Chicago

Bears

Kmet got loose on a Caleb Williams scramble drill in the third quarter. Williams bought time and threw a back-shoulder pass to Kmet, who reeled in the throw with a fantastic grab for a gain of 26 yards. He nearly flipped the matchup on Chicago’s final offensive play of the night. Williams scrambled to his left and had Kmet open in the end zone on fourth down. He threw a duck well short of Kmet that was snagged by Green Bay for a game-losing pick. Kmet is splitting reps with Colston Loveland and the rookie has shown far more juice this year. Kmet will remain off the fantasy radar for Week 15 versus the Browns.

Loveland split reps with Cole Kmet. The Bears ran plenty of 12-personnel, meaning there were enough tight end routes for both players to take the field for more than half of Caleb Williams’ dropbacks, though only by a small margin. Loveland logged a 58 percent route rate. He made the most of his opportunities by coming up with a one-yard score via a play-action toss at the goal line. Loveland is still stuck in a committee on a team that wants to play run-first football, making him more of an exciting TE2 than a true TE1 heading into Week 15.

Zaccheaus had been phased out of the offense heading into this game. With Rome Odunze sidelined because of a foot injury, Zaccheaus made his way back into the starting rotation as Chicago’s No. 3 receiver. Zaccheaus didn’t do much with the extra routes, but he came up clutch on the Bears’ opening drive of the second half with a diving grab in the end zone to get Chicago back in the game. Zaccheaus should continue to see an uptick in work next week with Odunze likely out again. Assuming that happens, Zaccheaus will be a deep-cut FLEX option for 14-team leagues.

Rome Odunze was sidelined for Week 14 because of a stress fracture in his foot. In need of someone to step up, Moore was nowhere to be found. His only catch of the day was a touch pass that was blown up for a loss of four. He had another screen target that was so thoroughly sniffed out by Green Bay that he was actually hit a fraction of a second before the ball made it to his hands. Moore’s usage has devolved into primarily designed touches this year and that didn’t change with Odunze out. He will barely register as a WR6 for Week 15 against the Browns.

Burden also had one carry for three yards. Rome Odunze missed this contest with a stress fracture in his foot. Burden, in turn, led the team in catches, yards, and targets. He finished the day 25 yards clear of Cole Kmet, the team’s No. 2 receiver by yards. It wasn’t an elite showing from the rookie, but it’s good to see him stepping up as the team’s top wideout, even if the counting stats were underwhelming. Assuming Oduzne is out again next week, Burden will hold a spot in the WR3 ranks versus Cleveland.

Neither Chicago back scored and Swift operated as the team’s primary option on passing downs. His three catches propelled him ahead of Kyle Monangai in touches and fantasy points. Monangai ran 14 times for 57 yards and scored a two-point conversion on the ground. Swift has fallen behind the rookie in the pecking order for rush attempts, but the Bears are leaning on their ground game and Swift is at worst a 1B back. That will be more than enough to keep him in the RB3 mix when the Bears take on the Browns next week.

Monangai led the Bears in carries but was out-touched by D’Andre Swift 16-15. Swift caught three balls while operating as the team’s top option on passing downs. The rookie also added two points to his fantasy bottom line by punching in a two-point conversion in the second half. Monangai has now out-carried Swift in three straight and the Bears are running the ball enough to keep both backs involved. As home favorites over the Browns in Week 15, the Bears should be able to establish their run-first approach the next time we see them. Monangai will sit on the RB2/3 border.

It was an up-and-down day for Williams, who started the game 1-of-7 as a passer with a grand total of two yards. The Bears had one first down on three drives and managed just three points by the end of the second quarter. He sailed routine passes and struggled to get much going outside of check-downs. Williams loosened up in the third quarter and tossed a tight-window throw to Olamide Zacheaus in the end zone to score on the opening drive of the second half. He stayed hot on the next two drives, putting up 10 more points to get his team within striking distance on their final drive. On fourth-and-one in the red zone, Ben Johnson drew up a play-action shot into the end zone for Cole Kmet. Scrambling to his left, Williams attempted a jump-pass that floated well short of Kmet and into the hands of Packers corner Keisean Nixon for a game-losing interception. The Bears have made an effort to lean on their ground game in recent weeks. Williams’ passing volume, in turn, has been muted. He hasn’t completed more than 20 passes in a game since Week 8. Expect a similar approach versus the Browns in Week 15.

Odunze was ruled out on Friday after missing all three practices this week. He is considered week-to-week with a stress fracture in his foot. Expect rookie Luther Burden to see more work with routes up for grabs in Chicago.

Prior to the foot listing, Odunze had been a fixture on the Bears’ injury report with heel and ankle issues dating back to late October. It’s possible these listings are all related. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that “the belief is it’s nothing long term and he’ll be back soon.” The Bears (9-3) sit atop the NFC standings. Preserving Odunze’s health for the playoffs makes sense. The Bears sandwich a Week 15 game against the Browns with games against the division-rival Packers in Weeks 14 and 16. Hopefully, Odunze is good to go for the rematch.