Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 15th, 1:00 PM ET
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Betting Odds: MIN -2.5, 44.5 total via Oddsshark
Network: Fox
Writer: Mario Adamo Jr. (@marioadamojr on Twitter, /u/dotcaim on Reddit)
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Justin Fields (Start, QB1)
Ever since facing the Denver Broncos in Week 4 Justin Fields has exploded to the player he was drafted to be. This week he faces the Minnesota Vikings who allow 22.2 points per game (ppg) to opposing quarterbacks, the seventh-most in the league. I continue to expect great things from Fields going forward.
Running Backs
Roschon Johnson (Start, Flex), D’Onta Foreman (Start*, Flex)
This section is a little convoluted. I have both Roschon Johnson AND D’Onta Foreman as Start/Flexs. I expect that Roshcon will miss this week because he was in concussion protocol last week. If Roshcon plays I consider him a Start/Flex, and Foreman would be a Sit. If Roschon misses this week I would consider Foreman a Start/Flex. Either way, I don’t have the highest expectations of this backfield. The running backs for the Bears are complementary to the Justin Fields show.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
DJ Moore (Start, WR1), Darnell Mooney (Sit), Cole Kmet (Start, High-TE2/Low-TE1)
The Chicago Bears offense operates through DJ Moore. Moore was the only Chicago wide receiver to have a catch last week. Moore is the prime Megatron of this offense. If this offense floats, it’s because of Moore’s buoyancy. Moore has to be a lineup lock going forward, especially against this Vikings defense allowing 28 ppg to wide receivers, fifth-most in the league.
Darnell Mooney had four targets last week and brought in none of them. Besides Week 1, where he had four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown, Mooney has been nearly absent on the stats sheet. I don’t expect that to change this week and I continue to stay away.
Cole Kmet has caught a touchdown in each of his last two games. Kmet has six red zone targets this season, the fourth-most among tight ends. He is mostly based around his touchdown upside but I’m buying into it. I like Kmet has a High-TE2/Low-TE1 based on his touchdown potential.
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins (Start, Low-QB1)
While the Vikings are 1-4, Kirk Cousins is not to blame. Cousins leads the leads in passing touchdowns (13) while only throwing four interceptions. He also has a very favorable matchup, facing a Bears team that surrenders 25.6 ppg to opposing signal callers, the second-highest in the league. On the downside, he is now without arguably the best wide receiver in the game for at least four weeks, because of that I’m slightly lowering expectations and considering Kirk a lower-end QB1 this week.
Running Backs
Alexander Mattison (Start, High-RB2/Low-RB1), Cam Akers (Sit)
Alexander Mattison has quietly put up four top-20 finishes out of the five weeks this season. Even though the Vikings traded for Cam Akers earlier this season he hasn’t taken away from Mattison’s value. Akers continues to be nothing more than a deep handcuff and probably shouldn’t be rostered. I’m going to go on a limb and give Mattison a boost this week. I expect without Justin Jefferson the Vikings try to play keep away from the Bears. That combined with the fact the Bears allow 22.6 ppg to running backs, the third-most points allowed in the league, I expect Mattison to eat well this week.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Jordan Addison (Start, WR2), K.J. Osborn (Start, WR2), Brandon Powell (Sit), T.J. Hockenson (Start, TE1)
Who’s it gonna be, who is the wide receiver primed to gain the most with Justin Jefferson being sidelined for at least four games? Let’s rule out Brandon Powell, he shouldn’t be rostered in fantasy. Jordan Addison was limited in practice Wednesday, nursing an ankle injury. Addison had nine targets last week, tied with K.J. Osborn for most on the team. With Addison’s health a question mark I’m giving Osborn a slight bump in the head-to-head between the two. I consider both to be WR2s until they show me otherwise they have what it takes.
While we try to figure out which wide receiver gets the biggest bump from Jefferson’s absence it’s safe to say T.J. Hockenson will continue to stand out. While Hockenson has cooled off a little in his last two games Hockenson still has at least 10 points in four out of five games this season. Hockenson is still the most targeted tight end in the league (39). I’m firing up Hockenson with no hesitations everywhere I have him.