Start’em or Sit’em in Fantasy Football: Bears v. Ravens |
Ariana Pensy
· · 3 hours ago
CHICAGO - Unless you had a Chicago Bears running back in your lineup last week, your Bears players probably underperformed, especially quarterback Caleb Williams. However, going against one of the worst defenses in the league —the Baltimore Ravens —on Sun. Oct. 26 (Noon / CBS), this is a chance for the offense to break out.
Caleb Williams - Start Williams had quite a disappointing outing last week against the New Orleans Saints. It was his first game without a passing touchdown and just his third interception of the season. However, the Ravens have given up the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, making this an ideal matchup. The last time Williams faced a weak defense was against the Dallas Cowboys, when he threw for 298 yards and 4 touchdowns. It is quite realistic that he could have that kind of performance against Baltimore as well. In addition, with so many teams on bye this week, you may need to start someone you otherwise would not. Therefore, despite his performance last week, Williams should be in your starting lineup. Rome Odunze - Sit If You Can Just like how Baltimore is horrible against opposing quarterbacks, they are also terrible against opposing receivers. In fact, they are allowing the second-most fantasy points to opposing receivers. Therefore, this is probably the best matchup he has left this season. However, there has been a concerted effort to spread the ball around since Chicago came out of its bye week. His targets are still decent, but wide receiver Rome Odunze only has four receptions in the last two games combined, and he does not have a touchdown. With so many receivers on bye this week, you might have to start Odunze. But, if you have an option that has a better floor than Odunze, put that player in your lineup despite Odunze’s matchup. D’Andre Swift - Start Playing Baltimore is great for everyone, including the running backs. The Ravens also happen to relinquish the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. So, this is an ideal matchup for Swift as well. D’Andre Swift has been on a roll since the bye week, with 232 rushing yards and two total touchdowns in the past two games, and those defenses were much more difficult matchups than the Ravens. While Baltimore will most likely be getting linebacker Roquan Smith back, this is another excellent opportunity to put Swift in your lineup. Kyle Monangai - Start If Have To Rookie running back Kyle Monangai’s usage has been going up steadily since Chicago’s win streak started. Against the Saints last week, he played on nearly 45 percent of the snaps and made the most out of his opportunities with 13 attempts for 81 yards and his first career NFL touchdown. His Monangai getting more involved as the season has gone on, he has become a viable fantasy start, especially in weeks when so many players are on bye. Other fantasy owners are already recognizing his potential, as he is now rostered on 39 percent of Yahoo! rosters, a 32 percent increase from before the Saints game. It is time to get on the Monangai train—if he is not on your roster, pick him up. If you need to start someone with high upside with so many players on bye, start Monangai. Colston Loveland - Sit Even If Kmet Cannot Play Like Monangai, rookie tight end Colston Loveland has also been getting more playing time as the season has progressed. Against the Saints, he played on 66.7 percent of Chicago’s offensive snaps. However, his targets and catches have not significantly increased. The most catches he has in a game is three, and Loveland has yet to have over 35 receiving yards in a game. Tight end is a difficult position in fantasy, and there are multiple good tight ends on bye. But Loveland has not yet proven that he is a fantasy-startable tight end. Therefore, he should remain on the bench this week.
