Start’em or Sit’em in Fantasy Football: Bears vs. Titans |
It is officially time for the start of the fantasy football season. Unlike previous years, the Chicago Bears have many talented players at skill positions, making it easier for fantasy owners to start them this season.
Caleb Williams - Sit, But Keep on Your Bench The only reason to sit Williams to this point is because he is a rookie, and while he certainly has a lot of talented playmakers to throw the ball to, the matchup against the Tennessee Titans this Sunday (Noon/FOX) will also be his first ever NFL regular season game. For that reason, it would not be surprising for Chicago to rely more on the run. Tennessee offers a good opportunity to do that because they improved their secondary with additions like cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and safety Quandre Diggs, but they lost defensive lineman Denico Autry. Therefore, the Chicago offense will most likely find more opportunities in the run game than the passing game. At the same time, Williams is a great pickup in any fantasy league no matter the scoring system. While he has a personal preference for throwing the ball, he displayed his rushing ability during the preseason and thus has that rushing upside. Furthermore, with all of the weapons he has around him, he surely will record a lot of passing touchdowns this season, making him even more valuable in any league where passing touchdowns are six points instead of four. DJ Moore - Start Of course, Williams has to throw the ball sometime during the game. Moore was already expected to be the No. 1 receiver in Chicago. With receiver Keenan Allen popping up on the injury report with a heel injury, he may not be 100 percent going into the season opener. Sneed will surely be all over Moore, and while Sneed did not allow a single touchdown last season and only a 51 percent catch rate, Moore is an elite receiver who can get the 50-50 ball, and Williams has already shown the talent to put the ball in the right place. Further, Moore had 539 yards after the catch last season, so he can make plays happen. While Moore probably has more upside in a full points per reception (FPPR) league, he should be started no matter what league you are in. Keenan Allen - Sit, But Keep on Your Bench Allen is currently questionable with a heel injury. He was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday. While his injury should not hamper him too much, it does provide a little more time for Moore to develop chemistry with Williams prior to the season opener, an opportunity Allen is not getting this week. As aforementioned, this game may provide an opportunity to ease Williams into his first NFL game by running the ball more and if Moore is getting a larger target share, this will hurt Allen’s fantasy value. While Allen is certainly worth keeping around, given this talented offense, he is too risky to start this week. Rome Odunze - Start in an FPPR, 12-Team League Depending on Your Roster If you are in a half-points per-reception (HPPR) league, Odunze may not be worth the start. If you are in a league with more depth at the receiver position, like one you typically find in an eight-team or ten-team league, then Odunze is probably a risky start for the season opener. However, if you are in a league with a lot of teams that lack wide receiver depth and have Odunze on your roster, start him. Odunze provides a lot of upside. If there is anything the preseason showed prospective fantasy owners, it is that Williams and Odunze have already developed chemistry as the two premier rookies on the roster. While there could be a lot of running the ball in this game, Chicago will not run the ball the entire game, and with the chemistry these two have and the big-play potential of Odunze, do not be surprised if he has a few splash plays in his first regular-season NFL game. D’Andre Swift - Start With how much the Bears will probably run the ball, this is probably the best week to start D’Andre Swift. Given the salary Chicago gave him, he is unquestionably the No. 1 back. Further, he provides the upside of having the ability to catch passes out the backfield. Therefore, he is a good player to start in all leagues, especially the HPPR and FPPR leagues. He may not be a reliable back throughout the season, but for Week 1, Swift should be in the starting lineup. Cole Kmet - Sit In addition to all of the other playmakers on the Bears now, never start Kmet in the month of September. For whatever reason, Kmet has always started out slow in the first month of the season. He has his lowest number of receptions (21) and reception yards (209) in September compared to any other month. Further, he has never scored a touchdown in September. So, do not start Kmet this week. In fact, do not start him until at least Week 5. Chicago Defense - Start It serves to reason that the Chicago defense will be dominant again this season after how they finished last season and looked in the preseason. Tennessee has a younger quarterback in Will Levis, lost their bell-cow in Derrick Henry, and is at risk of not having their star receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, available for this game. While they signed Tony Pollard to replace Henry, there is still a decrease in the talent level at running back. Without Hopkins, the offense could be severely hampered. Given these factors, the Bear's defense promises to hold the Titans to few points and few yards and has a great potential for turnovers. The one question is sacks as edge rusher Montez Sweat cannot be the only one getting pressure on the quarterback. But that small risk is worth the ceiling on Chicago’s defense. Mad Minute ⏰
Will Levis and the @Titans vs Caleb Williams and the @ChicagoBears #TENvsCHI pic.twitter.com/eZ9I6XeGsX
