Game Info
Kickoff: Monday, December 20th at 8:15 PM ET
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Betting Odds: Chi +3.5, 44 total via Oddsshark
Network: ESPN
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Justin Fields (Sit)
The Minnesota Vikings have a bad secondary. CBS has them ranked 29th in giving up points to the QB position. The issue is that Justin Fields isn’t that great of a QB right now. He has touchdowns in 5 of the 8 games he has started but also has interceptions in 6 of those 8 games including a 3 INT day against the Bucs in week 7. Fields has a rushing upside which is why Bears fans are excited about him. He had 9 rushes for 74 yards in week 14. With a pretty easy matchup against the Vikings and it being a divisional matchup, there is a lot of pressure on Fields to play well. It’s his 2nd week back after missing 2 games with cracked ribs. He has only had 2 games over 20 points and 3 other games in double-digit points so it would be a very risky start for fantasy especially in the first week of the playoffs. I think there are other options I would want but if you are streaming you might be tempted to roll out Feilds with the matchup. I’m not a Field believer but I understand why people are excited about this game and his upside.
Running Backs
David Montgomery (Start, RB2), Khalil Herbert (Sit), Damien Williams
In a world where some of the top names in the running back game are out with injuries, a playoff savior may have appeared in David Montgomery. Montgomery has been getting better since returning from injury in week 9. In week 14 he got only 10 carries but converted those into 42 yards. It wasn’t a huge day on the ground but it was supplemented with 6 receptions for 39 yards. Montgomery has a really solid floor because he has produced even without scoring touchdowns. He only has 4 in 9 games. He has 46.305 of the Bear’s red zone rushes and has 4 red-zone targets. There is a chance that Feilds steals some red-zone rushes but Monty is solid without touchdowns. His work in the passing game has brought an added value that most fantasy analysts thought would go to Damien Williams at the start of the season. Williams now seems like nothing more than a change of pace back. He has lost the backup role to rookie Khalil Herbert. Herbert hasn’t been used much since Montgomery returned. He has only 14 carries since week 10. He is still worth a bench spot due to Montgomery’s injury history.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Allen Robinson (Start, Flex), Darnell Mooney (Start, WR2), Damiere Byrd (Sit), Cole Kmet (Start), Jakeem Grant (Sit, Flex)
The Darnell Mooney takeover is almost complete. With Allen Robinson returning in week 14, Mooney played on 92% of the team’s snaps compared to Robinson’s 77%. Robinson did receiver more targets getting 6 compared to 5 and neither was efficient on those targets, catching 2 and 1 respectively. Week 14 was a game for the other guys on the team. Jakeem Grant and Damiere Byrd both scored despite only playing on 47% and 58% of the snaps. You are still going to start Mooney based on his big playability and a great matchup against the Vikings. Robinson has the talent that makes it hard to bench when you consider he is 2nd on the team in red-zone targets with 8. Grant is an interesting player this week. He has scored in the past 2 weeks since Marquise Goodwin has been out with a foot injury. Before his injury, Goodwin had scored in week 11. So between the two, they have scored in 3 of the last 4 games. It’s a position that seems to get the deep ball play due to coverage shifting to Robinson, Mooney, and tight end Cole Kmet. Kmet is a decent tightened play this week. He is playing on 82% of the team’s snaps. Leads the team in red-zone target and has seen over 5 targets in 8 games this year. He has yet to score a touchdown but the opportunities are there. He does lose some opportunities to Jimmy Graham which is super disappointing.
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins (Start, QB1)
Kirk Cousins has quietly been one of the best quarterbacks of the year. He only has 5 interceptions which put him on a list with guys like Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson. He has 27 touchdowns which put him 5th on the list tied with Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes. He is 13th on the completion percentage list and 6th in yards. He now draws the Chicago Bears who CBS ranks as the 30th worst in terms of giving points to the QB position. When you combine that with the Vikings being ranked 29th and it is a crucial divisional game we could see a high-scoring affair. Kirk only has 3 games where he scored 1 touchdown but no games where he has scored none. He also 4 games with 3 touchdowns. He is a sneaky start that most fantasy owners are super excited about. The run game does take away some opportunities for Cousins but he will still be a fine fantasy start and has an upside which could put him in the top 5 this week.
Running backs
Dalvin Cook (Start, RB1), Wayne Gallman (Sit), Kene Nwangwu (Sit)
Dalvin Cook magically returned from a dislocated shoulder in week 14 and racked up 205 yards and 2 touchdowns. He now faces a bears rush defense that isn’t that great so Cook will be looking to continue his dominance for fantasy owners the first week of the fantasy playoffs. Cook has 51.9% of the team’s red zone carries and has 6 touchdowns on the year. Cook owners can rest even easier knowing that Alexander Mattison will miss this week while on the Covid list. The Vikings signed Wayne Gallman and have exciting kick returner Kene Kwangwu to back up Cook but neither poses a threat to Dalvin’s production. Facing a below-average rush defense in the Bears the Vikings should be running early and often and can rely on Cook to salt the game away if they have a lead late. Cook also has been active in the passing game which has been the outlet for Cousins when pressured which is something the Bears can do. Fire up your Dalvin Cook with confidence.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
Justin Jefferson (Start, WR1), K.J. Osborn (Start, Flex), Tyler Conklin (Sit, Flex)
The loss of Adam Theilen looked to put a downer on the production of Justin Jefferson. Most people figured that Jefferson would see more top coverage and more double teams. Even with that Jefferson has been a MEGASTAR over the past 2 weeks. Week 13 he had 11 receptions for 182 yards and a score and then followed that up with 7 receptions, 79 yards, and a score. He faces the Bears who have CBS’s 29th ranked defense in giving up points to the wide receivers. Jefferson looks to continue to dominate as we head into the fantasy playoffs. He has 24 red-zone targets and has scored in 7 games. K.J. Osborn has been a surprise since the Theilen injury. He has scored in the past 2 games and is playing on roughly 89% of the snaps in the past 2 games. He has some big bomb potential and is a compliment to Jefferson. Bonus points if you can name a wideout other than Jefferson and Osborn who will play for the Vikings on Sunday. Tight end Tyler Conklin has been a waiver darling for fantasy but has had up and down weeks. He has been playing on average 80% of the team’s snaps over the season, has only 3 touchdowns, and has 15 red-zone targets which are second on the team. He’s streamable tightened most weeks and despite the Bears being weak against the pass they haven’t given up a ton of points to the tightened position. CBS has them ranked 7th overall. You might be able to find a better option this week but I wouldn’t fault anyone for starting him and wouldn’t be surprised if he finds the endzone.
– Dustin Ludke (Dunit13dl on Reddit, theDunit13 on Twitter)