional career. The diamond in the rough was his 7.5 yards per carry last week was his highest of the season. The Bears are fairly average against running backs, allowing 16.17 points per game this season. Gibbs has two straight weekly finishes in the 20s (RB24/RB29) after four straight as a top-three weekly finish (RB3/RB1/RB2/RB3). While normally I have close to RB1 expectations for Gibbs I still consider him as a safe RB2 with upside. If you could only start one of these two, I lean towards Monty for floor and Gibbs for ceiling.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Amon-Ra St. Brown (Start, WR1), Jameson Williams (Sit, Flex), Josh Reynolds (Sit), Kalif Raymond (Sit), Sam LaPorta (Start, TE1)
Unfortunately, after last week’s 12.9-point performance, I need to update my Amon-Ra St. Brown fun fact. The Sun God now has the same amount of weekly finishes in the top four (2) as he does as WR20 or worse (2). Still, despite him coming off his worst performance of the season you plug St. Brown into your lineup.
Week 12 and Week 13 were nearly identical for Josh Reynolds. In Week 12 he caught two of four targets for 15 yards; in Week 13 Reynolds caught one of three targets for 12 yards. The only difference is Week 12 one of those catches happened to be for a touchdown. Reynolds is good for one or two catches a game, and finds the end zone in one out of three games (Reynolds has four touchdowns in twelve games this season). Reynolds does not see the volume to be a viable fantasy starter. Jameson Williams found the end zone last week, this time on the ground on an 18-yard rush. While Willaims has shown he can put up low Flex numbers semi-consistently (averaging 9.83 over his last three games) I still have concerns over his snap count. Williams is averaging just 61% of snaps in those same three games. I flex Williams in some cases, but I’m preferably leaving him on my bench. Yes, Kalif Raymond had a 14.6-point game just two weeks ago, but that was his second game of at least six points since Week 3. Raymond plays even fewer snaps than Williams, despite Willaims missing the first four games of the season (248 to 271). I don’t consider starting Raymond.
Just when I thought he couldn’t get better Sam LaPorta goes off for a career-high 140 yards and a touchdown after bringing in all nine of his targets. Plugging Laporta into your lineup is a no-brainer: set and forget.