It only took four weeks, but the Chicago Bears’ top playmakers finally started to get some decent fantasy production in their Week 4 win against the New York Jets. Rome Odunze nearly had 100 yards while Luther Burden had another day with over 60 receiving yards and tight end Colston Loveland was finally relevant for fantasy purposes.
However, it was a weird day for the running backs. D’Andre Swift, who had been Chicago’s most reliable fantasy player, was benched after his second fumble of the season and Kyle Monangai took over with 30 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns. But, Monangai has turf toe and his status is questionable, confounding things even more for fantasy owners.
Chicago will pull out all the stops to take down the Green Bay
Packers this week, especially since they are playing in Lambeau Field and Ben Johnson has yet to take down the Packers in Lambeau as the Bears’ head coach. But the question is which players for Chicago will rise to the occasion and put up a lot of fantasy points?
Start: RB D’Andre Swift
Despite Swift being in the dog house last week, he is someone that needs to be in your fantasy lineup this week. There are two primary reasons for this. First, Green Bay is terrible against the run. They have allowed over 100 rushing yards in three games this season including allowing over 200 rushing yards in their Week 3 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. In addition, the Packers have also given up seven rushing touchdowns. Any running back worthy of being a starter in the NFL should have a really good day against this unit. Second, Monangai’s turf toe changes everything as he'll miss this game. With the volume of carries Swift is going to get, he is someone that needs to be in your fantasy lineup this week.
Sit: WR Rome Odunze
He may have had 94 receiving yards last week and his targets continue to rise, but, as an Odunze fantasy owner, I am not sure if I am ready to trust him. Odunze only had eight catches in the first three games combined and Green Bay actually does decently against receivers in fantasy. Furthermore, Odunze does not have a history of performing exceptionally well against the Packers. All of these factors taken together is what leads me to believe he should stay on the bench this week.
Start: WR Luther Burden III
Burden made it very clear this week he wants to take down the Green Bay Packers. He missed Chicago’s win against the Packers in the regular season last year due to injury and did not do much in the two games he did play against Green Bay. However, he has become a more focal point of the Bears’ offense this season. He has at least 60 receiving yards in three out of four games this season and has 17 targets in the two games without Caleb Williams at quarterback. Tyson Bagent also targeted him three times in Chicago’s Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He is someone who is getting the ball and putting up solid numbers, making him a must-start this week especially with all the injuries around the NFL.
Sit: TE Colston Loveland
There was clearly a concerted effort to get Loveland more involved in the passing game last week with nine targets which he turned into six receptions for 57 yards. Through the first four weeks of the season, Green Bay has allowed the sixth-fewest receiving yards to tight ends, which is not a good sign for Loveland. Loveland had his biggest games last season when he was able to exploit a defense that was bad against tight ends and that is not the Packers so far this season. Especially with how little Loveland did in the first three games, he has not regained the trust of fantasy owners to go back into the starting lineup.
Start: K Cairo Santos
For those who are in fantasy leagues that have kickers, kickers can make all the difference between winning and losing your week if it is coming down to the wire. That makes Santos a good option. In every game this season with the exception of Chicago’s loss to Minnesota, Santos has put up double-digit fantasy points. In the past two games, he has had multiple field goals and multiple extra points and that is because the Bears have struggled in the red zone. Chicago is bound to kick a field goal or two against the Packers and will find the end zone multiple times, so Santos is in line for another good game.
Start: Chicago Defense
Just like the kicker, having a good defense can make all the difference especially since it is easier for defenses to get negative points. However, the Bears are a top-five fantasy defense through the first four weeks and are facing a Packers team that has not topped 23 points all season. They tend to put up a lot of yards in games they lose, but this could be counteracted by Chicago’s ability to create turnovers. The Bears’ defense is certainly worth putting in your starting lineup this week.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Fantasy football starts and sits for Chicago Bears players in Week 5
