We knew that D.J. Moore was a perfect fit next to Justin Fields the moment that the Chicago Bears traded for him. The stylistic fit made too much sense when you consider Fields is a big play hitter and Moore is a big play catcher. Still, the fit being this strong could be a bit surprising.
D.J. Moore is an elite wide receiver with Justin Fields
D.J. Moore is on pace for 1,420 yards this season, and what is crazy is that he had four games with Tyson Bagent and one game where Justin Fields left early with an injury.
In the four games that Tyson Bagent started, Moore had 20 catches for 211 yards. That comes out to five catches for 52.8 yards per game. He had no touchdowns, and one interception was thrown when he was targeted. Moore averaged 1.52 yards per route run.
These numbers are acceptable, but over a 17-game pace, he would have 85 catches for 897 yards. Considering he already has more than that, it is clear that he has a big split with Justin Fields as the starter.
In weeks one through five and then weeks 11 and 12, D.J. Moore is at 45 catches for 741 yards and six touchdowns. Fields has no interceptions when throwing it toward Moore. Moore averages 2.95 yards per route run in games where Fields starts and finishes. That would rank third in the NFL this year.
He is averaging 6.4 catches for 105.9 yards per game with 0.9 touchdowns. That would have him on pace for 109 catches, 1,799 yards, and 17 touchdowns if he kept this up and Justin Fields played every week. You could say that the Washington game with 230 yards is juicing his stats, but five of his top seven games this year have been with Justin Fields. He has gone over 100 yards in four of the seven games they played together.
Even if he kept up this pace for the final five games, he would finish with 1,532 yards on the season. Moore will smash all his career highs this year, but it is notable how much better he looks when Justin Fields is his quarterback than Tyson Bagent. Does his success with Fields impact the Bears' decision to keep him?
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