How to Cash in on Bears and Vikings

Suddenly the Bears have a receiver people are talking about, and not because he fights with teammates in practice, has an abundance of soft tissue injuries in training camp and wants to be a male model.

Nor is it because DJ Moore was slimed this week by his daughter, Ari, courtesy of Nickelodeon, although that did happen.

You already know we had to bring out Ari to help surprise @idjmoore with his NVP 🏆#NFLSlimetime pic.twitter.com/QgmPGPq1fI
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 12, 2023

Moore is riding the wave of fantasy popularity and as a result Justin Fields is, as well.

When the season started, Moore was coming in somewhere between 15th and 28th among receivers in most fantasy rankings. When the Bears began the season with an offense that was highly offensive, Moore's stock dipped as low as late 20s and low 30s among receivers.

Guess who's up to No. 10 in Fantasy Pro rankings and the pick this week of everyone to continue his rise? He's just behind Puka Nacua of the Rams and ahead of Jaylen Waddel of Miami in fantasy rankings for the week.

Sports Illustrated's fantasy team is on board for this ride. Jennifer Piacenti urged everyone to get on board for more Moore from Fields.

"More is a beast," Piacenti wrote. "Across the past two weeks of play, he has 19 catches, 361 yards and four touchdowns. That's bonkers."

Better yet is the point about this week's game.

"This week he faces a Vikings secondary that has allowed the most yards to receivers this year. Sign me up."

SI points out the Vikings have also allowed more pass completions than any defense, which means field day for Fields.

Even with Justin Jefferson out of the game Sunday, this Bears-Vikings game is a place where fantasy owners can come to feast.

It's also a place where bettors have every reason to expect the over and put it down as a basis for a parlay.

Here are players to start and sit for Sunday's game.

Start 'Em

1. Vikings QB Kirk Cousins

As much as the talk is about the Bears and about the loss of Justin Jefferson for the Vikings, Minnesota will still show up and Cousins is still one of the better veteran passers. He's also going against a pass defense that had been struggling greatly until running up against Sam Howell and the Commanders. Even then, Howell completed 72.5%, and threw for 388 yards. Cousins still has other capable receivers, a strong passing attack and a coach whose entire existence centers around passing the ball. And one other thing about the defense Cousins is facing. The Bears secondary is getting healthier, it's true. They might all be in place. But they weren't covering anyone in the first three games, especially on third down, and their pass rush hasn't really improved since then. Three of their five sacks last week against a pedestrian Commanders offensive line were later in the game, two after the outcome was decided. Cousins should feast. A win was a great doedorizer but that Bears defense rally stunk. We'll see if they're any better at all with Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Johnson back.

2. Bears QB Justin Fields

Fields has been well tested by blitzing defenses as every one of the first six Bears opponents currently rank in the top half of the league in blitz percentage, according to Sportradar. This is a different creature, though. The Vikings blitz way more than anyone else and can be disruptive. If Fields doesn't panic and takes his lumps when they appear inevitable -- throws it away when too much heat is there -- and doesn't get risky with the ball as pressure builds, he can produce plenty of big plays in this game. Another thing to consider with the Vikings is their blitzing and man-to-man defense will create situations where Fields could tear off huge chunks of real estate scrambling. Stepping up in the pocket and finding the opening created when a blitzer got picked up or overpursued is the key.

3. Bears WR DJ Moore

NextGen Stats points out he gained 221 yards out of 230 on hitch routes and go routes, the most yards on those routes in a game over the last six seasons. It might not be as easy to get those go routes working against Minnesota's blitzing defense but the the hitches should work fine and so should slants and quick outs as the Vikings load the line of scrimmage with people to come after Fields. Moore won't rank the No. 1 fantasy player for this game from the Bears because he still needs someone to get him the ball. Even if Minnesota is willing to do more double-teaming or zone coverage than it has shown it will do in the past, Moore should be able to beat below-average defenders manning their secondary.

4. Vikings WR Jordan Addison

With Justin Jefferson around, Minnesota hasn't really explored the full range of what their talented rookie can do. It will happen now. Addison has shown he can be effective on a wide range of routes. He's probably not going to be a vertical threat on 50-50 balls like Jefferson was, but has the quickness and savvy route running to burn a zone defense like the Bears use.

5. Bears WR Darnell Mooney

This is the next step in progression for the Bears. There logically should be attempts by Minnesota to "cloud" Moore, even while the Vikings want to blitz so much. You can't do this and play tight coverage on everyone. Mooney has had three games without a reception this season. He had four catches against Green Bay and four against Denver. The opportunity against a struggling Viking secondary should be there for him, particularly slanting or on hitches.

6. Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson

The Bears are better equipped to handle a tight end who likes to find the soft spot in zones or run seam routes the way Hockenson can. With Tremaine Edmunds and Jaquan Brisker in coverage, the Bears could have a better chance to stop a tight end or at least hold him to shorter yardage on receptions. Edmunds wipes out Hockenson's height edge and Brisker can take care of the quickness advantage Hockenson often enjoys.

7. Vikings WR K.J. Osborn

Count on him to step up his production with Jefferson gone. He already proved his capability with 50 catches in 2021 and 60 in 2022. Last week when Jefferson got hurt, Osborn stepped it up to a season-high five receptions. He knows how to attack the Bears defense as he had 10 catches for 158 yards against them last year, including his second-highest yardage total ever of 117.

8. Vikings RB Alexander Mattison

Mattison hasn't been bad this year at 4.3 yards a carry. It's just that Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell grows bored quickly with the running game. Mattison averages only 12.2 carries a game. He's had 21 targets in the passing game, which should produce more than the 3.6 yards per target he's getting. Another reason to expect more from Mattison is he's going against a Bears defensive scheme more vulnerable to the run, although they seem to have plugged some of their issues stopping the ground game in recent weeks.

9. RB D'Onta Foreman

Normally the starting Bears running back gets more of a nod than being ranked ninth. Foreman hasn't been playing. He has done this come-off-the-bench routine a few times in his career so that's not a problem. The problem is the opponent. Foreman is at his best running behind the wide-zone blocking scheme, making one cut and going upfield. However, the Viking's blitzing can jam up a wide zone.

10. WR Trent Taylor

A hunch. With the Vikings blitzing so much, a veteran hand as receiver on shorter routes might be the answer moreso than Tyler Scott or Velus Jones Jr. Expect Taylor to fit into that role as he has started three times and had 43 and 26 receptions in his first two seasons with the 49ers. Maybe a pick-up guy but it's just a guess here on what they might do to combat the blitz.

Sit 'Em

1. Bears TE Cole Kmet

He had a hamstring issue earlier in the week and has been removed from the injury report, but hamstrings are tricky. This alone is enough to be apprehensive about his contributions this week. Another one is his ability as a blocker. The Bears will need to supply extra blocking in the face of the blitz and Kmet's role might include more of this than in some other games. As a result, he could lose some receiving opportunities.

2. Bears WR Tyler Scott

There has been plenty of buzz about the chance Scott could move up and become a factor now that Chase Claypool is gone and with Equanimeous St. Brown injured. Don't count on it. The blitz scheme means more tight coverage at the line. He's more likely to find it easier to beat zone coverage from other opponents by sitting in creases than by defeating defenders in man-to-man coverage for timed throws with Fields.

3. Bears WR Velus Jones Jr.

In theory, Jones is a receiver who could run a few plays in this game and inflect great harm on the Vikings defense. A few wide receiver screens and an end around or jet sweep can lead to big gains against the blitz. They don't require great ability to know the offense. But don't count on it. Jones has done nothing all year.

4. Vikings WR Brandon Powell

The theory about Powell is he'll also step forward with Jefferson gone. There has been opportunity for this and so far he has only five catches for 48 yards. He hasn't even been returning punts well at 4.9 yards a pop.

Defense

What defense? Where? They might as well issue the teams in this one flags. The running games will take a back seat.

The chance exists Danielle Hunter might come up with a sack or two as an IDP standout, considering one side of the Bears line is tackle Larry Borom and he has struggled at pass blocking. PFF gives him a 40.5 grade. Hunter could take advantage of that situation.

Other than that, there is no reason to even think of the word defense in this game.

The Betting Window

The Line: Vikings by 2 1/2 (over/under 43 1/2).

BearDigest Record: 3-2 overall, 3-2 ATS, 2-3 over/under.

BearDigest Pick: Bears 24, Vikings 23.

NFL Best Bets

Record: 9-10-1

This Week:

Bears and Vikings Over 43 1/2

Commanders +2 1/2 at Falcons

Saints - 1 1/2 at Texans

Ravens and Titans Under 42 1/2

Cowboys -1 1/2 at Chargers

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven