Heading into last night's contest, I was ready to focus today's post on why Chicago would be a great landing spot for Travis Etienne or Tank Bigsby, on the assumption that D'Andre Swift's 2024 slide would carry over into 2025. Then Jacksonville sent Bigsby to Philly, and that angle was toast.
But the premise remains relevant, especially after watching Swift struggle yet again. He's now averaged 3.5 yards per carry or less in 11 of 18 starts with the Bears. While the receptions are great, if Chicago struggles this month, I'd be shocked if new head coach Ben Johnson accepts the status quo.
One of the biggest elite-level question marks this summer was whether to trust Justin Jefferson. I remained bullish because of my belief in J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota's alpha wideout has caught passes thrown by five QBs in his last 24 games: Kirk Cousins, Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall, Sam Darnold, and now McCarthy. McCarthy's debut was a struggle, and yet Jefferson hit 14.8 points. A promising sign.
Jordan Mason comfortably outplayed Aaron Jones on the ground. Again, the podcast goes into more detail. But it's worth noting that on their final drive, the Vikes turned to Mason, not Jones. It's anyone's guess who will score more points this year, and that's why Mason was a clear preseason bargain at his RB31 ADP.
For Chicago, I do think better RB play will elevate this offense, which is why I think Swift's bell-cow standing is teetering. And it's not just the backfield. Journeyman Olamide Zaccheaus epitomizes the challenge: there are too many pass-catchers to safely rely on any of them. Zaccheaus was #2 on the team with seven targets.
As a dual-threat quarterback, Williams was terrific. But Rome Odunze was the only other Bear with double-digit points. Can Williams regularly feed 2+ receivers? It's still early, and it's also concerning for an offense with fairly high expectations.
And that brings us to D.J. Moore. Last year's overall WR16 commanded 140 targets or a healthy 8.2 per contest. Last night he had five. If he's truly their #1 wideout, it should mostly even out. If Odunze ascends, then the offense will have to be that much better to safely keep Moore in weekly fantasy lineups.
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