Who to Start and Sit in Bears and Vikings

Something keeps interrupting Justin Fields' development.

First it was Andy Dalton, then it was Matt Nagy calling minimum protection schemes, then it was injury, and finally it was an injury last week to tackle Jason Peters just when Fields was gaining a rhythm against Green Bay. Teven Jenkins came on and was unprepared to face a strong Packers defensive front.

Now it's a change in coordinators against a Minnesota Vikings defense he hasn't faced in the past.

To be sure, Fields struggled against blitzing defenses earlier but seemed to enjoy a breakthrough in a loss against Pittsburgh's blitzes. Then he regressed a bit against Baltimore.

There are plenty of reasons to be concerned with where he'll be Monday night for fantasy football owners who have decided to gamble on his late-season improvement

Mike Zimmer's schemes are known for giving young quarterbacks trouble, but then again he is facing Vikings defensive players on the field and not Zimmer. And most of those Vikings pass coverage players have been sub-standard all year.

Where it all winds up and the risk involved is just another weekly big decision for the fantasy owners who might have Fields.

Here's who to sit and who to start in the Bears and Vikings game.

Start 'Em

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins

Sure Cousins has been sacked 15 times by the Bears in five games since Matt Nagy became Chicago coach, and they have picked him off four times. Remember interceptions Bears fans? Those are still legal. There was one real reason for the troubles Cousins has had in going 1-4 in his starts against the Bears since Nagy came to Chicago and that is Khalil Mack. Cousins has been uncomfortable settling in and throwing since Mack arrived. Well Mack Robert Quinn might be having a strong year but he's not Mack, who is on IR. And this Bears defense is in tatters. No Eddie Jackson, no Danny Trevathan, no Mack and two other defensive backfield starters are not playing. If Cousins can't hurt this Bears defense then he might never do it.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson

The Bears did a respectable job on Jefferson last with a lot of hard hits and he still had eight catches for 104 yards, so could they possibly do this year with Kindle Vildor at left cornerback and who-knows-who playing slot cornerback? Big game coming from Jefferson considering Adam Thielen is likely missing this game. Look for possibly a 10-catch, 125-yard game.

Vikings RB Dalvin Cook

Cook hadn't been able to hurt the Bears much until last year's second game, when he broke loose for 132 yards. He's averaging less than 4 yards per carry against them, but Roquan Smith has a hamstring injury. Still, the Bears will have Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman both back, but most of Cook's big gainers come outside of those two interior players against the edge or over tackle. Cook should also be able to hurt the Bears as a receiver.

Bears WR Darnell Mooney

Held in check the last two games, Mooney is due to break out and this Vikings secondary has trouble covering even the most average of receivers in the most mediocre offensive schemes. The Vikings might be a sack-happy bunch but they still rank 27th against the pass and teams eventually burn that secondary. Look for deeper throws to Mooney in this one.

Bears RB David Montgomery

Like with Mooney, Montgomery is due for a big game. He showed glimpses of this against the Packers in the first half but then the Bears didn't give him the ball in the second half as they fell behind and their pass blocking broke down. Teven Jenkins should be a better blocker overall in this game, with a week to prepare and a less effective Vikings defensive front facing him. Montgomery could be headed for something like last year's 146-yard game.

Bears QB Justin Fields

He's mistake-prone but you don't care in fantasy if he throws a couple of touchdown passes and runs for one, and it's entirely possible he'll do this against that Vikings defense. He might get sacked on one play and then turn around and throw completions of 20 and 50 yards on successive downs against this Minnesota defense. The one way Fields really figures to have an impact is running the ball. The Vikings have struggled against three running quarterbacks.

Vikings TE Tyler Conklin

He hurt the Bears on a couple of tight end screens last year and this year has developed into a tight end who eventually could rival what Kyle Rudolph did for years in the Vikings offense. The Bears are not at their best these days covering tight ends and backs both. They're playing with one solid linebacker and without Eddie Jackson. They'll have to pick their poison and it's more likely to be the tight end than Cook.

Sit 'Em

Bears TE Cole Kmet

Without Allen Robinson playing, and with the way they ran so well on the Vikings last year, expect two-tight end and even three-tight end formations from the Bears but they'll be in to block the run and the pass. Kmet's not likely to get many catches partly because Harrison Smith tends to shut down Bears tight ends, and so do the Vikings' linebackers. Kmet had only three catches for 19 yards against the Bears last year.

Bears TE Jimmy Graham

Not sure why someone would have Graham but if they had him for his former value as a red-zone receiver, see what was said above about Harrison Smith. It goes double for Smith facing Graham.

Vikings WR Adam Thielen

Not playing. High ankle sprains don't heal in a couple of weeks. So pay no attention to the questionable tag on Thielen. He's closer to out than doubtful and nowhere near really being questionable.

Defense

If you're using either of these defenses in a standard league then you're really not a factor in your fantasy race. The Bears try but are too shorthanded. The Vikings have a secondary even worse than last year, and no one thought this was possible.

There are individual defensive players to count on in IDP and one is Quinn. His matchup against rookie Christian Darrisaw should be a fairly comfortable win. Besides being a rookie, Darrisaw is coming off an ankle injury. Look for sacks, strip-sacks, maybe even his first career interception in this one.

Another player is Harrison Smith. He terrorized Mitchell Trubisky. As much as the Bears think they've upgraded with Fields, and as Smith has gotten older, it still could be a situation where a veteran knows some tricks to fool the rookie.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven