Bears 33, Patriots 14 (Bears covered +8, O40)

Pregame: The final game of Week 7 features two teams that are heading in opposite directions. The Bears have dropped three straight and four of five, sitting at 2-4 on the season. Meanwhile, the Patriots have put together impressive back-to-back wins with Bailey Zappe leading the way and sit at 3-3 entering Monday night. Both teams would love to pick up a win as a Bears loss would turn their playoff hopes into a long shot, while a win for the Patriots would position them nicely in the wildcard hunt.

Postgame:  The Monday night game was quite the rollercoaster of emotions for Patriots’ fans.  The Bears got up 10-0 early and the hometown fans were getting restless.  Zappe had just led the Pats to back-to-back wins, yet in the first quarter, Mac Jones looked rough. The fans began chanting “Zappe Hour” and eventually he entered the game for the team’s second drive of the second quarter.  Within a matter of minutes, the Patriots were able to get two quick scores (on broken defenses) and jumped out to a 14-10 lead. Unfortunately for the Pats and fantasy GMs alike, that was all she wrote for scoring in this game, as the Bears went on to not only cover the 8-point spread, but pull off a massive victory of 19 points.  The Bears offense finally began to look strong, hammering the ball on the ground 35 times. The Bears were able to play the exact style of game they love to play this season, keeping their playoff hopes alive for another week with the win. It will also be very interesting to see what the Patriots do at QB next week in their matchup against the Jets.

Bears

QB

Pregame: Justin Fields had his best game of the year last week against the Commanders, finishing as the QB8 on the week. He has completed more than 11 passes in each of his last three games, after not surpassing eight in his first three. The Bears offense seems to have gotten things figured out, opening up the playbook substantially more and it has led to more fantasy success for the young QB. He is a borderline QB1 going forward with his rushing upside giving him a nice fantasy scoring floor.

Postgame: The Bears finally seem to be using Fields properly and playing to his strengths. Fields is rolling out more frequently and that allows him to run the ball much easier.  He led the team in rushing yards and only had one fewer attempt than Montgomery.  Fields scampered for 81 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts, completing 13-of-21 passes for 179 yards, one touchdown and an interception. His rushing upside has added a bundle of value for his fantasy GMs, resulting in a QB5 finish this week. 

 RB

Pregame: David Montgomery has returned to his workhorse role in the Bears backfield after missing time due to injury and will remain as a low-end RB2 against the Patriots tough defense. The matchup is not the best, but his high volume of touches will keep him as a safe play on Monday night. Khalil Herbert has been great this season and has been very efficient while playing alongside Monty, but he is only a handcuff option in all leagues.

Postgame: Monty was able to lead the Bears in rush attempts on Monday night with 15, but Fields and Herbert both had double-digits opportunities as well.  He was able to find the end zone, while averaging over 4.0 yards per carry, but it was not the most welcoming sight for Montgomery’s fantasy GMs when Herbert was so heavily involved in the run game, while Monty was not included in the passing attack. Herbert rushed 12 times for 62 yards, adding one reception on two targets for 25 yards and a touchdown. It will be interesting to see if both of these backs will be this heavily involved in the game plan going forward, as both were able to finish inside the top-20 in standard formats this week.

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WR

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