Bears @ Packers
QB Aaron Rodgers and the Packers stomped all over the Bears on Sunday night, winning a game that didn’t feel nearly as close as its 41-25 final score. It was a script that almost wrote itself: QB Mitchell Trubisky returned as the starting QB for the injured Nick Foles, he played well enough to move the ball and boost his starting skill position players, but ultimately his turnovers cost the Bears the game – Not to mention some sweet WR Allen Robinson garbage time. All in all it wasn’t a terrible fantasy performance for Trubisky, and we didn’t see any great fantasy performances from our favorite Packers’ skill players. What does all of this mean for your team with the fantasy playoffs looming? Let’s dive into what we saw:
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Mitchell Trubisky: 26/46, 242 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, 3 sacks, 1 fumble | 3 carries, 11 yards
As mentioned above, Mitchell Trubisky made his (glorious?) return as Chicago’s starting QB, and was soundly thumped by Green Bay on Sunday night. Trubisky’s turnovers sunk the Bears’ chances before they ever had a chance to be competitive, but his fantasy output wasn’t completely awful – he did throw 3 TDs after all. But we also saw plenty of Trubisky’s patented inaccuracy and awful decision-making. If you had to start Trubisky in place of injured QB Nick Foles, you probably did slightly better than you would have with Foles. That being said, it’s best to avoid either Trubisky or Foles (when he returns healthy) for your fantasy playoff push.
Running Backs
David Montgomery: 11 carries, 103 yards | 6 targets, 5 receptions, 40 yards, 1 TD
Ryan Nall: 1 target, 1 reception, 10 yards
On his very first touch of the game, Bears’ RB David Montgomery unleashed the frustration of his entire season on a single 57-yard blast right up the middle of the field. It was Montgomery’s longest rush of the season, and it was our first look at his best fantasy performance of the season. Montgomery would go on to finish with his first 100-yard rushing total of the year, and he also found the end-zone for just the third time this season – the first time since Week 5. Montgomery hasn’t been incredible this year, but he’s been a reliable RB2 and he’s looking at a soft schedule for the rest of the way.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Allen Robinson: 13 targets, 8 receptions, 74 yards, 2 TDs
Darnell Mooney: 9 targets, 3 receptions, 34 yards
Anthony Miller: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 28 yards
Cordarrelle Patterson: 2 carries, 8 yards
Jimmy Graham: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 32 yards
Cole Kmet: 3 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards
Bears’ WR Allen Robinson was the biggest beneficiary of Mitchell Trubisky’s return to the lineup – finishing with 8 catches and his first multi-TD game of the season. Robinson could have had an even bigger night but several of his targets were on inaccurate throws from Trubisky. Robinson did most of his damage once the game was well out of hand, but hey, his fantasy production still counts the same no matter what. It will be worth keeping an eye on the Bears’ QB situation – if Foles returns to start, Robinson’s value will take a huge hit. None of the other Bears’ pass-catchers contributed in a super meaningful way. WR Darnell Mooney did catch a 2-point conversion on the Bears’ final TD, but otherwise had a mostly quiet night. Robinson and the rest of the Bears’ offense face a super easy schedule from here on out, but Robinson is likely the only pass-catcher worth trusting at this point.
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers: 21/29, 211 yards, 4 TDs | 2 carries, 12 yards
Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers gave his managers another outstanding fantasy outing on Sunday night. With Bears’ run-stuffing DT Akiem Hicks ruled out with a hamstring injury, the scene was set for Rodgers and the Packers’ run game to set up their play-action game all night. Rodgers picked the Bears apart – finishing with his 5th 4-TD performance of the year. If there’s a knock on Rodgers, it’s that he barely threw for over 200 yards, but with the run game working so effectively, there was no need for him to throw the ball all night. Most of Rodgers’ TDs were on shorter passes, except for his 37-yard play-action shot to TE Robert Tonyan. Rodgers has a fairly easy schedule through the end of the fantasy playoffs, and he is a must-start fantasy QB through the end of the season.
Running Backs
Aaron Jones: 17 carries, 90 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception
Jamaal Williams: 17 carries, 73 yards, 1 TD
It was a disappointing night for managers with Packers’ RB Aaron Jones on their roster. Jones ran the ball well – averaging over 5 yards per carry – but he failed to find the end zone, and was hardly involved in the passing game at all. Jones has now only scored 2 TDs since Week 4, after scoring 6 in the Packers’ first four games. And while Jones has still been an RB1 this season (coming into Sunday night’s game), he produced his lowest fantasy output of the season on Sunday night. It was instead RB Jamaal Williams who scampered in for a 13-yard TD near the end of the 3rd quarter. After a tough matchup with the Eagles next week, the Packers’ RB schedule looks like smooth sailing through the fantasy playoffs. Hopefully Jones can revert back to his early season form.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Davante Adams: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 61 yards, 1 TD
Allen Lazard: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 23 yards, 1 TD
Equanimeous St. Brown: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 39 yards | 1 carry, 7 yards
Robert Tonyan: 5 targets, 5 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD
Marcedes Lewis: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards, 1 TD
If you checked the box score to see Aaron Rodgers passed for 4 TDs, you would have expected at least a couple to go the way of WR Davante Adams, wouldn’t you? Well, Adams did get one, but the rest were equally spread out amongst the Packers’ pass-catching group. Rodgers didn’t have any trouble finding the open man against Chicago, probably because there were a bunch of them. WR Allen Lazard found the end-zone for the first time since Week 3 on a play where he was the third option. TE Robert Tonyan caught his second TD in the past 2 weeks on a beautiful seam route set up on a play fake by Rodgers. With Lazard back in the mix and Tonyan’s play elevating recently, it is likely to take some work away from Adams. That being said, we all know this is an offense that is capable of producing multiple fantasy-relevant pass-catchers, and Adams is always due to get his.
— Corey Saucier (Deputy_Commish on Twitter, LightsKamaraAction on Reddit)