2025 Chicago Bears Fantasy Preview
2025 Chicago Bears Fantasy Preview Chicago’s 2025 offseason was transformative. New head coach Ben Johnson, formerly Detroit’s offensive coordinator, brings a dynamic, play-action-heavy scheme (13.2 percent play-action rate) to maximize quarterback Caleb Williams. GM Ryan Poles overhauled the roster, trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, signing center Drew Dalman, and drafting eight players, including three offensive starters.) Free agency additions like DT Grady Jarrett and DE Dayo Odeyingbo bolster a defense that ranked 14th in DVOA, while offensive line upgrades signal a shift toward protecting Williams and enhancing the run game. Caleb Williams, the 2024 No. 1 pick, remains the Bears’ cornerstone. Johnson’s hire is pivotal, as his work with Jared Goff (72.4 percent completion rate in 2024) suggests Williams could leap in Year 2. Williams’ improvisational style (9.8% scramble rate) aligns with Johnson’s quick-pass offense, projecting a 4,000-yard season if the line holds. Although his rookie season was below expectations, Williams is a prime rebound candidate supported by an improving roster and a more fantasy-friendly scheme. D’Andre Swift (1,049 yards, 4.8 YPC, 2024) leads the backfield, complemented by Roschon Johnson. Seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai (669 college carries, 0 fumbles) adds power and pass-blocking, fitting Johnson’s outside zone scheme. Swift is an interesting name to keep in mind on draft day. The fantasy community seems down on him, but he still posted RB19 numbers last season. Additionally, he checks boxes that make him a good fit in Johnson’s scheme, and the team chose not to target an early-round back in a deep class. Swift might be an excellent sleeper RB2. D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze (No. 9 pick, 2024) form a top-tier duo. Moore saw a steep decline in his numbers but still posted WR14 overall numbers. With Keenan Allen gone, Odunze will be the undisputed WR2. The duo is joined by second-rounder Luther Burden III (940 yards at Missouri). Burden’s 5.1 yards after catch projects him as a WR3 starter in 11 personnel, adding explosiveness. Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay provide depth and special-teams value. The group’s separation ability (Moore: 2.8 yards per route) eases Williams’ reads. No. 10 overall pick Colston Loveland joins Cole Kmet to form a formidable tandem should Johnson choose to run ’12’ personnel- something the Lions did on 32.3 percent of their snaps in 2024, third-most in the league. Loveland’s slot usage (48% at Michigan) and separation skills complement Kmet’s in-line blocking. Chicago ranked dead last in offense one year ago. With Ben Johnson calling plays and a much-improved roster, that’s not going to happen again. Fantasy Grade: B- QB Williams, Caleb, CHI [QB1] Expectations were probably too high for Caleb Williams in Year One. While his stats (62.5 percent completion rate, 20 TDs, 6 INT) were fine, Chicago’s abundance of weapons had many fantasy analysts projecting top-10 rookie stats. Instead, Williams ranked 27th in adjusted yards per attempt, 27th in QBR, and 40th in Accuracy Rating. Much of that had to do with ranking 1st in deep-ball attempts and 2nd in air yards. With Ben Johnson calling plays and an overhauled offensive line, expect Williams to be more efficient. Williams improved down the stretch and should be a real value in drafts after an innocuous rookie campaign. ADVICE: Rebound candidate and value with QB1 upside. RB Swift, D’Andre, CHI [RB1] Sleeper The Bears were rumored to be attempting to trade up to draft Ashton Jeanty, but the 2025 NFL Draft came and went without Chicago adding a running back until the seventh round. Fantasy managers seem to be done with D’Andre Swift, but he’s been quietly productive. Swift ranked 10th in snap share (66.9 percent) and carries (253). He also ran the eighth-most routes, and with Ben Johnson now in the Windy City, Swift has underrated value in an offense littered with skill-position talent. Johnson coached Swift to a pair of RB2 finishes in 2022-2023, where he averaged 13 PPR points per game. ADVICE: Potential sleeper target for Zero-RB drafters. RB Johnson, Roschon, CHI [RB2] Sleeper If Ben Johnson follows the model he succeeded with in Detroit, multiple Chicago running backs will have value in 2025. Johnson (6-0, 219) has a similar style to David Montgomery, but Johnson offers more speed and burst. Last year, Johnson ranked 10th in the league with 1.03 fantasy points per opportunity, two spots ahead of Montgomery (0.99). Johnson is also an excellent short-yardage option, cashing in six touchdowns on nine carries inside his opponent’s 5-yard line. Finally, Johnson caught 34-of-40 targets in 2023, showing underrated three-down skills…just like David Montgomery. ADVICE: Quietly a sneaky value pick in the mid-to-late rounds of fantasy drafts, with plus TD potential. WR Moore, D.J., CHI [WR1] D.J. Moore has become one of the NFL’s healthiest producers, missing just two games across seven seasons and finishing as a top-25 fantasy WR in each of the past six. While his 2024 numbers dipped from WR9 in points per game to WR28, that drop came in a crowded receiver group with a rookie quarterback. Still, Moore ranked top 10 in both targets and receptions. His production surged post-Week 10, averaging 17.3 fantasy points per game after OC Shane Waldron’s departure. Now under offensive-minded head coach Ben Johnson, and with Caleb Williams entering Year 2, Moore has room to thrive. With added competition from rookies Luther Burden and Colston Loveland, he’s more volatile than elite. ADVICE: WR2 with spike-week upside. A target in the early 4th round. WR Odunze, Rome, CHI [WR2] Sleeper The 101 targets Rome Oduze drew in his rookie season were in line with preseason expectations. However, the results were slightly disappointing. Oduze only caught 54 of those passes, resulting in a (-1.6) yards per target over expectation figure. Caleb Williams played a big part, as all of Chicago’s pass-catchers were in the minus on that metric. Odunze only had seven plays designed for him, and he was first read on just 18.9 percent. With Keenan Allen gone, expect an increase in Year Two. Odunze is a good value at
2024 Chicago Bears Fantasy Preview
2024 Chicago Bears Fantasy Preview After unloading Justin Fields to Pittsburgh, there was little doubt that the Chicago Bears’ long quest for a franchise signal-caller would look to USC’s Caleb Williams. The preeminent pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, Williams
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Week 12 DFS: Running Back Report
Week 12 DFS: Running Back Report Saquon Barkley (30.00) was the best running back in the league in Week 12. That was despite playing on the road with a third-string quarterback and a questionable offensive line. No other back scored
Saquon Barkley (30.00) was the best running back in the league in Week 12. That was despite playing on the road with a third-string quarterback and a questionable offensive line. No other back scored more than 24.00 fantasy points in PPR formats. Jaylen Warren (23.50), Jahmyr Gibbs (21.50), and Christian McCaffrey (21.30) rounded out this week’s running back superfecta. Here are the top five running backs by scoring average after 11 weeks:
- Christian McCaffrey (24.39)
- Raheem Mostert (18.19)
- Travis Etienne (17.92)
- Rachaad White (15.13)
- D’Andre Swift (15.07)
Also, check out FullTime Fantasy‘s Week 11 DFS QB Report and TE Report.
Top Tier Options
Jonathan Taylor, IND (DK – $6,900/FD – $7,500)
In their last game, the Colts had Jonathan Taylor on the field for 88% of their snaps, compared to 16% by Zack Moss. Taylor averaged 20.3 touches over Indy’s previous four games, with 361 combined yards, three touchdowns, and 10 catches. He ran the ball well in his last two home starts (30/170/1 – 5.7 yards per rush), with success in the passing game (4/47).
Tampa Bay comes into Week 12 with the fourth-best defense against running backs (16.31 FPPG), with no team scoring more than 25.00 fantasy points. The Bucs allow 3.7 yards per rush (241/900/4). Backs have 50 catches for 309 yards (6.2 YPC) and two touchdowns on 59 targets.
Four of the top seven running backs are off the main slate on Sunday, including Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler. Taylor doesn’t have the best matchup, and Indy could always rotate in Zack Moss to steal away some of his upside. Taylor should be in daily gamer thoughts in Week 12 based on potential opportunity and explosiveness.
WHO ELSE DOES SHAWN THINK ARE MUST-PLAY OPTIONS THIS WEEK?…
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NFL DFS Sunday Night Football: Eagles vs Dolphins Draftkings Fantasy Lineup Advice From High-Stakes Winner
NFL DFS Sunday Night Football: Eagles vs Dolphins This article will help you build your NFL Draftkings DFS Sunday Night Football lineups for tonight’s Eagles-Dolphins matchup. The 2023 Week 7 NFL Sunday comes to a close with Sunday Night Football. Two high powered offenses will square off as the 5-1 Philadelphia Eagles host the 5-1 Miami Dolphins. Dolphins vs. Eagles Date, Time, and Where to Watch Date: October 23, 2023 Game Time: 8:20 pm ET Where to Watch: NBC Dolphins vs. Eagles Odds Spread: Dolphins +2 (-110), Eagles -2 (-110) Total Odds: O/U 51.5 (-110) Moneyline Odds: Dolphins (+115), Eagles (-125) Today we analyze from a DFS perspective the fantasy player projections from Shawn Childs. WHO IS SHAWN CHILDS? Quite simply, Shawn is the brains behind many of the metrics and projections at FullTime Fantasy. He has an extensive history in the fantasy industry, including being enshrined into the NFBC Baseball Hall of Fame. Shawn was previously the No. 2 most accurate DFS ranker and boasts several big DFS wins including over $200,000 last season at Draftkings. Shawn has the proven history and versatility you won’t find ANYWHERE else. Let’s dive right into the projections typically reserved for Fulltime Fantasy members, by team and by position: Dolphins vs Eagles Projections Two big-time value plays allow you to mix and match your studs to chase down that epic GPP tonight. The returning Dolphins RB Jeffrey Wilson $200 and newly signed Eagles WR Julio Jones $2,000 have double digit value returns with 6-10 point range production. A surprising captain? You don’t have to use them both but if you do, you can basically take any 4 of the top players tonight you want. Jalen Hurts, not the favored Tyreek Hill, is projected by our award-winning RDA* projections to be the top CAPTAIN on the slate, with 47.09 fantasy points. Coming in second is the cheetah Tyreek Hill with 40.52. Third is PHI WR AJ Brown with 39.93. It’s a pretty steep drop after that down to the 32 point range with both Tua and Swift available options. Mostert and Waddle round out the top seven with 30 and 27 points respectively. Obviously, feel free to mix and match all of the higher-value players for your own contest selections tonight. Example #2: Example #3 For a contrarian build, our projections determined that AJ Brown, is the only other acceptable captain play tonight. When you do, you may find that pivoting to Eagles defense over Julio is the preferred lineup. Happy Lineup Building! Finally, are you a Die-Hard Fantasy Football Player? CLICK HERE to Start Your Road to the 2023 Fantasy Football World Championships.
NFL Week 1 Eagles at Patriots: DFS & Fantasy Preview
NFL Week 1 Eagles at Patriots: DFS & Fantasy Preview Betting Line: Eagles – 5 Over/Under: 45.0 Philadelphia comes a sensational season in 2022, but they finished one step short of greatness. Jalen Hurts offers power running with developing value in the passing game. The Eagles have a top offensive line, and their defense created plenty of pressure on the quarterback last season. Philly has three excellent receiving options (A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert) while adding D’Andre Smith in the offseason. New England is struggling to find their offensive identity after losing Tom Brady a few seasons ago. The Patriots have talent on defense, and they want to run the ball to control the clock. Mac Jones is a much better player than most believe. He can’t reach elite status without better play and production from his receiving corps. Rhamondre Stevenson will get plenty of touches this season, while Ezekiel Elliott brings experience off the bench. Note: The fantasy points per $1,000 are based on the early projections for Week 1. The above grid shows the top players excepted to contribute in Week 1 in the fantasy games. I listed each player’s salary at DraftKings and FanDuel, plus their fantasy points expected per $1,000 of salary invested. In GPP (grand prize pools) events, the goal is to find players with a chance to score four times their salary at DraftKings ($50,000 salary cap and three times at FanDuel ($60,000 salary cap). Philadelphia Eagles Jalen Hurts Hurts continues to be a beast in the run game, highlighted by his stats in 2022 (165/760/13) despite missing two weeks. The improvement in his receiving options last year led to career-highs in completions (306), pass attempts (460), passing yards (3,701), passing touchdowns (22), yards per pass attempts (8.0), and completion rate (66.5). He passed for 300 yards or more in five matchups (333/1, 340/3, 380/3, 315/0, and 301/1), lifting him to third in quarterback scoring (423.05) in four-point passing touchdown formats. Hurts scored more than 30.00 fantasy points (37.35, 31.00, 30.05, 31.25, 31.35, 38.20, 32.55, 39.5, and 45.20) in nine of his 18 starts (including the postseason). New England ranked seventh defending quarterback (19.16 FPPG), with failure in two matchups (30.70 and 35.50 fantasy points). Quarterbacks rushed for 322 yards on 70 carries vs. the Patriots with two scores. To reach a winning score in Week 1, Hurts must score more than 30.00 fantasy points. It’s not the best matchup, but he is still a coin flip in any week due to his high floor in the run game and his exceptional receiving options. D’Andre Swift Swift appeared to kick down the fantasy door in Week 1 (15/144/1 with three catches for 31 yards) of 2022. Unfortunately, Detroit only gave him 17 touches over the following two games, leading to 133 combined yards with one score and five catches. A shoulder issue cost him three weeks plus a shallow role over the next five matchups (23/61/2 with 16 catches for 109 yards and one touchdown). Swift gained 453 yards with three touchdowns and 24 catches on 73 touches over his final six games. He finished the year ranked 21st in running back scoring (191.10) in PPR formats, with three weeks of success (26.50, 21.10, and 27.70 fantasy points). The Lions only had him on the field for 34.7% of their plays in 2022, which invites a higher ceiling with a higher role and a healthy season. The Eagles running backs had only 48 catches for 262 yards and no catches on 61 targets last season. Philadelphia should give the most touches in Week 1, but Swift doesn’t appear to have upside in scoring in close or catching many balls. To score 22.00 fantasy points, he needs a touchdown with more than 100 combined yards and about five catches. A three-back rotation isn’t his friend. Kenneth Gainwell With the Eagles’ abandoning the running back position in the passing game last season, Gainwell finished with 409 combined yards with four touchdowns and 23 catches. His only fantasy game of value (12/112/1 with one catch for nine yards) came in the first round of the postseason. There has been positive talk about Gainwell over the summer, but his role/opportunity is unclear. More of a gamble while needing 16.00 fantasy points at DraftKings to pay off. A.J. Brown The Eagles threw the ball 81 more times than I expected to their wide receivers in 2022, giving Brown a much better opportunity. He finished with career-highs in catches (88), receiving yards (1,496), and targets (145) while scoring 11 touchdowns and gaining an impressive 17.0 yards per catch. Brown gained 20 or more yards on 26.1% of his catches. His best output came in five games (10/155, 6/156/3, 8/119/2, 9/181, and 6/103). He averaged 8.5 targets last year. Based on his salary and outcomes in 2022, Brown would have filled his salary bucket 20% of the time over his 20 games played. Wide receivers had 207 catches for 2,688 yards and 15 touchdowns on 338 targets against New England in 2022. I don’t expect a 30.00 fantasy game, so I’ll look for upside elsewhere. DeVonta Smith Last year, Smith saw his opportunity grow by over 30%, leading to an exceptional year (95/1,196/7 on 136 targets). He caught 69.9% of his chances while being an impact player from Week 15 to Week 17 (5/126, 8/113/2, and 9/115) when fantasy championships were on the line. Smith gained more than 100 yards in three other matchups (8/169/1, 5/102/1, and 7/100). His season started with a goose egg on four targets, with emptiness in three other contests (3/17, 5/23, 2/22, and 2/36). Over his final 12 starts (including the postseason), Smith had 70 catches for 951 yards and six touchdowns on 105 targets. Smith needs about 29.00 fantasy points at DraftKings to finish as an edge play in Week 1. He reached that threshold twice (30.90 and 31.30 – 10% of the time) last season. I expect more big plays in
2023 Philadelphia Eagles Outlook
2023 Philadelphia Eagles Outlook The 2023 NFL season is right around the corner and that means fantasy football drafts are underway. Before you assemble your championship dynasty, redraft, or high-stakes squad, FullTime Fantasy members will have an in-depth, player-by-player preview of all 32 teams from football legend Shawn Childs. Up next in our extensive NFL and fantasy football preview series is Shawn’s deep dive into the 2023 Philadelphia Eagles Outlook. — PROJECTIONS — — Coaching Staff — Nick Sirianni went 23-11 over his first two seasons as the head coach of the Eagles. Philadelphia had a dynamic run in 2022, leading to a trip to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, they lost by three points to the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent the previous three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Colts while having 14 years of coaching experience in the NFL. Philadelphia jumped to 3rd in points scored (477 – an increase of 33 points from 2021) while improving from 14th to 3rd in offensive yards. Brian Johnson takes over as Philly’s offensive coordinator. He earned his way to the NFL via 11 years of coaching in college. In 2021, Philadelphia gave him their quarterback’s coach job, leading to his promotion in 2023. Johnson turned 36 in February. Philly also lost their defensive coordinator after their great season. They awarded the job to Sean Desai this season. He held the same position in 2021 for the Chicago Bears while working as the Seattle Seahawks’ associated head coach and defensive assistant last year. Desai had been coaching in the NFL for 10 seasons. The Eagles allowed 344 points (8th) last year, an improvement of 74 points from 2020 and 41 points from 2021. Their defense did show more growth in yards allowed (2nd – 10th in 2021), thanks to a league-high 70 sacks. — Free Agency — Philadelphia lost DT Javon Hargrove to the 49ers in the offseason after they rewarded him with an $84 million contract ($40 million guaranteed). Last season, he set a career-high in sacks (11) with 60 tackles. Their defense also moved on from S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (DET), LB T.J. Edwards (CHI), LB Kyzir White (ARI), S Marcus Epps (LV), and DE Robert Quinn (FA). The Eagles added S Terrell Edmunds and LB Nicholas Morrow via free agency. G Isaac Seumalo signed with the Steelers, and G Andre Dillard found a new home with the Titans. Offensively, RB Miles Sanders landed in Carolina while Philadelphia replaced him with RB Rashaad Penny. They brought in QB Marcus Mariota to cover the loss of QB Gardner Minshew (IND). The only other addition was WR Olamide Zaccheaus. — Draft — After an excellent season, the Eagles still had two first-round picks (DT Jalen Carter and LB Nolan Smith) in the 2023 NFL Draft. Carter instantly gives Philadelphia an impact interior lineman who will attack the quarterback and control the run game. He gets off the line with a plan creating wins with quickness, hands, and strength. His motor may need some gas late in games when facing bulky, power offensive linemen. Carter’s next step is personal growth in his maturity to keep him on point in the weekly battles in the trenches. Thanks to his speed (4.39 40-yard dash), vision, and team mentality, Smith brings a high foundation in his ability to support the run. His pass pushing has room to grow while needing more defined moves when stalemated in his attack. He had his 2022 college season cut short due to a torn pectoral muscle. Philly added T Tyler Steen in the third round. Early in his career, he projects higher in pass protection due to his vision and coverage area. His technique and attack angle need some work to increase his range and balance when moving forward. Steen must add patience to his plan to improve his chance of slowing down a delayed rusher. The Eagles added three more defensive players (S Sydney Brown, CB Kelee Ringo, and DT Moro Ojomo) over the back half of this year’s draft. Brown is at his best when attacking the line of scrimmage in run support, but he does miss some tackles. When asked to downshift and change directions, his defense has a step back in value. Brown stays connected to tight ends in coverage, but better route runners will give him problems. Ringo is the third player added to Philadelphia’s defense who played his college ball at Georgia. He offers blazing speed (4.36 40-yard dash) with the size (6’2” and 205 lbs.) to handle press coverage. Ringo adds value against the run but lacks the movements and anticipation to fire on time against throws over the short areas of the field. Penalties were an issue last year, and he needs to find a balance between watching the quarterback and staying connected to his assignment. Ojomo comes to the NFL as a tweener defensive lineman. His strength is the key to his wins, but he doesn’t have the lateral quickness to be a difference-maker on the edge or between defenders on the inside with his feet. Ojomo plays hard with an eye for the ball. Philadelphia invested in QB Tanner McKee in the sixth round. His skill set is miles away from Jalen Hurts, requiring the Eagles to run a different offense when he is behind center. McKee does his work from the pocket with an NFL arm. His delivery needs to be cleaned up to increase his accuracy. McKee loses value when asked to throw on the move, and his pocket presence isn’t high enough to extend the passing window when looking for his secondary receiving options. — Offensive Line — The Eagles fell to fourth in rushing yards (2,509) with 32 rushing touchdowns. They averaged 4.6 yards per carry (down from 4.9 in 2021) while gaining over 20 yards per rush in 17 runs. Philadelphia jumped to eighth in passing yards (4,364) while gaining 8.1 yards per pass attempt. They finished with 25 passing touchdowns and
Is D’Andre Swift a Must-Start Fantasy Football RB?
The Detroit Lions spent a second-round pick on running back D’Andre Swift. Will he be a starter on fantasy football teams this fall?