5 Chicago Bears who could be fantasy football difference-makers in 2023
Chicago Bears RB, Roschon Johnson is going late, could be great handcuff
One of the most hyped rookies in the 2023 class is Bijan Robinson. The electric playmaker out of Texas was drafted with the eighth overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons, and already he has fantasy football owners drooling, as he's being drafted behind only Austin Ekeler and Christian McCaffrey at the running back position.
What if I told you there was another rookie Longhorns running back ready to make a splash? Roschon Johnson, Robinson's teammate in Austin, was taken in the fourth round by the Chicago Bears this past April, but his well-rounded skillset could make him one of the steals of the draft.
Johnson has run for 76 yards on 19 carries in his first two NFL preseason games, impressing Bears fans and coaches with his physical running style and open-field quickness. At 6'2", 222 pounds, Johnson has the size to finish runs and wear down opposing defenses, and as his 11-yard reception showed against the Colts, he can also catch the ball out of the backfield and make things happen.
Khalil Herbert and D'Onta Foreman are currently ahead of him on the depth chart, but Johnson is going to gain momentum as the season goes along. His talent will make it hard for Bears coaches to ignore him anyway, but if Herbert or Foreman go down with an injury at any point, watch out.
At the end of a fantasy draft, you should be looking for lottery tickets and players who have the potential to hit it big. Johnson has the talent, he just needs the opportunity. He has a great chance to keep earning more playing time on the league's top rushing offense, and if things fall right, he could follow in the footsteps of Isiah Pacheco and Tyler Allgeier as late-round rookie running backs that can help you to a fantasy title.
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After suffering through some difficult times, things are finally looking up for fans of the Chicago Bears. Justin Fields will get most of the headlines, but for the first time in his career, he has some real help. Fields, D.J. Moore, Khalil Herbert, Cole Kmet, and Roschon Johnson are all going to help the Bears contend in the wide-open NFC North, but don't let them help someone else win your fantasy league.