Opening up the first week of football with a 34-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams was not ideal for the Chicago Bears, which directly resulted in some not ideal fantasy football scoring for most of the team. We will break down the fantasy finishes for players from all positions, where they finished in fantasy for that position in Week 1, and thoughts moving forward.
**Fantasy scoring is PPR (points per reception)**
Fantasy finishes are found on the FantasyPros website.
Chicago Bears Quarterbacks: Fantasy Football Stats
Andy Dalton: 5.54 fantasy points / QB32 for the week
Dalton is only rostered in 1.1% of ESPN Leagues but would have been a horrible choice against the Rams defense. His completion percentage was good (71.1%), but his 5.4 yards per attempt affected his pass-catchers in this one.
The interception and fumble did not help his fantasy stock. Projecting forward, his limited upside due to lack of rushing ability, low yards per attempt and potentially low weekly TDs make him a fade even against a good matchup. His time is ticking as the starter as well. No need to roster Andy Dalton for any reason when names like Jameis Winston and Sam Darnold are floating on waivers.
Justin Fields: 6.7 fantasy point / QB31 for the week
Ironically, Fields was the better QB play for fantasy football in comparison to Andy Dalton, and he only threw the ball twice (both completed) and ran the ball once. Fields was used in the red zone, nearly throwing for a TD before rolling out and rushing for his first career NFL touchdown.
Fields is now rostered in 52.1% of leagues, but if he is available he is a must-add for fantasy football. Fields’ ceiling is high, and I broke this down in an earlier article previewing him for fantasy football that you can find here. Dual-threat ability in fantasy football is huge, and many are anxiously awaiting his start.