Bears Fantasy Football: Who to Reach for, Who to Avoid, and Play Pick ‘Em with WCG!

As the Chicago Bears begin their 2023 campaign, there's plenty of optimism from the fan base about the potential success of this team. Justin Fields took meaningful strides forward as a leader and playmaker in 2022, and a revamped offensive line coupled with a couple of sweet new weapons should translate from potential on paper to on-field results. GM Ryan Poles also blew up the defense through last year into the past offseason, and at the time of writing, the following starters on defense are new to the team:

• Demarcus Walker
• Andrew Billings
• Yannick Ngakoue
• TJ Edwards
• Tremaine Edmunds
• Tyrique Stevenson

Head coach Matt Eberflus is entering a critical second year wearing the headset at Soldier Field after posting a league-worst 3-14 record his first season as a head coach. It's too early to use the phrase hot seat, but let's say the lighter is in the room, and he needs his defense, his specialty coming from the Colts' defensive coordinator role, to really shine while offensive coordinator Luke Getsy works Justin Fields and company into form.

Speaking of Fields, he'll be a popular fantasy pick this year due to his record-setting rushing performance last season. ESPN currently projects QB1 as the 6th-best fantasy quarterback leading into the 2023 season, although most Bears fans are excited about the prospect of him developing as a passer. Whatever it takes to beat Green Bay in week 1 should be fine, though.

Here is one Bears player to reach for in your fantasy draft and one to avoid:

Reach: DJ Moore

Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images

If there's one takeaway (and there are quite a few, to be sure) from this Bears preseason, it's that DJ Moore is the kind of player where you just find a way to get him the ball. His first and only touch against the Titans went for a 62-yard touchdown, and he actually ran 64 yards after the catch and showed some very impressive speed. Then, against the Bills, he caught a pass downfield and escaped from three defenders for a 40-yard gain. That's two catches for an average of 51 yards. A small sample size and preseason football to boot, but Moore has looked special.

ESPN currently projects Moore as the 24th-best receiver in fantasy, somehow dropping from his 2022 rank of the 22nd-best PPR receiver. His connection with Fields has already been on display in this preseason, and if he's there in round 4, it's worth the reach. Pair him with another WR1, and you're in better shape for injuries and bye weeks.

Avoid: Khalil Herbert

Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images

With the departure of David Montgomery in free agency, it's tempting to see Khalil Herbert as the heir-apparent to the Bears fortune of running back carries. The Bears led the league in total rushing yards and yards per carry this past season, but it's fair to pull Justin Fields out of that data and watch the Bears fall closer to upper-middle of the pack.

Moreover, the Bears signed D'Onta Foreman in March and drafted Roschon Johnson in April, and they caught 2 and 5 passes respectively this preseason. A running-back-by-committee approach is well in the cards without Herbert needing to stay on the field for passing downs.

Herbert should pop up in later rounds as teams pick a flex or late RB2. ESPN currently projects him as the 33rd running back off the board, after a 2022 season which had him as the 39th-best running back. One running back in Chicago is going to emerge by cold weather months, but if it's not Herbert, then you should be able to steal whoever it is off the waiver wire in a couple of months. Avoid Bears running backs for now.

Now...if you think you're as caught up on the rest of the NFL and can predict correct winners, then let's play Pick 'Em!

PICK EMS LEAGUE

For a very relaxed game with extremely low time commitment (as little as 5 minutes per week), then consider a weekly pick' em league. Pick Em' gives you a full list of the NFL games that week, and you predict the winner of each matchup and submit your picks. After each week, you can see how well you did and compare with other players in the league.

If this interests you, then visit this link here and use the following group information to find the group:

Group ID: 27332

Password: BearDown

This league will start NFL Week 1, so sign up for the Windy City Gridiron Pick' Ems League today!

Stay tuned for the WCG Fantasy Football League, and new this year is our WCG Survivor League, which will feature two cash prizes!