Chicago Bears: Darnell Mooney 2021 Fantasy Football stat projections

Darnell Mooney should see an increase in fantasy football production in 2021

There is one reason why I’d love to see Justin Fields play for most, if not all of the 2021 NFL season. Unless the Chicago Bears franchise tag Allen Robinson again in 2022, there is a very good chance he will not return. The combination of Robinson and Darnell Mooney might be the best wide receiver combination Justin Fields sees for quite some time. Without a first-round pick in 2022, replacing Robinson might be difficult.

Darnell Mooney looks to have the potential to be great, but will he fit in as a true WR1 in an offense? I’m not willing to bet my house on that one. What he could bring though is some serious fantasy football value.

Mooney is not an elite receiver and is not considered a guy to target early in your drafts, but he brings plenty to the table as a WR3 for fantasy owners and could even surprise owners with WR2 production.

Last season, Mooney finished the year as WR55 in standard-scoring formats. This puts him in range with the likes of Darius Slayton and Mecole Hardman. He came in at WR50 in points-per-reception (PPR) leagues. The same names appear around him, plus guys like Keelan Cole and Jerry Jeudy. Mooney finished 2020 with 98 targets, which ranks him 43rd in the NFL last year including running backs and tight ends. He averaged 6.1 targets per game and that should increase in 2021.

Trying to keep my Chicago Bears bias to the side, Darnell Mooney makes for a great dynasty asset, but good luck snagging him for cheap now. His upside is easily a WR2 in the NFL this year and should be considered earlier this year than last year when drafting in redraft fantasy football leagues. Let’s take a look at where I project his stats and see where that would have ranked him in fantasy football rankings in 2020 to get a better idea of where he might be in 2021.