Roschon

Johnson

Monangai will miss his third game in a row this week. Exactly two weeks ago, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Monangai’s turf toe injury would be an issue for 1-2 weeks. Technically, his statement remains accurate. This week’s Thursday Night Football game complicates things. If the Bears thought Monangai would miss four games, they likely would have put him on injured reserve, so he should, theoretically, be able to play in Week 8 against the Seahawks. Of course, nothing is guaranteed, and for those wondering, the Bears go on bye in Week 10. D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson have been splitting touches with Monangai sidelined. We do not yet know if Johnson will be punished for last week’s fumble though.

He hasn’t practiced yet this week and appears very unlikely to go on Thursday night. It would seem to be trending towards another week with Roschon Johnson as the backup runner for the Bears.

Johnson has been highly efficient as the Bears’ No. 2 back over the past two games, with Kyle Monangai (toe/hand) sidelined. Johnson saw much of his opportunity in the second half with the Bears up big. Johnson slid down at the two yard line late in the fourth quarter to allow the Bears to run out the clock and secure the victory. In Chicago’s run-first offense, Johnson in Week 7 against the Patriots will be a deep league flex play if Monangai remains sidelined.

Bears coach Ben Johnson said Monangai is “trending in the right direction,” but remains week-to-week. D’Andre Swift should handle a sizable workload with Monangai sidelined. Roschon Johnson may be able to catch a few passes, but he makes for a shaky FLEX bet. Monangai should be stashed safely on fantasy football benches.

Filling in for Kyle Monangai (toe), Johnson helped close out a blowout loss. Pro Football Focus charted him as playing the final 13 snaps over D’Andre Swift, goosing his touch totals with No. 3 QB Case Keenum under center. Johnson would perhaps be worth a desperation PPR flier if Monangai remains sidelined for Week 6 against the Falcons and Caleb Williams (hamstring) returns, but “desperation” would be the operative word there.

Despite an early-week DNP, Swift heads into the week in arguably a better position than he started it. We’re not sure how much workload he’ll handle with Kyle Monangai (foot) out, but it will certainly be a large majority of what the Bears do. Roschon Johnson figures to handle whatever Swift can’t, but isn’t a priority free agency pickup so much as a stash at this point.

Monangai is currently in a walking boot and is considered week-to-week, per head coach Ben Johnson. Monangai reportedly consulted a specialist for his turf toe after the injury was revealed to be worse than initially expected, but he is not considered a candidate for injured reserve at this time. Backup Roschon Johnson will be elevated to RB2 duties for the foreseeable future, but we wouldn’t expect him to see the same volume as Monangai, who has averaged 15 carries/gm through the Bears’ first four games.

We will get a better sense of Swift’s availability soon when the Bears release their final injury report of the week. After being a DNP in Wednesday’s practice, Swift was able to log a limited session on Thursday, which is a good sign for his availability with one practice left to go. Kyle Monangai (thumb/toe), who has yet to practice this week, could be at risk of missing Week 5, which could lead to a busy day for Swift, while Roschon Johnson would serve as the Bears’ RB2.

At the beginning of the week, Monangai’s thumb injury was the initial cause for concern. The team kept quiet about the toe issue until Wednesday’s injury report. Per Fowler, Monangai is hoping to play through the turf toe injury, but consecutive absences to begin the week put him on the wrong side of questionable. Given the Bears’ run-heavy tactics, RB3 Roschon Johnson is worth adding for running back-needy fantasy managers.

Johnson saw an uptick in usage after D’Andre Swift did not re-enter the ballgame following a second half fumble. While Kyle Monangai led the Chicago backfield with 30 carries, Johnson served as the breather back. He won’t have any fantasy value unless both Swift and Monangai miss time, however.