Cashing in on Bears and Vikings

It might mean something or it might not for fantasy players.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus said he definitely must take into consideration the upcoming schedule when they decide on playing time, and in particular when they look at a game coming up Thursday night after Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings.

"Yeah, I think you do," Eberflus said. "I think we take that into consideration with all of our players. Yeah for sure you got to do that.

"You got to make sure they're humming and going for this Sunday and then obviously the quick turnaround is a factor into it."

The obvious sarcastic retort to this is when where they "humming" when they went into any other Sunday, particularly on offense but also defense after last week's problems in New Jersey.

At issue for fantasy players is whether David Montgomery is playing or isn't. Someone may have picked up Khalil Herbert, or they might have Montgomery. Montgomery got on the field for a pair of partial or limited practices this week.

Figure in two more days before the Vikings game and it's entirely possible his ankle injury is healed.

An even greater personnel factor in this one is Jaquan Brisker, Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Jones manning three of the five starting secondary spots in the nickel defense against Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn and Jalen Reagor.

That's three rookies. Kindle Vildor and Eddie Jackson will need to be on top of their games to get those three through an entire game against the Vikings' secondary. The rookies are going to get an education.

"No. 1 thing would be, in a nutshell, would be make sure your technique can stand the test of time," defensive coordinator Alan Williams said. "That's to say that hey, whatever your technique is, whether it's a dynamic, whether it's a fast guy, not so fast guy, tall guy, small guy, whatever that is, you want to make sure your technique, whatever it is, can stand the test of time so that you're not so focused on, hey, what they do."

Somehow, technique doesn't seem like enough to deter the Vikings and it most likely will not scare fantasy football owners from putting Kirk Cousins, Jefferson, Thielen and even Osborn or tight end Irv Smith Jr. in the lineup.

All are wide open possibilities on a day when the Bears defense figures to struggle mightily.

Fantasy Football Forecast

Start 'Em

1. RB Dalvin Cook

No matter how big a proponent you are of the pass, there is no way to look at how bad the Bears have been against the run and figure you'll use the running game as a counter balance. Cook needs to be the primary weapon against a Bears front incapable of playing effective one-gap defense at this point. The over/under on his yardage total has been around 80 yards. This would be a horrible day considering how only one team failed to hit 100 yards rushing on the Bears.

2. QB Kirk Cousins

Cousins had his real trouble against the Bears in the past whenever Akiem Hicks was healthy and coming up the middle at him, and then when the combination of Hicks and Khalil Mack were doing the same. The Bears haven't had interior rush. So Cousins should be able to step up into his throws and is in line for a big day against predictable zone coverages.

3. WR Adam Thielen

Now healthy, he's on pace for more receptions than any season since he had 113 catches in 2018 for the Vikings. He's more of an underneath option now at age 32 with a 10.5-yard average per catch. His yards per catch decreased each of the last two seasons and appears to be headed toward that trend this year, as well. So he's not likely to break off any big gainers but is the dependable target if the rush is coming and a good red zone target late on a play.

4. TE Irv Smith Jr.

He seems like his feet are nailed to the ground early with a 9.1-yard avergage after coming off a season-ending injury in 2021. Although Smith's four years in the NFL have been a disappointment by and large, one thing he can claim is to be a good red zone threat. Of his 76 career catches, eight went for touchdowns. The Bears are going to be so focused on Dalvin Cook and the receivers, they'll be leaving someone open.

5. Justin Fields

Believe it or not, it's Fields' time to put up some big fantasy numbers. Some of it might be him scrambling into the end zone, but the Bears figure to be playing comeback football all day and that means yardage underneath the coverage, scrambling for yardage, possibly a TD pass or two in desperation as they rally. A fantasy owner whose QB is up against one of the league's better defenses would do well to have Fields in the lineup this week considering the Vikings are 26th against the pass and 23rd against the run. This game could turn into a high-scoring free-for-all and both sides will score.

6. WR Darnell Mooney

Mooney's breakout last week might persuade some he's a safe play now. However, just the fact he's facing the Minnesota should get fantasy types to put Mooney in the lineup. In four games against the Vikings, Mooney averages 5.8 receptions and 60 yards.

At Your Own Risk

7. RB David Montgomery

A sure play against the Vikings if healthy at 88 yards a game and three total TDs against Minnesota for his career, and the Vikings have struggled against the run, ranking 23rd at stopping it. However, he had the ankle injury and it's not clear he's entirely over it to the degree needed for a big game. Eberflus said he has to take into account two games in five days with the decisions on players. That could mean he rests or Herbert gets more carries.

Sit 'Em

8. Cole Kmet

It's logical to expect a bigger game than Kmet has had to date this season, which isn't much considering he has five receptions.

It hasn't been anyone's year as a receiver in this Bears attack. They're focused on the run at this point.

9. RB Khalil Herbert

He's never had a big game against Minnesota but if he was the starter it could be anticipated based on his production as Montgomery's backup and what the Vikings don't do when they try to stop the run. But it's impossible to be sure how much he'll play.

Defense

Forget either of these teams in a team defense league. There will be none played here team-wise. The Bears had one strong game in the rain and nothing thereafter. The same was true of the Vikings, allowing seven in the opener against Green Bay but since then the trend is for a Minnesota cave-in.

In IDP leagues, the only name you need to know is Harrison Smith. He has five career interceptions and one fumble recovery against the Bears, to go with a TD return. With one of Fields' bad habits being throwing late and over the middle, expect Smith around the ball.

Best Bears Bears

The Spread and Total

The Line: Vikings by 7 1/2 (Over/under 44).

BearDigest Record: 3-1 straight up, 2-2 ATS, 2-2 against the total.

Bear/Digest Pick: Vikings 28, Bears 20

Prop of the Week: Over 77 1/2 yards on Vikings RBI Dalvin Cook.

BEARS TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE THROUGH SI TICKETS

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