With the fantasy season upon us, draft preps ramping up and most fantasy drafts underway or will be soon, self proclaimed “Fantasy Head” Bryan Orenchuk and WCG’s official Fantasy Guru Jack R Solo touch on the top ten Chicago Bears for this upcoming fantasy season. Starting off with numbers 10-7. The last week of preseason could certainly alter some here, but for now – these are the guys to consider targeting for Chicago. Jack and Bryan have included the rankings from ESPN, Fantasy Pros, Yahoo! and NFL.com
for your reference. Enjoy.
10. Kyle Monangai (ESPN – NR – 50, Fantasy Pros – RB65, Yahoo! – RB68, NFL.com – RB70)
1. What they love:
Bryan Orenchuk: I love that he was the only RB addition for the Chicago Bears this off-season and that he came from the B1G Ten where he had an ultra productive career; rushing for over 3k yards, averaged nearly 5 ypc and had 27 rushing TD’s.
Jack R Salo: I love that he can be a volume back if he earns the backup running back spot and Swift has to miss any time this year. Monangai rushed for 1200+ yards in each of his last two seasons with Rutgers, with 240+ carries each year. The Bears can pound the rock with him, which would just make him touchdown-dependent for solid fantasy production.
2. What they like:
Bryan Orenchuk: I like his chances at seeing the field, even if Swift and RoJo stay healthy. He seems to have already surpassed Travis Homer on the depth chart and should be a solid change of pace back or “pitch hitter” throughout the season.
Jack R Salo: I like his ability to fall forward, which will continue to earn the trust of coaches for regular season games. Extended Bears drives with Monangai on the field could lead to more chances to break one open, so Monangai could see increased production as the weather gets colder.
3. What they worry about:
Bryan Orenchuk: I worry about his ability in the passing game, both as a blocker and receiver out of the backfield. If he fails to improve upon his first pro action and step up as a blocker like he showed the ability to do in college, he is less likely to see the field at all and when he does, it will be easier for defenses to key-in on him as more of a one-dimensional weapon.
Jack R Salo: 24 games played in his last two seasons in college, and only 22 receptions. In PPR leagues, managers will want to stay away from running backs down the depth chart who aren’t known for catching passes out of the backfield. That’s not to say Monangai can’t do it, just that we haven’t seen it yet.
4. Draftable?:
Bryan Orenchuk: In redraft leagues, Monangai is a handcuff, most likely for those who have Swift, though the preferred handcuff is ahead of him on this list. In dynasty, he is absolutely worth a mid-late 3rd, early 4th selection in rookie drafts.
Jack R Salo: Not yet. He’s a rookie, could land in the third-string running back spot, was iffy in pass protection in the Bears first preseason game, isn’t known for catching passes out of the backfield, and playing for a team that absolutely has to throw the ball well this year to keep up with the opponents on their schedule. You better have a deep bench if you’re stashing Monangai.
9. Olamide Zaccheaus (ESPN – NR – 60, Fantasy Pros – WR133, Yahoo! – NR – 133, NFL.com – NR – 80)
1. What they love:
Bryan Orenchuk: I love that he was brought in for so cheap (1 yr – 1.5 million) and is already paying dividends as a safety blanket for Caleb Williams in training camp. He appears to be a lock to lead the team in snaps from the WR3 position. At least early in the year.
Jack R Salo: I love everything I’m hearing about his production in training camp. He’s making tough catches and often playing with Caleb and the 1s, forming a bond with his quarterback.
2. What they like:
Bryan Orenchuk: I like that he is playing in an offense with plenty of balls to go around and should fly under the radar week in and week out with so many other higher profile weapons in the passing game around him.
Jack R Salo: I like that his career could be getting back on track. After a promising few years in Atlanta, he signed with Philly and barely saw the field. Last year he had 45 receptions for 506 yards in Washington. If the touchdowns (3) were there, that would be enough for a sport-start in deep leagues.
3.What they worry about:
Bryan Orenchuk: I worry about his ceiling as a fantasy asset, but in deeper PPR leagues, could be a dependable weekly flex option
Jack R Salo: Zaccheaus is probably only going to be a viable fantasy option early in the season, as the Bears work Luther Burden III into the gameplan. Burden had a slow start to camp due to a lingering hamstring injury, but once he’s healthy it’s hard to see how Zaccheaus still gets many looks. The Bears should also run plenty of sets with multiple tight ends, and a running back.
4. Draftable?:
Bryan Orenchuk: In deep, PPR leagues, sure. With a very late round pick. But it may take an injury for him to be as much of a fantasy asset as he is on the actual field of play.
Jack R Salo: It would have to be a league with at least 14 managers and 6 bench spots. But once the season gets going, keep an eye on the snap count article WCG puts out weekly. That will tell a story, one way or the other.
8. Roschon Johnson (ESPN – RB470, Fantasy Pros – RB57, Yahoo! – RB56, NFL.com – RB64)
1. What they love:
Bryan Orenchuk: I love how RoJo is already a proven short-yardage back with a clear path to that role in Ben Johnson’s offense where guys like Jamaal Williams and David Montgomery have feasted.
Jack R Salo: Last year Johnson had 6 touchdowns, which isn’t that many, but there were only 33 of them to go around on offense. If Johnson continues to be the goal line back, and the team has better production overall, both numbers will go up.
2. What they like:
Bryan Orenchuk: I like how he has already assumed that role in this offense and early indications are that he has looked the part with multiple goal -line scores in the first few padded practices.
Jack R Salo: Do I like his pass protection for the overall offense to have success? Absolutely. He can take on pass rushers as well as any running back in the league. But do I like his pass protection for him to have success in fantasy? Not at all. That said, doing the dirty work earns trust with coaches.
3. What they worry about:
Bryan Orenchuk: His health. Though he has plenty of tread on his tires having only accumulated only 528 TOTAL carries over the last 6 years of football (college and pro), RoJo has struggled with concussions and is currently not practicing with a foot injury.
Jack R Salo: D’Andre Swift will be the lead running back for the Bears this year. Kyle Monangai could carve out a spot if Swift is hurt or struggling. Until we see a couple regular season games, we won’t know for certain if Roschon Johnson will even see the field on offense.
4. Draftable?:
Bryan Orenchuk: Absolutely. RoJo is is the preferred handcuff for Swift (IMO) and has standalone value as goal-line back with a safe floor and high ceiling. Depending on the league, rounds 14 or 15 seem about right, though you wouldn’t be wrong to snatch him in the 13th.
Jack R Salo: If you want to roll the dice that a new coaching staff can find new ways to get Johnson involved, then yes. Swift’s guaranteed money is up after this year, and Ben Johnson has already moved on from him once. If the Bears have success with Roschon Johnson, he could be the future.
7. Cole Kmet (ESPN – NR – 25, Fantasy Pros – TE31, Yahoo! – TE34, NFL.com – NR-30)
1. What they love:
Bryan Orenchuk: I love that Kmet figures to be a mainstay in this offense, regardless of anything else. He may not get as many targets, but his snap % figures to give him more opportunities than many TE’s, especially TE2’s for your fantasy roster.
Jack R Salo: If the second preseason game against the Bills is any indication, Ben Johnson’s offense is going to heavily utilize tight ends, so I love the volume we should see between Kmet and Loveland. The Lions last year targeted a tight end 100 times, good for just under 20% of their total targets. This number doesn’t jump off the page, and yes 83 of those went to Sam LaPorta, but with Loveland being a rookie we should see those more evenly distributed between him and Kmet.
2. What they like:
Bryan Orenchuk: I like how he already has a rapport with his QB and will be playing in a vastly enhanced offense with a playcaller who knows how to scheme players open.
Jack R Salo: I like how proven he is as a fantasy tight end, up until last year where he was forgotten in the Bears rocky passing attack. Over the three seasons before that, he averaged 625 receiving yards per season, and in 2023 he had the receptions and touchdowns to average just about 11 fantasy points per game. That’s all you should need from a tight end in fantasy.
3. What they worry about:
Bryan Orenchuk: I worry about all the other weapons on the roster and, obviously, the rookie first rounder who plays the same position as Cole. Barring injury to those around him, Kmet’s ceiling is severely capped.
Jack R Salo: Will he see enough targets downfield to really justify a starting spot, or is he just a player to pick up if your tight end gets hurt? Loveland may see more downfield while Kmet does more off the line, which should help the Bears but certainly wouldn’t help Kmet’s fantasy stats.
4. Draftable?:
Bryan Orenchuk: Eh, maybe. In deeper leagues, or perhaps those with a Tight End Premium or additional TE spots, sure. But otherwise, Kmet may not be better than the likes of other TE’s who find themselves undrafted like Ja’Tavion Sanders, Pat Friermuth, Chig Okonkwo, Zach Ertz, Mike Gesicki or Cade Otton. In fact, I would probably rather all of those guys than Kmet this fantasy season. I’d leave him on the wire, personally.
Jack R Salo: In a standard league with one tight end and one flex, no. He’s not worth the risk in your flex spot and there are too many better options for your tight end spot. He could be a reason to negotiate with your commissioner to add a second tight end spot, because he’ll almost certainly get a handful of touchdowns this year and that will make him a viable TE2.
How do you feel about these players? Which one do you hope falls into your lap during your draft and which one will you be staying away from no matter what?
