Start’em or Sit’em in Fantasy Football: Bears vs. 49ers |
The Chicago Bears are finally rid of former head coach Matt Eberflus, so maybe they can win a game.
Fantasy owners should also be satisfied that the offensive production with Thomas Brown as the offensive coordinator should continue with him as the interim head coach as he maintains play-calling duties. Caleb Williams - Start It is a critical time in the fantasy season when teams try to make the playoffs. That is why it hurts fantasy owners for six different teams to be on bye. However, the Chicago Bears are not one of those teams, and Williams finally has a decent matchup against the San Francisco 49ers this coming Sunday (3:25 p.m. / FOX). In the last two games, he has thrown for nearly 600 yards and five touchdowns in addition to 72 yards on the ground, and those performances were against more difficult defenses than San Francisco. Especially with the teams on bye this week, Williams is a must-start in all fantasy formats. DJ Moore - Start If Healthy First of all, Moore’s health is up in the air as he could not participate in practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a quad injury. The offense has looked completely different since Brown took over play calling, greatly increasing Moore’s production. He has the most receiving yards out of anyone on the Bears through the first 12 games. In the past two games, he has had 15 receptions for 203 yards and two touchdowns. This week, count on Moore for another outstanding performance to get you into the playoffs if he can go. Keenan Allen - Start, Especially in PPR Leagues Most of the season, Allen, who was the definition of consistency before coming to the Bears, was unstartable in fantasy. However, the past two games have changed things. He has been getting the targets and the receptions. More importantly, Allen is finding the end zone, as he has three touchdowns in the past two games. Moore takes away targets from Allen, but with the playmakers Chicago has between tight end Cole Kmet and rookie receiver Rome Odunze, Allen would not suffer if Moore did not play. Even if Moore can play Sunday, Allen should be started in all fantasy formats, especially in points-per-reception (PPR) leagues. One thing worth noting about Allen is that he is not 100 percent, either. Allen did not practice on Wednesday with his ankle injury. However, given that he was a full participant on Thursday, his availability does not seem in question. D’Andre Swift - Sit If you relied on San Francisco 49ers running backs to carry your running back room, you are in trouble while trying to get into the playoffs. Or, if you were relying on Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon or Baltimore Ravens back Derrick Henry, or even New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson, you have a problem because they are all on bye. Playing the 49ers offers Swift a favorable matchup in a week where you probably need a good performance. Therefore, he seems like a logical start, especially with Roschon Johnson on the injury report for a concussion. However, he should still stay on the bench. The fact is that in the last two games, Swift has not been getting the ball. Johnson did not play most of the game against the Detroit Lions; however, Swift finished with only 39 rushing yards. Thomas Brown’s offense is good for everyone except Swift, who has seen his usage decrease since Brown became the playcaller. Chicago has been relying more on their passing attack, and Swift has not been part of that passing attack, so Swift should remain on your bench in this crucial fantasy week. Cole Kmet - Sit, Even If Moore is Out If Moore cannot play, tight end Cole Kmet may get more targets. However, this is not the matchup to start Kmet. San Francisco allows the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends, and for a player coming off a game with only three receptions for 26 yards, he does not look like a promising candidate for a strong performance.
