Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson wasted no time praising running back Kyle Monangai when he arrived as a seventh-round pick in 2025, and once Rutgers moved into a big role as a rookie, he and D'Andre Swift formed one of the best backfield tandems in the NFL.
From when he made his first career start in Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals (when Swift was out) through Week 17, Monangai was a top-20 fantasy running back in standard, 0.5-point PPR and full-point PPR scoring. There was a bit of boom-or-bust to him, largely dictated by whether he scored a touchdown or not, but fantasy managers who rostered Monangai at least had a viable flex option most of those weeks.
With the inevitability he's going to see more work this season, the arrow is pointing up for Monangai as a fantasy asset in 2026. Swift isn't going away, of course, but Johnson's offense leaves plenty of room for two running backs to eat.
Fantasy analyst sets some very high bars for Kyle Monangai in Year 2
No Expert Fantasy Sports has Monangai No. 1 on their list of six slept-on running backs with huge fantasy upside for 2026, with some notes.
- 42 carries inside the 20-yard line in 2025 (most among running with less than 180 carries)
- Ben Johnson is literally building his Detroit offense in Chicago...
- Kyle is your new David Montgomery
- Has 15+ total touchdown upside in 2026
- Think 2022 Jamaal Williams
Where that 42 carries inside the 20-yard line last year came from is unclear, since I couldn't find it anywhere else. But the overall point stands. Monangai got a lot of red zone work last season, overall and as a percentage share of his carries. That should continue this season.
Before his role was diminished in Detroit last season, Montgomery had at least 12 rushing touchdowns in both of his seasons as a Lion when Johnson was the offensive coordinator.
The reference to 2022 Jamaal Williams is relevant for another big reason, besides Johnson being the Lions' offensive coordinator. That was Swift's last season in Detroit, and he shared the backfield with Williams. All Williams did that year was set the Lions' single-season franchise record for rushing touchdowns with 17.
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Monangai seems to have a lot more to offer as a pass catcher than Williams did in 2022, as the red zone "Thunder" to Swift's "Lightning". But simply being in line to fill the Montgomery or Williams role in a Ben Johnson offense gives the second-year man huge fantasy upside this year, with a floor in the low-end RB2/RB3 range for 12-team leagues.
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