Chicago Bears Fantasy Football Outlook: Is Justin Fields A Safe Fantasy QB1?

Last season we saw Justin Fields take major steps in his development. He is one of the most athletic and talented QBs in the NFL, and the Bears' offense has a chance to be dominant because of it. Heading into 2023, the Bears have added to their WR corps with D.J. Moore, have depth at RB, and are in with a chance at winning the NFC North this season if all goes to plan. 

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Chicago Bears Fantasy Football Outlook

QB Justin Fields

Fields' running ability alone gives him a chance to be one of the top QBs in fantasy football. His passing production was inconsistent a year ago, but it did improve as the season progressed. Furthermore, the Bears made improvements to their weapons, going out and trading for D.J. Moore, who gives them a bonafide number-one WR in this offense. Fields has an excellent floor week to week because of his aforementioned running abilities, so if his efficiency throwing the football improves even a little bit, there is a scenario where he becomes the number-one overall QB in fantasy, which would be amazing based on where he is being drafted. In 1-QB formats, he can be had in the late third round or early fourth round, while he is a first-round pick in 2-QB or Superflex formats. 

RB Khalil Herbert

Herbert has always been very effective when he has been given the chance to play. He was stuck behind David Montgomery for years, but heading into the 2023 season, he could take over the lead-back role in this offense. He is an RB1 caliber back if you look at his yards per carry, his pass-catching ability, and his explosiveness with the ball in his hands. Herbert is a true breakout candidate who could be an amazing value in the seventh round of your drafts. The Bears' offensive line is better, Fields being a threat on the ground opens up holes for him and he is finally going to be given the chance to be the featured guy. 

RB D'Onta Foreman

Foreman finished the 2021 season very strong with the Titans before landing in Carolina last season and taking over as the lead back following the trade of Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers. He now heads to Chicago as a possible elite handcuff to Herbert. He may also earn a 50/50 workload split with Herbert, who, despite his efficiency, has never carried a full workload for an entire NFL season. He is a bruiser type of back who, at the very least, could be effective in the red zone. 

RB Roschon Johnson

At this moment, Johnson feels like depth in this backfield. Of course, all it will take is an injury to one of Herbert or Foreman for him to gain fantasy relevance in 2023. The fourth-round rookie out of Texas seems like more of a long-term project at this point; he could be the starting RB for the Bears in 2024 or 2025. He is still worth a look in the double-digit rounds of your drafts because the Bears have succeeded in using a two-back system for many years, keeping their backs fresh and productive. Being second fiddle in a backfield is something that Johnson has already proven to excel at, considering he played behind the top RB in his class, Bijan Robinson, in college. 

WR D.J. Moore

With poor QB play in Carolina the past couple of years, Moore has only been able to show flashes of his elite skill set. He should get an upgrade with Justin Fields; however, it has yet to be determined just how much of an upgrade it actually is. Moore's fantasy value will depend on if Fields can make strides as a passer. Having a player of Moore’s caliber should help, and the threat of Fields and the RBs on the ground should open up the play-action pass and benefit Moore as he looks to be a downfield target. He should be a WR2 in fantasy this season after finishing as a high-end WR3 last season, and you should look to draft him in late Round 4 or early Round 5. 

WR Darnell Mooney

This could be the right year to draft Mooney. He is no longer being relied upon as the Bears' top wideout and could see more soft coverage than he has in the past. He has shown the ability to be a big-play guy who can stretch the field, and because D.J. Moore will take away targets from him, Mooney has become a player who can be had in the double-digit rounds of your draft. The Bears are likely to be a run-heavy offense, so Mooney will be inconsistent week to week; however, if you play in Best Ball leagues, he is an excellent pick and a player who will have some monster weeks. 

WR Chase Claypool and WR Tyler Scott

Claypool and Scott are mostly depth WRs this season. The Bears aren’t going to throw the football enough for either one of these guys to get the target share necessary to be impactful in season-long fantasy. Claypool might be useful in the red zone because of his athleticism and big body, but there will be many weeks where he doesn’t score and puts up five points or less, even in PPR formats. Scott is a small-bodied WR who may not make big plays down the field, but he might be able to find open space in the defense in four-WR sets. Unfortunately, the Bears are unlikely to use many of those formations unless they are playing from behind, meaning Scott really shouldn’t be on the fantasy radar for 2023. He might be helpful in real life for the Bears, but there won’t be enough opportunities for him, even with an injury or two, to really make an impact. 

TE Cole Kmet

He had a few games last season where he produced, but even then he was more of a DFS stacking option at a cheap cost due to his unreliability. Even with a large target share in the offense a year ago, Kmet wasn’t a top-15 TE in PPR points per game, and many of his bigger games came when Darnell Mooney was injured. He became more of a TD-or-bust type of player, and with the Bears being a run-heavy offense and having brought in Moore and TE Robert Tonyan, Kmet is going to see fewer targets than he did in 2022. You can draft him in the final rounds if you want a decent backup TE, but unless your TE1 gets injured, there doesn’t appear to be much upside in starting Kmet in season-long fantasy. Of course, if you play in deeper leagues with two TE spots or a TE-Premium format, Kmet is worthy of a roster spot. 

K Cairo Santos

Santos is nothing more than a fill-in for your regular kicker when they have their bye week. Even if the Bears' offense is improved, and I expect that to be the case, Santos is, at best, a top 16-20 kicker overall, making him a player who should go undrafted. You may roster him at one time or another throughout the season, but it will be on a week-by-week basis. 

Bears DST

The Bears allowed a lot of points last year and lacked in their ability to sack the QB. They have a solid LB crew but lack on the defensive line and have a young secondary that is likely to give up a lot of big plays. They aren’t going to be a defense that you are looking to draft on draft day and should be thought of as nothing more than a matchup play or a bye-week replacement. 

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