Chicago Bears Week 9 Winner No. 2: Darnell Mooney
Darnell Mooney has had a very interesting career so far as a Chicago Bear. He burst onto the scene his rookie year as a playmaker, then was a 1,000-yard receiver in his second year. After being injured for a good part of last season, he is back healthy and in a contract year. So far, the returns have not been anything to write home about. After Week 9 against the Saints, Mooney now has 20 receptions for 307 yards and a touchdown on the year, but it was arguably his most productive game of the season thus far.
Mooney is fast, very athletic, and has an insane catch radius, but his best asset might be his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands after the catch. There were two plays against the Saints that looked like simple dump-off passes but ended up going for big gains because of Mooney's ability to gain extra yards, including a 38-yard catch and run.
Mooney has been underutilized this season as he has taken a backseat to D.J. Moore and even Cole Kmet. He had been quiet over the last couple of games, besides a 41-yard catch on the first play against the Chargers. Even with Justin Fields playing, Mooney had not found much success and usage. Fields and Mooney had formed a nice connection over the last couple of years, so maybe this type of outing will entice Luke Getsy and company to call his number more often, especially if they want to continue to utilize the quick game.