Start’em or Sit’em for Fantasy Football: Bears vs. Falcons |
CHICAGO - It is championship week in fantasy football and whether you are playing in the championship, third place or another consolation game, there are many fantasy decisions to be made. After putting up disappointing numbers over the last two weeks, should owners take the risk at such a crucial time and start
DJ Moore?
DJ Moore - Consider Benching If Kmet Plays At such a crucial point in the fantasy season, receiver DJ Moore has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. The target numbers are not bad with 14 targets over the last two weeks. However, his catch percentage is down during that time. Over the last two games, he is catching 50 percent of his passes which is the lowest point he has reached all season. His yards per target last week was three, the lowest for him since he became a Chicago Bear. This was understandable against a stingy defense like Cleveland but against the Arizona Cardinals, that is more concerning. Tight end Cole Kmet is severely cutting into his projection as of late. But, Kmet has not practiced thus far this week with a knee injury he suffered against the Cardinals. If Kmet plays, depending on your roster and whether you are in a points per reception (PPR) league or not, Moore should be a candidate for the bench. Justin Fields - Start In two of the last three games, Fields has scored a rushing touchdown, greatly helping fantasy owners. The passing yards have not been great as he has only topped 200 passing yards twice since returning from his dislocated thumb. However, the rushing yards is where Fields has always gotten more fantasy points. There have been numerous quarterback injuries throughout this season, making it hard for some owners to find the right quarterback. Also, he has reduced his turnovers from earlier in the season and thus, he is less prone to negative points. So, Fields is someone that should be started even in this championship week. Cole Kmet - Start If He Plays While Moore is still getting the bulk of the targets, Kmet is getting more yards. When he does not get the yards, he gets a touchdown at least that is how it has played out the past few weeks. A reliable tight end is difficult to find and with TJ Hockenson, one of the best tight ends in the NFL, going down right before the championship, that has put many fantasy owners in a bind. Particularly if you need a replacement for Hockenson, Kmet is a very good option who has been hot as of late. The Falcons are also a very good matchup for tight ends, making Kmet even more of an appealing option for fantasy owners. If Kmet can play, start him. Chicago Defense - Start Atlanta ranks No. 26 in total touchdowns so far this season with 28 and they are even split between rushing and passing touchdowns. Having Taylor Heinecke at quarterback makes them a bit of a question mark for how the offense is going to operate, but at least Chicago has the game film from their 29-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts to go on. Further, in that game, they only scored two touchdowns and had five field goals. Getting five field goals in a game is not a sustainable way to win games. In addition, the Bears defense has been one of the best in the league recently, especially when it comes to generating turnovers. The Chicago defense is a definite start going into this important time. Anyone Else - Sit There is not anyone else on the Bears roster worth starting in fantasy. If Kmet is not able to play, Moore would benefit the most from this. All of the running backs cannot be started because one cannot know from week-to-week who will prevail as the top back. While Khalil Herbert had a strong game last week against the Cardinals, there is no guarantee that will be the same this week.
