Over the last six seasons, including the last two with the Chicago Bears, here's a look at how DJ Moore has finished as a fantasy wide receiver.
2019: WR16 (full PPR), WR18 (0.5-point PPR), WR 21 (standard scoring)
2020: WR25 (full PPR), WR22 (0.5-point PPR), WR17 (standard scoring_
2021: WR18 (full PPR), WR19 (0.5-point PRR), WR18 (standard scoring)
2022: WR24 (full PPR), WR22 (0.5-point PPR), WR20 (standard scoring)
2023: WR6 (full PPR), WR6 (0.5-point PPR), WR6 (standard scoring)
2024: WR16 (full PPR), WR16 (0.5-point PPR), WR22 (standard scoring)
In three of the last four seasons, Moore has topped 90 receptions. In four of the aforementioned six campaigns, he has topped 1,100 yards with another season near 1,000 yards.
Moore's first season as a Bear was an outlier, as a combination of volume (96 catches), efficiency (14.2 yards per catch, 10.0 yards per target) and touchdown scoring (a career-high eight) he has not otherwise had. But fantasy managers know what they're getting with him, for better or worse....
A bankable WR2, with a high floor and a moderate ceiling.
Earlier in the offseason, Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus had a striking note about Moore's career.
"Assuming Caleb Williams doesn’t suffer an injury that costs him most of the season, this will be the first time in Moore’s NFL career with a quarterback who plays at least 400 snaps in back-to-back years."
It might not yield much, but new Bears head coach Ben Johnson has dabbled with lining Moore up in the backfield during training camp. In a fantasy sense, any chance at supplemental, outside the box production is interesting.
DJ Moore draws unfair fantasy label with absence of proper context
Joe Tansey of Bleacher Report has a fresh list of four potential bust candidates for 2025 that fantasy managers should avoid. Moore made the list, with some easy reasoning why.
"At some point, the young pass-catchers in the Chicago offense have to take off."
"Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland form a solid foundation of pass-catchers for Caleb Williams to work with in his first season in Ben Johnson's offense."
"The abundance of playmakers also means that DJ Moore's production has the potential to slide."
"Moore's had two strong seasons in a Bears uniform, but the loaded depth chart has the potential to weigh down his stock as a WR1 in fantasy circles."
The overall premise of Moore as a potential fantasy bust for 2025 is fine, with a crowded Bears' offense in line to dilute his target share. But Tansey lost the plot at the very end.
With his track record and current ADP (WR20 across scoring formats, per Fantasy Pros) in mind, no one will go into a fantasy draft with any intent to take Moore as their WR1. If he is the first wide receiver someone drafts, the expectation he'll deliver like a WR1 (a top-12 finish) should be well-known as unrealistic. So there's no legitimate "stock as a WR1 in fantasy circles" to be weighed down, because it doesn't exist.
Read more: Bears, Ben Johnson may be perfect fit for player in line for change of scenery
Moore might disappoint his fantasy managers this year. But the idea of him as a bust because he won't deliver WR1-level production is a step too far on that track.