NFL Player News

Fantasy managers got a pure rushing day from Irving as he did not see a single target in this game, plodding his way to 3.7 yards per carry. He broke out a long run of 12 yards, but was otherwise kept in check by the Panthers’ defensive front. Irving is the early-down back, but has lost red zone snaps to Rachaad White and Sean Tucker as well, capping his fantasy ceiling. He led the trio with 40 snaps and 15 routes run, but did not have fruitful production. The closest he came to scoring was a red zone rush where he was tackled at the one-yard line in the first quarter. Irving has had a frustrating output for the fantasy playoffs and should be considered a fantasy RB2 for Week 17 against the Dolphins.

Kmet found himself on the receiving end of a miraculous fourth-down throw by Caleb Williams to keep the Bears’ season alive with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Kmet’s score would force the game into overtime, but the Bears came up short in the extra frame after the Rams made the most of a Caleb Williams interception on the Bears’ only drive. Kmet’s numbers have now fallen off in back-to-back years. After going for 73-719-6 in 2023, the sixth-year vet saw his fewest targets (45), receptions (30), and receiving yards (347) since his rookie year this season, and found the end zone just twice. As far as his work as a pass-catcher is concerned, Kmet took a backseat to rookie Colston Loveland this season, and now looks expendable heading into this offseason despite signing a four-year contract extension in 2023. Per OverTheCap, the Bears can release Kmet for a dead cap hit of just $3.2 million if the team makes him a pre-June 1 cut. A post-June 1 cut would carry a $1.6 million dead cap hit. Kmet will turn 27 next season and could have plenty to offer another team as a starter should he become available.

It took a while for things to start paying off for the Bears, who selected Loveland with the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft. Despite a slow start out of the gate that resulted in just 116 scoreless receiving yards through the first eight weeks of the season, Loveland broke out in the second half for 47-597-6 over the final 10 games of the regular season, and went off for 8-137-0 on 15 targets in the Bears’ Wild Card win over the Packers. Loveland was the first tight end taken off the board in this year’s draft and appears to be on the fast track to being one of the best the league has to offer. His strong finish to the season will set the expectations for 2026 extremely high in both the real world and for fantasy managers. He’ll be on a short list for elite tight ends to consider drafting next season and could come at a premium as hype around his sophomore season grows.

Zaccheaus signed a one-year deal with the Bears this offseason and wound up being a thorn in the side of Luther Burden’s fantasy managers for the first half of the season. The veteran receiver occupied his normal role in the slot early in the year, but later saw more work on the outside. Zaccheaus caught 39 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season, and finished the year with the third most routes run (335) of any Bears receiver, per PFF. Whether he’s back with the Bears in 2026 or playing elsewhere, Zaccheaus seems destined to play out the rest of his career on one-year deals and will likely ink another deal similar to his current one this offseason.

Burden’s season got off to a slow start, but in his final four regular-season games, the rookie second-rounder went for 21-324-1 on 26 targets. Burden managed just 66 scoreless yards on six receptions this postseason, but was still targeted 14 times in those two games. Burden showed enough flashes to warrant a larger role next season. How the Bears work him into that role will be determined in the offseason. His late-season emergence makes Burden an early breakout candidate for the 2026 season as does his 0.258 targets per route run over this final six games (regular and postseason).

Despite making some obvious strides in his development in his second season, Odunze still has a way to go if he hopes to look like a player worthy of the No. 9 overall pick the Bears used to draft him in 2024. Were it not for five games missed due to injury, Odunze would likely have been looking at a career-year in 2025. Instead, his 44 receptions and 661 receiving yards both fell below his rookie line of 54-734-3 from last season. Depending on what happens with DJ Moore this offseason, Odunze could have a chance to see an increased role in 2026. Of course, he’ll also be battling with second-year players Luther Burden and Colston Loveland, who made notable strides of their own late in the season. Odunze will likely settle in somewhere as a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 in fantasy drafts next season, but could turn into a nice value if he’s able to take another step in his third season.

Moore came up clutch in the second quarter when he hauled in a three-yard score on fourth-and-goal from the Rams’ three-yard line. Moore’s most notable play, however, may have come in overtime, when he appeared to pull up on a route while being targeted by Caleb Williams, which resulted in an easy interception for the defense that eventually led to a game-winning field goal by Harrison Mevis seven plays later. Moore saw his numbers dip drastically in 2025. His 50 receptions marked a new career low, as did his 682 receiving yards, but he still managed to find the end zone six times. The veteran receiver will be 29 at the start of next season and is under contract through the 2029 season. Despite his decreased role, Moore carries a dead cap hit just north of $35 million, so any idea of releasing him is likely off the table. That said, he could prove expendable this offseason if the team likes how Rome Odunze and Luther Burden are developing, which means a trade could be on the table for another team looking to upgrade the position. Moore’s situation will be one to monitor as the Bears consider their options this offseason and where he fits in their plans.

Monangai’s strong rookie season officially comes to an end. The seventh-rounder didn’t waste any time working his way into the Bears’ running back rotation last offseason, and popped up to rush for 169-783-5 as a rookie. Monangai’s 18 receptions for 164 yards could hint at increased usage in the passing game next season, and he also saw four or more targets in three of his final five games this season — including Sunday’s playoff game. While it seems unlikely he’ll be usurping D’Andre Swift on the running back depth chart next season, Monangai is clearly playing the “David Montgomery role” in Ben Johnson’s offense and thrived in that role in his rookie campaign. While it’s too early to say he’ll have any standalone value in 2026 fantasy leagues, Monangai is undoubtedly one of the top handcuffing options at the position next season.

Swift did not see a target in this one, as all the passing-down work instead went to rookie Kyle Monangai. Swift’s season ends with a regular-season rushing line of 223-1,087-9, marking the second time in his career that he has surpassed 1,000 yards in a season. Operating as the “lightning” to Kyle Monangai’s “thunder,” Swift was a key player in head coach Ben Johnson’s two-man committee approach, and wound up leading the bears in carries, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. Still under contract through next season, Swift should be back with the Bears but could be at risk of seeing more of a split backfield with Monangai likely poised for a bigger role in his second season.

Corum has been a fairly safe bet to see double-digit touches this season, but the second-year back was held to just six carries on Sunday and has now seen that total twice in his last three games. The fact that he averaged a meager 3.2 YPC on those carries gave even greater reason for the Rams not trust him too much in Sunday’s do-or-die game. Corum could see his volume bounce back in next weeks Conference Championship road game against the Seahawks, but we would expect Kyren Williams to continue to handle the majority of the work after back-to-back solid performances this post season.

Ferguson’s five targets set a new high for him this season, but the rookie tight end was unable to capitalize on the volume in Sunday’s win. Ferguson came up with a 19-yard reception in the second quarter to extend a drive that was set back by a Matthew Stafford sack, but it was a forgettable day for the rookie second-rounder. He’ll hope to have a little more success in next week’s Conference Championship game against the Seahawks.