Sit Chicago Bears WR Darnell Mooney vs Green Bay Packers in Week #1 fantasy matchup

When the Chicago Bears take on the Green Bay Packers, fans will hope to see a barrage of scoring from quarterback Justin Fields and his skill players. It may lead to fans wanting to load up on these players in fantasy football. One name where you have to be pessimistic for week one has to be Darnell Mooney.

Sit Chicago Bears WR Darnell Mooney against the Green Bay Packers

Darnell Mooney has been practicing, but he did suffer an ankle injury that ended his 2022 season after just 12 games. That came after a year when his yards per game dropped from 62.1 to 41.1. The reality is that the Justin Fields offense will always lean run first.

So, while the Chicago Bears added D.J. Moore, and it could open up more for Mooney, there are still smaller pieces of the pie to go around. The expectation would be that Mooney will have some highs, but at the same time, he will have lows, and he will mostly rely on Justin Fields hitting him for big plays down the field. He will not get enough volume to consistenly be trusted in fantasy football.

The Bears may pass more, but they should not be against the Green Bay Packers. The Packers had one of the worst run defenses in the NFL in 2022, and they brought back most of the same faces, including the defensive coordinator. Chicago has a lethal ground attack as it is, and they should be able to control the game in that area.

Mooney will be taking on Keisean Nixon for most of the night, and Nixon is coming off of a strong year. The Packers have found solid play from their cornerbacks. Mooney has not played in the preseason at all, and it is going to take him some time to acclimate back into the swing of things.

Expect for Mooney to potentially have a lighter snap count than expected, as he is eased in back from his injury, and he opts for Equanimeous St. Brown to block. With this in mind, you need one huge catch, or Mooney will not pay off in fantasy football this week.