Chicago Bears VS Tennessee Titans
Week 9 Game Preview
Each week we will be looking at some of the games being played and going position by position discussing if you should start or sit that player.
Each player will be rated as one of the following:
Must Start: These are your elite players that you start weekly despite the matchup.
Should Start: These players have good matchups and opportunities and should be in your starting lineups.
Could Start: These are your fringe starters, the ones that could be in your starting lineup but also could be sat if you have better options.
Should Sit: These players have bad matchups or may not have the opportunities in a given matchup that they usually get, and you should try to sit them on your bench.
Must Sit: These players should not be in your lineup at all; there are better options out there
Quarterbacks
Ryan Tannehill (TEN): Since taking over as the starter for Tennessee last year, Tannehill has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the NFL. This year he has continued his success scoring at least 17.3 fantasy points in all but one game. That one game also saw him throw for over 300 yards but no touchdowns. This matchup with the Bears is one of the hardest in the NFL right now. The Bears are giving up the third least fantasy points to quarterbacks and limiting offenses all year. Tannehill can still be played in this matchup. However, expectations should be tempered with the defense he is facing.
Nick Foles (CHI): Foles has not looked good as the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears. Yes, they have been winning games, but Foles is not the reason they are. He has yet to top 300 yards in a game as a passer and has only thrown more than one touchdown in 2 of his six starts. There is no upside with Foles as a fantasy quarterback, even going into a good matchup against a Tennessee team that has been giving up points to quarterbacks this year.
Running Backs
Derrick Henry (TEN): If you drafted Henry in the first round, you have been rewarded with a consistent RB1. You can continue to leave Henry in your lineup as he provides a safe floor due to his 20 touches a game he sees and an incredibly high ceiling of 200 plus rushing yards and multiple touchdowns. The Bears have given up so much production on the ground but are still a formidable unit to run against, but Henry is someone you do not worry about the matchup, and you lock him in your lineup as a rock-solid RB1.
David Montgomery (CHI): Ever since Tarki Cohen went down for the season, Montgomery has been used heavily in the Bears offense. The most exciting thing for fantasy owners is the work he has seen in the passing game. This volume has lead to a safe floor of 10 fantasy points in PPR leagues. Montgomery’s issue has been his efficiency and effectiveness with the touches he receives and a lack of touchdowns due to the team’s lack of scoring. This leads to Montgomery having virtually no upside as a play. Montgomery should be in lineups as an RB2, but fantasy owners should know what they are getting from him at this point. Tennessee has been giving up the tenth-most fantasy points to running backs on the year at 21.4 points per game, so we can hopefully see Montgomery take advantage of that this week.
Wide Receiver
AJ Brown (TEN): Brown has seen at least seven targets in every game he has played this year and has shown that he can still be incredibly efficient with the targets he gets. However, as we talked about with Tannehill, this is an incredibly tough matchup, and Brown should see a lot of Kyle Fuller, who has been limiting opposing receivers all year. Brown should still be in lineups but with expectations tempered a bit due to the tough matchup.
Corey Davis (TEN): Did you know that through 5 games played, both Corey Davis and AJ Brown have seen the same amount of targets? Both Tennesse receiver has seen 39 targets in their five games played. On those targets, Davis actually has more receptions (29 to 27) and more yards (369 to 356). It seems like Davis has finally built chemistry with Tannehill that they lacked last year. In fact, in each of the previous two games, Davis has been Tannehills most target receiver, with him being targeted ten times in each game. With the idea that Brown should be drawing the most challenging matchup against Fuller, this could be another week where Corey Davis sees the most targets on the team and can be started as a low-end WR2 with some upside.
Allen Robinson (CHI): Allen Robinson was able to clear concussion protocol last minute and suit up last week. He could post one of his best games of the year fantasy wise mainly due to the touchdown he caught. Robinson has continued to be a target monster seeing at least nine targets in all but two games (one was against Jalen Ramsey, and the other was last week when he just came off concussion protocol). Robinson will continue to see as many targets as he can handle, the quarterback play in Chicago limits his upside, but he is still a rock-solid low-end WR1 for fantasy teams. The Titans give up the sixth-most fantasy points to the position at 29.1 per game. If Foles can be effective in this game, we could see a huge game from Robinson.
Anthony Miller (CHI): Miller saw 11 targets last week and was able to turn them into eight catches for 73 yards. Hopefully, that performance will show Matt Nagy that Miller should be on the field and being used more. Unfortunately, he has been third in snaps and routes run behind Darnell Mooney. However, if you want to start a boom or bust player in your flex this week, Miller is one to consider. The matchup is favorable for him, and if last week’s targets are a sign for more targets moving forward, Miller could work his way into a nice role for fantasy. If you start him, it is as a boom or bust player until we see him used more consistently.
Darnell Mooney (CHI): Mooney has been utilized as the second wide receiver in the Bears offense this year. Since week 2, he has not seen less than five targets in any game. However, he has not done much with the targets he has received, only topping 50 yards twice in that span. Mooney does not provide much upside to fantasy owners despite his nice target floor.
Tight Ends
Jonnu Smith (TEN): Jonnu Smith started as one of the best tight ends in fantasy football, and it looked like he would be a player you could place and forget in your lineup. Unfortunately, the past three weeks have shown a different side to Jonnu. He has seen 2, 4, then two targets in the past three games and has only caught 4 of those targets in that span. A significant issue why Jonnu’s production has declined is he has been running fewer routes. Jonnu has been staying in to block more, which could be why he has seen fewer targets. If you have Jonnu, you are most likely still starting him. However, until we see his routes and targets come back up, he is a low-end TE1 for the time being.
Jimmy Graham (CHI): Graham has seen at least five targets in all but one game this season. However, even with those targets, he has needed a touchdown to return TE1 value. Graham can be started as a tight end who will most likely give you 5 points in a half PPR league due to his target floor, and if he scores a TD, he will finish the week as a TE1.
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