When Ben Johnson arrived as Chicago Bears' head coach, it was easy to place D'Andre Swift on a a bit of a hot seat. Their history together in Detroit said Johnson was not going to rely on Swift as workhorse back, and the praise of Kyle Monangai from the moment the rookie arrived foreshadowed that.
As last season went on, Monangai indeed stepped into a bigger role. But Swift was still productive, setting career-highs in rushing yards (1,087), yards from scrimmage (1,386) and rushing touchdowns (nine) over 16 games.
Regardless of scoring format, Swift was a top-15 running back in fantasy last year. While that doesn't seem overly impressive, it was a solid return on an Average Draft Position (ADP) that sat just inside the top-70 overall and in low-end RB2 territory.
Fantasy managers who drafted Swift as their RB3, and many could've, were more than happy with the result. Whie week-tilting boom games didn't happen much, but he had just two game with less than 60 yards from scrimmage all season, and one of those (Week 18) was not relevant to the majority of fantasy managers.
Fantasy managers should not forget about D'Andre Swift in 2026
Speaking of Monangai, his fantasy stock is undeniably on the rise heading toward the 2026 season. That may lead to Swift being overlooked, and it certainly adds some risk to drafting him.
On that last note, Justin Boone of Yahoo! has Swift on his list of veterans who are worth drafting in fantasy this year despite carrying considerable perceived risk.
"Swift has quietly been one of the biggest winners of the offseason after the Bears decided not to add anyone significant to their backfield depth chart."
"While he’s often underrated by the fantasy community, it’s impossible to ignore that Swift is the unquestioned starter in Ben Johnson’s ascending offense."
Calling Swift the unquestioned starter for the Bears feels a little aggressive right now, but Boone addressed the concern about Monangai taking on more work this season.
"If you’re concerned about him (Monangai) earning more work and eating into Swift’s touches, just know that from Week 6 on, when Monangai was the RB26 in fppg, Swift was the RB10 during that same span."
Ultimately, any risk attached to drafting Swift can be mitigated by where you can draft him and Boone has that early data point.
"However, Swift is being drafted as the RB24 in the fifth round, while Monangai’s ADP sits in the eighth as the RB32. There’s value to be had by selecting either Bears back, but Swift seems like a clear fantasy RB2 with a path to low-end RB1 numbers in a contract year."
It's tough to expect Swift to repeat last season's nine rushing scores. But the volume of vacated targets from last season the Bears have, with DJ Moore and others gone, makes it worth wondering if Swift will get a little more work in the passing game this year. Particularly in full PPR, he could then offset a piece of any looming erosion in touchdowns.
Read more: Fantasy analyst shows path for Kyle Monangai to take over the Bears' backfield
As long as Swift maintains a low-end RB2 ADP for the next few months, and if he doesn't it would be surprising, he can again be a nice value pick for fantasy managers who are willing to buy-in.
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