D'Andre

Swift

Swift played just ahead of rookie Kyle Monangai in this one, but didn’t offer much to a Bears offense that struggled for most of the night. Swift’s biggest gain of the night came on a nine-yard run in the fourth quarter that helped set the Bears up for a 51-yard field goal by Cairo Santos, but this was a classic floor game for Swift. His lack of work in the passing game continues to make Swift a touchdown-dependent RB2, which is what he should be viewed as in Week 17 against the 49ers.

Swift was questionable for Saturday’s Week 16 contest against the Packers, but as expected, the tailback will get the nod for the crucial divisional matchup. The Bears inactives for the contest will be WR Rome Odunze WR Luther Burden, LB Amen Ogbongbemiga, LB Ruben Hyppolite, QB Case Keenum and DL Jonathan Ford.

Swift popped up on the injury report Wednesday with a groin injury and practiced in a limited fashion on Thursday and Friday. While the 26-year-old running back is still listed as questionable, Fowler reports that he’s expected to play. Swift, coming off his best game of the season, is an RB2 against the Packers in Week 16. He could also see additional pass game usage with the Bears down multiple receivers.

Swift was added to the injury report on Wednesday and got in limited sessions on Thursday and Friday. He’ll be worth waiting around for on Saturday, and it’s great news that he hit the questionable line and practiced again after the surprise addition. Swift will be on the RB2 line if he plays, particularly with the Bears down a pair of important pass-catchers on Saturday.

Swift was not on the injury report yesterday. The veteran runner has been dealing with the groin issue for a while. He appeared to be over it in recent weeks, but a mid-week addition now puts him at risk of missing Saturday’s game. Kyle Monangai would be in line for a massive workload and an RB1 ranking if Swift cannot suit up.

Swift scored the first points of the game with a six-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter. It was clear he was on his way to one of his better games of the season early on. He piled on with another touchdown run, this one for 17 yards towards the end of the third quarter. Swift is a solid RB2 heading into a home date with the Packers in Week 16.

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.

The Bears had zero issues finding room in the run game against the Eagles, and for the first time in 40 yards had two backs go over the century mark with Kyle Monangai gashing the Philadelphia front for 130 yards. It’s a nice bounceback from Swift against his former team, as he was held to 15 yards and lost a fumble in his previous contest against the Steelers. The floor is low for Swift, but the ceiling is still readily apparent for the 26-year-old. He’ll try and back this effort up in Week 14 in a massive game against the Packers.

Swift also lost a second quarter fumble on a play that frankly probably should have been blown dead on forward progress. It was a rough overall day for the veteran back, who got out-snapped and out-touched by Kyle Monangai. It was also the rookie who scored the Bears’ only rushing touchdown. It has appeared like Monangai might be moving ahead of Swift on the depth chart before, but Pro Football Focus charted this as the first game where the rook actually won the snap battle. Swift has been constantly banged up this season — he is currently listed with a hip issue — but this came slightly out of nowhere. We wouldn’t assume this usage automatically carries over to Week 13 against the Eagles, but it has made Swift a shakier option on the RB2/3 borderline, especially with all 32 teams active for Thanksgiving week.

The Steelers have defended the run well in recent weeks, but the Bears’ rushing attack is averaging the sixth-most yards per carry (4.8) and the offensive line is generating the second-most yards per carry before contact (1.8). Swift is ready to rock as an RB2, operating as the Bears’ lead rusher in Week 12. Nos. 3 and 4 RBs Roschon Johnson (thumb) and Travis Homer (hamstring/knee) have both been ruled out.