2022 Team Previews: Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears Fantasy Preview 2022
All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.
** = target in drafts at this ADP
Top 120
David Montgomery, RB (ADP: 35): Montgomery headlines a collection of players that is pretty underwhelming for fantasy. He’s no one’s idea of tantalizing, but he’s certainly been productive through his first three NFL seasons. Montgomery has never scored fewer than seven touchdowns in a season, and put up more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage in 2020. That will be tough to do in 2022, because this offense projects to be one of the lowest-scoring units in football. The good news for Montgomery is that he’s a proven workhorse, and should be among the league-leaders in volume, thus ensuring an RB2 finish. He’s going as the RB18, and I think that is pretty close to his ceiling this year.
**Darnell Mooney, WR (ADP: 72): Mooney might be the most interesting Bear for fantasy in 2022, coming off a legitimate breakout year in 2021. Mooney isn’t built like a prototype WR1, but he was just that for Chicago last year, blowing past Allen Robinson in the hierarchy to finish with 81 receptions, 1,055 yards and four touchdowns. He did this while catching passes from rookie Justin Fields and worn out Andy Dalton. It’s impressive stuff. Mooney was a fairly popular sleeper last year due to some advanced metrics pointing toward a possible breakout. I’d starred him as a player to target at his ADP – it was No. 133 overall – with my main concern being volume in a low-scoring environment. Well, he solved that by forcing his way to the top of the depth chart, and was so good that the Bears deemed Robinson expendable. Now, he’s the unquestioned top option, he’ll have a full season with Fields, and he’s undervalued once again.
Fantasy Relevant (121-200 ADP)
Cole Kmet, TE (ADP: 125): Kmet is currently the first man out for TE1s, going as the 13th off the board at the position. He’s rising in popularity as a potential breakout at the position, and it’s understandable given his first round draft pedigree, but Kmet just wasn’t that good in 2021. He ranked just 37th per PFF, posting a very mediocre receiving grade (63.4) and a truly awful pass blocking mark (44.5) which may affect his playing time. He’s also scored just two touchdowns, both coming in his rookie year. Some of that can be blamed on poor QB play, but ultimately he’s a big body whom the Bears drafted to be a key piece of their offense and he’s been largely invisible. The job is his now, and the path to volume is clear; only Mooney is an obvious candidate to draw more targets. I am unconvinced he will do much with the chance though, beyond be a capable streamer.
Justin Fields, QB (ADP: 148): Fields is one of the most interesting players in all of fantasy to me. I desperately want to plug him as a big time sleeper, because I think he has the upside to be a truly elite rusher at the position, but he also is much further along as a passer than, say, Trey Lance, a player most fantasy managers are far more excited about. I’ll be honest, my evaluation of Fields’ passing is based much more on being impressed with certain throws than any stats on the page. Fields’ passing stats were dreadful. He threw seven touchdowns vs. 10 interceptions, failed to complete 60% of his passes and barely averaged 155 yards per game through the air. He also was in a vanilla offense that made as little use of his skill set as possible, and forced him into a mold that he does not fit.
On the ground, Fields averaged 35 yards per game, six attempts per game, and he scored two touchdowns. From Week 6 on, Fields played in seven games, and rushed six times or more in six of them. With a new coaching staff in place, they’d be wise to create more designed runs for Fields, establishing him as a threat to gash defenses which may then open up the field for easier throws. Fields is a phenomenal physical talent, but he has a ways to go as a pure QB. Until that development happens, it’s on the Bears to put him in a position to succeed. If they do, his talent will make him a QB1. But the surrounding talent isn’t there yet, so we are likely at least a year away from the full Fields breakout.
**Khalil Herbert, RB (ADP: 156): Herbert is a clear handcuff, which has value. Like Alexander Mattison or Tony Pollard, there’s no doubt who is next in line if Montgomery gets hurt, which isn’t the case in a ton of backfields. Here’s a dirty little secret…Herbert’s pretty good. He had a four-week stretch with he job last year, in which he saw at least 18 carries in every game. He averaged 86 yards per game in that span, 4.41 yards per carry and also 2.3 receptions. The numbers back up PFF’s surprising evaluation of him, which was as their No. 15 RB on the season. There’s a chance Herbert’s performance wedges him into a bigger role in the offense, especially with a whole new coaching staff, but upon Montgomery’s return last year he was basically cast into the shadow realm. He’s probably not relevant without an injury, but his upside is enough that he warrants a late flier as possible RB depth. You can’t make mistakes at RB53.
Sleeper Class (200 & later)
Byron Pringle, WR (ADP: 362): Pringle has flashed big play talent throughout his first three seasons with Kansas City, but has never been able to establish himself as a consistent presence. In 2021 he came close though, drawing 60 targets, by far a career high, and turning them into 568 yards and five touchdowns. Three of those touchdowns came from 15 yards out or further, and his average reception was 13.5 yards. Mooney profiles as the truest deep threat on the Bears, but he’s currently cast as their top dog, meaning he can’t spend all game running nine routes. When he’s not taking the tops off defenses, Pringle makes sense as the guy to take that role. He posted a shocking 29.3% WR DVOA per Football Outsiders last season, second in the NFL and higher than Cooper Kupp’s! Of course, that’s fluky, but it does show there is untapped potential. This offense may not be the best environment to foster that potential, but it does present opportunity that did not exist with the Chiefs.