Start’em or Sit’em in Fantasy Football: Bears vs. Saints |
Ariana Pensy
· · 15 hours ago
CHICAGO - If you had wide receiver Rome Odunze in your lineup last week, you were probably greatly disappointed with his production. However, if you had running back D’Andre Swift, you were pleasantly surprised by his career game against the Washington Commanders.
The Chicago Bears have now won three games in a row and will be looking for a fourth win against the New Orleans Saints on Sun. Oct. 19 (Noon / FOX), and it could be a feast for Chicago’s fantasy players. Caleb Williams - Start New Orleans allows the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Part of that is because they have struggled against rushing quarterbacks, as they have allowed nearly 200 rushing yards to quarterbacks this season. Williams has been relatively consistent this season, as he has put up at least 200 passing yards in every game this season, as well as at least one touchdown pass. Given this matchup, there is a high ceiling for Williams, making him a smart start. D’Andre Swift - Sit If You Have a Really Good Backup Option New Orleans actually has a decent run defense. However, during the bye week, head coach Ben Johnson clearly figured out how to get Swift more involved in the run game. Swift had his first 100-yard game as a Chicago Bear and his best fantasy performance in quite some time. Nonetheless, it should not be overlooked that rookie running back Kyle Monangai has been getting more snaps. In fact, he played on 34.4 percent of the offensive snaps against Washington. This running back room does not solely belong to Swift anymore, and while Monangai has not hurt Swift’s production to this point, if Monangai’s involvement continues to increase, it could start to impact Swift. Therefore, start Swift unless you have a really good backup option. Rome Odunze - Start Odunze technically did have a touchdown against the Commanders. However, that does not make much of a difference to fantasy owners since the referees took it off the board with an illegal shift penalty. Because of that touchdown getting taken off, Odunze’s production was relatively low against Washington. That could just be an off game for Odunze. However, there also seemed to be more of an effort to get receiver DJ Moore involved, causing a decrease in Odunze’s targets. In fact, Odunze was targeted a season-low of five times and had a season-low of two receptions. Despite that, this is a favorable matchup for all Bears receivers, and Moore is questionable with a hip and groin injury. So, this could definitely be a bounce-back game for Odunze. Luther Burden III - Start in 12-Team Leagues if Moore Does Not Play Even with Odunze and Moore in the game, Burden III has been getting some playing time. His targets were the highest of his young career against Washingto,n with four targets. If Moore is not able to play, Burden III would probably slide into the No. 2 receiver role or, at the very least, have an increased role in the offense. Therefore, he would be a start with a lot of upside. However, if you are in an eight-team or 10-team league, Burden III is someone who should stay on the bench. In a league of that size, there are probably better options on the waiver wire with a better upside. Chicago’s Defense - Start New Orleans has one of the worst offenses in the NFL, and Chicago’s defense has forced 11 turnovers in the past three games. Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler has only been sacked 11 times and thrown one interception. However, given the success of the Bears' defense, they are a reliable start to give you solid fantasy points.
