Chicago Bears Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Bears RB Khalil Herbert (ankle) is listed as questionable for Thursday night's game vs. the Panthers. He was a full participant in practice all week, so he seems likely to play. But the questionable tag is an indication that Herbert still isn't at 100%. Don't be surprised if he falls short of the 10.2 carries per game he averaged before going down -- especially considering how well RB D'Onta Foreman played over the past few weeks. Herbert is still worth considering as a RB3 or flex play vs. Carolina's 31st-ranked RB defense.

The Bears listed RB Khalil Herbert (ankle) as a full practice participant both Monday and Tuesday after designating him to return from IR at the beginning of the week. They'll still need to officially activate him to make Herbert eligible to play Thursday night against the Panthers, but things seem to be trending in that direction. If Herbert does return after four games down with the ankle sprain, it'll set up a crowded backfield situation -- with D'Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson -- for a high-ceiling RB matchup. That would lower the floor for every player involved. We'll keep an eye out for hints at Chicago's RB usage ahead of Thursday night's game.

Chargers WR Keenan Allen caught 8 of 9 targets for 77 receiving yards in Monday night’s win over the Jets. The veteran also surpassed the 10,000-yard mark on a long catch in the third quarter, becoming the 51st WR in NFL history to eclipse that milestone. Allen now ranks as the WR5 in PPR points per game (20.6) and seventh among wideouts in receiving yards (720). Unfortunately, the only other Chargers’ pass-catcher to exceed 20 yards in this contest is RB Austin Ekeler. Rookie wideout Quentin Johnston struggled (2-14) but did, however, register a 94.5% route participation rate without teammate Joshua Palmer (knee) active, by far a season-high (68.9% in Week 7 closest). Perhaps Johnston can improve upon these efforts. Unfortunately, the road doesn’t get much easier for the Chargers. Their remaining strength of schedule ranks as the fourth-toughest for WRs in our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Allen should be treated as the only reliable receiver in this offense.

The Bears on Monday designated RB Khalil Herbert to return from IR. Herbert missed the past four games after suffering a high-ankle sprain against Washington. His designation doesn't necessarily mean he'll return to the active roster for Week 10. But it does allow him to return to practice and give Chicago three weeks to decide whether to activate him. We'll have to see how Herbert fits in with D'Onta Foreman, Roschon Johnson, and Darrynton Evans once he returns, but Herbert had been the backfield's top guy before the injury.

Bears TE Cole Kmet secured 6 of 8 targets for 55 receiving yards and 2 TDs vs. the Saints in Week 9. He’s been on fire over the past two weeks, ranking first in PPR points per game (20.7) and fifth in receiving yards (134) among TEs. WR D.J. Moore did not fare as well in Sunday’s contest, recording just 3 catches for 44 yards. The turnaround time for the Bears is quite short as their Week 10 game vs. the Panthers is coming up on Thursday night. It won’t be an easy game for Kmet or Moore as the Carolina defense ranks as the second- and eighth-toughest matchup for opposing WRs and TEs respectively, per our our adjusted fantasy points allowed. That said, we may feel better about their fortunes if QB Justin Fields is able to return from his dislocated right thumb. Be sure to keep up with the injury reports in the coming days.

Bears QB Tyson Bagent completed 18 of 30 passes for 220 yards with 2 TDs and 3 INTs in Week 9’s loss vs. the Saints. The rookie also contributed 70 rushing yards in the contest, elevating his fantasy contributions significantly despite the turnovers. Still, this is potentially the last time we’ll see Bagent under center. The Bears’ game in Week 10 vs. the Panthers is on Thursday night. QB Justin Fields (right thumb) was able to upgrade to limited practice participation headed into this weekend and seemingly has a chance to be ready to return to play. Though the Panthers rank as the fifth-toughest scoring matchup for QBs on the season per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Fields is one of only four QBs to average 35+ rushing yards per game and had really hit his stride in Week 4-5 before getting hurt. It’ll be important to follow the practice reports in the next few days to track his progress.

Eagles RB D'Andre Swift rushed 18 times in Sunday's win over the Cowboys but gained just 43 yards. The 18 carries were his most since Week 2. The 2.4 yards per carry was his second-lowest mark of the year. Swift exploded into view with 6.9 yards per carry across weeks 2 and 3, racking up 175 and 130 yards. Since then, however, he has averaged just 3.4 yards per rush and 51.0 yards per game across six contests. That span has coincided with G Cam Jurgens' foot injury. He left the first game of that span early and has missed the five since. Jurgens' impending return can obviously only help the run game and should assist Swift's efficiency. The RB did, at least, add 31 yards on 2 receptions against the Cowboys. He watched QB Jalen Hurts and RB Kenneth Gainwell claim the team's two rushing scores, though.

Chargers TE Gerald Everett (hip) put in a full week of practice and isn't listed on the final injury report for Monday night's game vs. the Jets. Everett has averaged just 3.8 targets per game this season but could see a bit more volume on Monday with WR Josh Palmer out.

The Bears have ruled S Jaquan Brisker out for Sunday's game against the Saints with a concussion. We highlighted earlier in the week what HC Matt Eberflus called Brisker's "unique situation." Brisker initially got out of the league concussion protocol but then went back in after a re-test following an illness. This will be his second straight missed game, and the three missed practices this week say we can't count on a Week 10 return. We'll be watching Brisker's status throughout the coming week. Elijah Hicks looks like the next man up. He'll join S Eddie Jackson, who put in full practices all week and carries no injury designation into Sunday. Jackson missed the past two games with a foot injury.

The Bears have ruled LB Tremaine Edmunds out for Sunday's game against the Saints. Edmunds missed every practice this week, so he'll need a serious rebound to make it back for Week 10 against Carolina. LB Jack Sanborn elevates to a full-time role with Edmunds out and carries upside into LB1 range for IDP lineups. We'll see about Edmunds' status next week.

Update: ESPN's Courtney Cronin reports that HC Matt Eberflus is now calling Edmunds "week to week," another signal that he might remain out beyond this Sunday.

Chargers TE Gerald Everett (hip) was a full participant in Thursday's practice. He's on track to return for Monday night's game vs. the Jets. Everett ranks 18th among TEs in PPR points per game.

Bears LB Tremaine Edmunds has missed practice Wednesday and Thursday after leaving Sunday night's loss to the Chargers with a knee injury. That doesn't bode well for Edmunds chances of playing Sunday against the Saints. We've knocked him down the Week 9 LB rankings and given Jack Sanborn a big boost. Sanborn should see a full-time role if Edmunds is out. New Orleans enters as a neutral scoring matchup for LBs. Sanborn delivered strong tackle production across six starts late in his rookie season before finishing the year on IR. He averaged 11.8 total tackles per game over the four outings in which he played 90%+ snap shares.

Bears S Jaquan Brisker officially missed Sunday night's loss to the Chargers with an illness. But HC Matt Eberflus this week called it a "unique" situation he had never encountered before. Brisker initially got cleared via concussion checks coming off the Week 7 game. He then got sick, missed the week's practices and was eventually ruled out for Week 8. Brisker's symptoms by Monday landed him another concussion check, and he has entered the league protocol. We'll see how his Week 9 progresses, but it seems like we should bet on Brisker missing a second straight game. With S Eddie Jackson (foot) also out, Chicago started Elijah Hicks and Duron Harmon against the Chargers. Jackson finished the practice week with a full Friday, so we're assuming he's trending toward a Week 9 return unless there was a setback. We'll see about the whole situation later this week.

Multiple reports say the Bears are sending a second-round pick to the Commanders for Edge Montez Sweat. The 27-year-old is working on potentially his best season yet, including 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 11 QB hits through eight games. Sweat is also in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract. So this level of investment by the 2-6 Bears suggests they're hoping to extend Sweat before he'd hit free agency in March. It's obviously a strong addition for what has been the league's worst pass rush, as well as a big blow to a Washington defense that has stunk against the pass. For IDP purposes, Sweat faces some downside risk. He leaves one of the league's most talented D-lines to join a group that badly needs him. We'll see how quickly Sweat can assume his normal playing time and whether there's any drop-off in pass-rushing production. He'll get a neutral matchup with the Saints (18th in adjusted sack rate) this week before a better spot against Carolina in Week 10 (25th in adjusted sack rate).

Chargers WR Keenan Allen caught 8 of 10 targets for 69 receiving yards in Sunday night’s win over the Bears. The veteran continues to be the No. 1 option in the Los Angeles offense and should be treated as such in every game moving forward, including Week 9 vs. the Saints. Beyond Allen, the most interesting takeaway is the increased involvement of WR Quentin Johnston. The rookie saw season-highs in targets (6), catches (5), and receiving yards (50). Part of this uptick can be attributed to his teammate Joshua Palmer missing a decent portion of the second offensive drive due to aggravating his knee injury. Still, Palmer ultimately returned and played on a normal complement of snaps. Johnston has been off to a slow start in 2023, but this performance should be enough for managers in deeper leagues to consider adding the first-year wideout off the waiver wire.

The lone bright spot in Sunday night’s loss vs. the Chargers, Bears TE Cole Kmet hauled all 10 targets for a team-leading 79 receiving yards. This is the third time in five games that the former second-round pick has recorded at least 15 or more PPR points. His teammate WR D.J. Moore also had a fine outing, logging 4 catches on 6 targets for 55 yards in the contest. The Bears’ offense has struggled of late without the presence of QB Justin Fields. Should he return for Week 9 vs. the Saints, we’d be more excited to play them in lineups, but each pass-catcher is still a lower-end starter regardless of who’s under center.

Bears QB Tyson Bagent completed 25 of 37 passes for 232 yards with 0 TDs and 2 INTs in Week 8’s loss vs. the Chargers. The rookie UDFA also added a rushing score on Sunday, raising his overall fantasy output to double-digit scoring. Still, he was not remarkably effective in this contest. Should normal starter Justin Fields (thumb) not be cleared to suit up again, Bagent is nothing more than a desperation superflex league option in Week 9 vs. the Saints.

Chargers TE Gerald Everett (hip) is inactive for tonight’s game vs. the Bears. That leaves Donald Parham as Los Angeles’ top TE – and an intriguing play in one-game DFS contests.

The Bears have downgraded S Jaquan Brisker (illness) to out for Sunday's game against the Chargers.

Bears S Jaquan Brisker (illness) and S Eddie Jackson (foot) are questionable for Sunday's game against the Chargers. Brisker missed practice all week. Jackson closed out the week with a full Friday practice. He seems to be on track to play. We'll check both Sunday.