Best Ways to Cash in on Bears and Packers

If there is an opponent where Justin Fields' fantasy football potential often gets hidden, it's against the Green Bay Packers.

Fields hasn't had the greatest history against the Packers when it comes both to reality football and the bottom line of winning or in piling up fantasy points.

A player who piled up over 300 points in both FanDuel and Fantasy Kings scoring last year is facing his nemesis in Green Bay defensive coordinator Joe Barry.

Even when Fields appeared to make major strides last year in the last game against the Packers, it was the Green Bay defense and running game that wrestled away control. Two interceptions of Fields proved decisive in a 28-19 Packers win.

Fields has taken major steps in the fantasy football world over the last season to reach a range of QB-5 to QB-8 depending on which fantasy analyst you read.

The only way he'll climb even more in this regard is to start passing better and do it against Green Bay's effective secondary.

In this regard, fantasy meets reality. Winning isn't the thing in fantasy ball but Fields' next advancement as a player in the real world needs to be victories achieved by passing more accurately, and it's also where he needs to go in fantasy ball to elevate his game. He's come as far as he can as a running QB and fantasy QB.

He needs to become a winning QB now to show he's at the top of the line in both areas.

Even against a nemesis, Fields must be regarded as a quarterback to play in opening week.

Start 'Em

Bears QB Justin Fields

His running ability alone should keep anyone from ever sitting him. And let's face it, in his first year operating this offense against the Packers his targets weren't exactly providing much assistance. In the second game, he didn't have Darnell Mooney and it left Dante Pettis and Equanimeous St. Brown as the top targets. Chase Claypool had just come over a few weeks earlier and really hadn't picked up the offense. In the first game, Fields had Mooney but Claypool was in Pittsburgh. Byron Pringle was supposed to be his No. 2 guy and had been out much of training camp injured, then got in for only 10 plays against the Packers. This group of receivers had the handicap of Mooney missing the entire off-season rehabbing an ankle injury and Claypool with an assortment of soft-tissue injuries but they've been there on the field and taking part in drills off and on since training camp. The biggest plus is Fields and DJ Moore have been in lock step since the start of OTAs and that can only make the entire receiver corps more effective. Look also for offensive coordinator Luke Getsy to throw in some innovation to add to Fields' run/pass potential. There are some specials they've kept hidden away for this one and other games.

Packers RB Aaron Jones

Jones has been a problem for the Bears even when their old defense was adept at stopping the run. Last year's Bears defense couldn't stop the run against anyone, ranking 31st, but they have changed the entire defensive front. Only Justin Jones remains in their front seven at a position from last year. It's a good bet the Bears defense won't be as polished at gap integrity with their one-gap approach in their first effort together on the field and Jones will be able to exploit this for a nice chunk of yards and scores. Later, it might not be as easy to do this against the Bears front because they definitely have added much better athletes/system fits than last year's defense had. Look for Jones to be the top Packers receiving target in this game, screen passes or otherwise. Even without injuries to injured Christian Watson and with Romeo Doubs slowed by injury, this would have been the case as he has 63 targets or more the last four years and hasn't been below 72.1% catch percentage since his rookie year of 2017.

Bears WR DJ Moore

Even if the Packers go to a two-man blanket coverage of Moore or put Jaire Alexander on him all over the field, the former Panthers receiver will find ways to make an impact. It might be in the short passing game and yards after the catch. Moore has been a terror beating zone coverage in practices and the Packers would prefer to be in zone. In two games against Green Bay, he went over 100 yards receiving both times.

Bears WR Darnell Mooney

Quietly, Mooney has gone about his business at training camp and in preseason to get back to 100% in his ankle. It appears he's there and ready to be the beneficiary of Green Bay overcovering Moore to any extent. Mooney's best season was in 2021 when Alan Robinson had injuries and also seemed to check out in terms of interest being with the Bears due to his contract situation. Mooney as a No. 2 option is much better than as a No. 1 and he'll be a big-play threat.

Packers RB AJ Dillon

The Packers expanded use of him gradually and he'll be an important threat as a one-two punch. Green Bay should even look into playing him in the same backfield with Jones because of the threat both pose as runners after the catch. Dillon is not exactly what anyone would call sure-handed as a receiver out of the backfield, with a terrible 39.5% catch rate last year and even a low 62.2% rate the previous year, but when he does get his hands on it in the screen game he is a potential big play with 8.4 yards per catch. The real threat he poses is as a runner like a runaway truck. At 247 pounds, he has had 803 and 770 yards the last two years and figures to get his hands on the ball more this year because of coach Matt LaFleur's appreciation for the running game. Also to be considered in this one is quarterback Jordan Love's inexperience. He's going to want as many throws to low-risk targets as possible and the running back is always a good outlet in this case.

Bears RB Khalil Herbert

Although he's starting at running back, teams will tend to overlook Herbert when focusing on stopping the Bears offense because of Fields' ability running or in play-action. He becomes an after thought and as a result can torch defenses for occasional big plays. He had 21 runs of 10 yards or more last year and that was with one-third of the rushing attempts by backs. He could do much more damage now in a starting role if the Packers overplay to stop Fields' running or RPO passing. Herbert's second strong game as a back was 97 yards in his rookie season against Green Bay. He missed the second game last year with a hip injury.

Packers TE Luke Musgrave

The Packers never seemed to use the tight end excessively in the passing game when Aaron Rodgers was quarterback. LaFleur comes from a background where the tight end is always a main threat catching and blocking. Look for the rookie to get handed major responsibilities right away. A tight end is a quarterback's best friend and especially an inexperienced quarterback's best friend.

Packers WR Jayden Reed

Not a household name for sure, but at least this week he's someone to remember because of the injuries to the top two receivers and also another Dontayvion Wicks has had. A slot receiver with great speed and maneuverability. He could have a big impact on the game with a few big catch-and-runs.

Sit 'Em

Packers QB Jordan Love

The arm is there and he should have learned something in three years behind Aaron Rodgers. Stepping in and proving he's an NFL starter in his second career start on the road against a rival, with a banged-up receiver corps is too much to ask of him.

Bears TE Cole Kmet

Kmet doesn't rate high enough yet among tight ends to be a No. 1 in bigger leagues. He didn't have a history of good receiving games against the Packers until his six-catch, 72-yard performance in the last loss but that came when he had to play the role of No. 1 receiver because Fields was without Darnell Mooney. His role receiving should be slightly diminished this year, too, because Robert Tonyan is available as a move-tight end in multiple-tight end sets.

Packers WR Romeo Doubs

Normally Doubs would be considered a Packers automatic play but he really has been hampered by a hamstring injury and only was able to perform on a limited basis in practice. He had more catches than any returning wide receiver and the Packers are without No. 1 deep threat Christian Watson due to injury. But Doubs isn't yet experienced enough to be considered a dependable No. 1 or even No. 2. He missed four games last year injured and had two other games when he got blanked. He'll need to show he's taking another step first. Trying to take the step with a new, unproven quarterback makes it even less likely to happen right away.

Bears WR Chase Claypool

The X-factor for the Bears could be someone who explodes with a huge game because of his athletic ability and his better knowledge of the offense. He needs to show this, though, first. There were some practices early when Claypool was open repeatedly and made plays for the first-team Bears offense at training camp, but he also had several times where footballs deflected off his hands to result in a big play by the defense. He falls under the prove-it category.

Bears RB D'Onta Foreman

Foreman was largely hidden during preseason but looked fairly effective when given a chance. The problem for him is he might not get enough carries to work up a lather and that's where he proved in Carolina last year he can be most effective. He's the back who could be on to wear down an opponent late in games but could be a fantasy point-getter at the goal line. Whether the Bears would use him as a goal-line back isn't clear yet from preseason or training camp but is something to store for the future.

Packers TE Tucker Kraft

A rookie who could play a major role this week because of the wide receiver injuries. Kraft is a former South Dakota State player who is an all-around type. The Packers have completely revamped their tight ends room. It's in Chicago now as Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis have been key role players in the past. Kraft is a future possibility but not for Week 1.

Defense

Neither of these defenses have done enough to show they are beyond highly forgettable 2022 seasons for anyone in a fantasy league to use them in the conventional team defensive role. The Bears totally revamped their front seven and the effect of that needs to be seen. The Packers had injuries and poor play bog down their defense when it was supposed to be a top-10 if not top-five group in 2022.

In IDP leagues, Jaire Alexander and Preston Smith are good Green Bay options. Alexander had an interception in each of the games last year and Fields has had a habit of forcing a ball where he shouldn't. It's exactly what someone like Alexander likes to see. Smith has 7 1/2 career sacks and seven tackles for loss in games against the Bears, and he'll need to have a big role as their other key edge rusher, Rashan Gary, is on a play count as he continues recovery from a knee injury.

Bear Digest Best Bet

The line: Bears by 1

Over/Under: 43

The Plays: The Bears and under look strong plays.

BearDigest Prediction: Bears 17, Packers 13

The offenses have major questions to answer in this. The Bears need to show they can score, while the Packers have a different and totally inexperienced QB. Toss out last year's trend numbers in over/under and think of them as two struggling groups.

Trending: The Packers have scored last in their last six away games. It's what teams do with a veteran QB to win late in the NFL. They no longer have a veteran QB. Rodgers "owned" the Bears and Soldier Field. Very few teams in the NFL command the road against their biggest rival like Rodgers. Love has to prove he's even an average QB first before he can even think about such advantages.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven