Patriots @ Bears
Final Score: 19 Patriots – Bears 3
Writer: Jesse Maida
Drake Maye was overshadowed by Caleb Williams throughout his impressive NCAA career, but he looked like the better NFL prospect today, leading his team into Soldier Field and coming away with a victory. Caleb Williams may have been the #1 overall pick, two picks ahead of Maye, but he certainly didn’t play like it, failing to lead a touchdown drive for the second week in a row, and failing to throw a touchdown pass for the third game in a row. Trailing 16-3 with seven minutes left in the game, the Bears had eight punts vs. only nine completions. This game was a disaster for the Bears, who fell to 4-5, and have the hardest remaining strength of schedule awaiting.
One Up
- Kayshon Boutte – From a potential cut candidate to a WR1 role, Boutte has turned his career around. Kendrick Bourne got benched, leading Boutte to play nearly every snap. He led all Patriots WRs with 62 snaps, and the next highest (Osborn) had 29.
One Down
- Bears Pass Catchers – Two consecutive games without a touchdown for the Bears, three without a passing touchdown, a grueling upcoming schedule, a banged-up offensive line, and atrocious play-calling. It’s either sell-low or hope for a miraculous turn-around.
New England Patriots
Quarterback
Drake Maye: 15/25, 184 Yards, TD, INT | 4 Carries, 25 Yards
This was Drake Maye’s worst fantasy performance of his young career, excluding week 8, where he left with an injury. After three weeks in a row (when finishing the game) of finishing QB18 or better, which included two top-10 finishes, a down week was expected going on the road to face the NFL’s stingiest defenses. Maye made some rookie mistakes, the worst being a horrible interception in the first quarter, but he flashed his elite arm talent and displayed his leadership abilities. He also surpassed 20 rushing yards for the fourth time in five games, which raises his fantasy floor. Chicago will likely be one of the toughest defenses Maye faces all season, and better fantasy days are to come when the Patriots are forced to throw the ball more often, as Maye only attempted 25 passes, the lowest of his career in games where he didn’t leave with an injury.
Running Back
Rhamondre Stevenson: 20 Carries, 74 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception 3 Yards
Fantasy managers will be disappointed with 8.70 PPR points, but Rhamondre Stevenson had 20 carries with 3.7 YPC, his most efficient game on the ground since week 5. There wasn’t much room to run for Stevenson against a tough defense, but he ran hard, always fighting for extra yards. Stevenson isn’t a running back who will rip off numerous chunk gains, but he’s a solid RB2 with a decent floor due to his consistent workload and is always a threat to have RB1 weeks if he finds the end zone. Maye only targeted Stevenson once, his lowest of the season, which is a cause for concern. However, this could be due to the Patriots playing with a double-digit lead for over half the game. I’m not panicking about his receiving role just yet.
JaMycal Hasty: 6 Carries, 20 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
JaMycal Hasty played more snaps than Gibson for the second straight week. This week, he also had more carries, targets, and receptions than Gibson. It appears Hasty has taken over the Patriots’ RB2 position, but this is not a meaningful fantasy role, even if Stevenson were to miss time, as Hasty and Gibson would likely split the workload.
Antonio Gibson: 5 Carries, 26 Yards
Antonio Gibson did not play an offensive snap until the 4th quarter, where he was tasked to use his fresh legs and provide Rhamondre Stevenson a rest. On this drive, he carried the ball five times for 26 yards.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Demario Douglas: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 50 Yards
Pop Douglas once again acted as the primary slot receiver for the Patriots, earning a 20% target share while finishing second on the team in targets and receptions. This is Douglas’ second game in a row with a 20%+ target share. Pop is not likely to find the end zone, with only one touchdown in 25 career games, but if he can earn a 20% target share going forward, he should be usable as a PPR flex player during the byes/injury fill-in. I think he may earn even more targets as he consistently looks like the Patriots’ best playmaker in the passing game.
Kayshon Boutte: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 50 Yards
It’s been quite the comeback story for Boutte who looked like a potential cut candidate entering the off-season and has now turned into a crucial option for Drake Maye. Kendrick Bourne was surprisingly benched against the Bears, leading to Boutte becoming an every-down player. Polk and Osborne split WR2 duties, while Boutte played nearly every snap, more than doubling the snaps of any other Patriots receiver. He didn’t just play a lot, but played well, making tough catches in critical moments, as he’s done all season. His 23-yard catch and heads-up play led to a field goal as time expired in the first half. The boxscore doesn’t show it yet, but Boutte is close to being fantasy-relevant. If he’s not owned in your dynasty league, he should be added immediately.
Drake Maye finds Boutte downfield and spikes it with a second to go pic.twitter.com/JrCWnTCOED
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) November 10, 2024
Ja’Lynn Polk: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards, TD
Polk scored the second touchdown of his rookie campaign, his first since week 2. The touchdown came on a beautiful play design which left Polk wide open. He split time on the outside with KJ Osborne and despite his touchdown, he is not fantasy-relevant.
Hunter Henry: 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 14 Yards
Henry was the TE9 in PPR over the last three weeks, averaging more than 13 PPG, but failed to make an impact in this game, taking a backseat to Austin Hooper. When you play TE roulette, sometimes you’re going to get burned, and that’s what happened in week 10.
Austin Hooper: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 64 Yards
Out of nowhere, Austin Hooper led the team in receiving yards, accumulating a receiving yards share of 35%. He had the highlight of the night, leaping backward for an impressive catch in the first quarter. Hooper was still the TE2, playing fewer snaps than Hunter Henry, leaving him off the fantasy radar.
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Caleb Williams: 16/30 Yards, 120 Yards | 2 Carries, 15 Yards
The Bears were down two starting tackles which contributed to this horrific offensive performance, but Caleb Williams deserves much of the blame. The #1 overall pick had numerous missed throws, and held onto the ball far too long, which led to nine sacks. Williams has now been sacked 15 times in the last two games. Not only has Williams gone three straight games without a passing touchdown, but the rushing yards have dried up too, with only 20 yards on the ground in the last two weeks. It doesn’t get any easier either, with a nasty schedule awaiting. Caleb cannot even be trusted in superflex leagues during the bye weeks. He is well on his way to finishing as a bottom-five QB for the third week in a row.
Running Back
D’Andre Swift: 16 Carries, 59 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
D’Andre Swift received 16 carries, the seventh straight game with 16 or more rushing attempts, but only received one target despite trailing by double digits for the entire second half. Swift has been a fantastic mid-round pick for fantasy managers this season, but with the current state of the Bears’ offense and tough upcoming schedule, it’s plausible we see more of this version of Swift vs. the week 4-9 version who ranked as RB5 in PPG. I would fire up Swift vs. Green Bay next week but the floor looks low against the Vikings and Lions who the Bears play in 4 of their next 6 games.
Roschon Johnson: 1 Carry, -4 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
Everyone reading this had more rushing yards this week than Roschon Johnson. He remains a mid-tier (at best) handcuff for fantasy football.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Keenan Allen: 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 44 Yards
This was Allen’s best fantasy performance since week 6, and a season high in receiving yards. However, the veteran receiver is still likely to finish outside the top 36 WRs for the sixth time in seven games. I’m not sure if it’s the poor play of Caleb Williams, the play calling of Shane Waldron, the horrible offensive line, a decline in Allen’s abilities, or a combination of everything, but he is not a starting option for fantasy football.
DJ Moore: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 24 Yards | 1 Carry, 3 Yards
Shadowed by Christian Gonzalez for much of the game, it was another frustrating game for DJ Moore, who failed to reach eight PPR points for the fourth straight week. Much like mentioned above with Keenan Allen, the combination of poor QB and offensive line play with confusing play calling from Shane Waldron has evaporated all fantasy value from all Bears’ pass catchers. Moore’s body language throughout the season tells the whole story; this is a nightmare season that could get even worse.
Christian Gonzalez has DJ Moore in hell. pic.twitter.com/2bXIvfjb54
— Savage (@SavageSports_) November 10, 2024
Rome Odunze: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 23 Yards>
Rome Odunze had a terrible 3rd down drop on the Bears’ first possession of the game, which would foreshadow the anemic offense for the next 58 minutes, which included one field goal and eight punts. This performance was a huge disappointment after a 100+ yard game in week 9. It was truly a game to forget for the entire Bears’ offense, and all fantasy managers can do is hope the team rebounds instead of unraveling.
Cole Kmet: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 13 Yards
Cole Kmet went six straight quarters without a target before being targeted on three straight plays in the third quarter. He caught two of those targets for 13 yards and faded back to obscurity.