ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Bears RB Damien Williams can't be cleared from the COVID list until Saturday at the earliest because he's unvaccinated. That puts his Week 7 status in doubt. Even if Williams is activated on Saturday, it's unclear if and how much he'd play vs. the Bucs after being sidelined for 10 days. RB Khalil Herbert is the superior fantasy play even if Williams ends up active on Sunday.

Bears RB Damien Williams (COVID) is out for today’s game vs. the Packers. Rookie Khalil Herbert is expected to operate as Chicago’s lead (feature?) back. RBs Ryan Nall and Artavis Pierce are behind Herbert on the depth chart.

The Bears on Thursday placed RB Damien Williams on the COVID list. Regardless of his specific status, that doesn't give him a very good chance of playing Sunday against the Packers. Already without David Montgomery (knee sprain), Chicago now figures to lean on rookie Khalil Herbert as the backfield leader. The touch volume should be solid-to-good, but make sure you don't overrate the situation for a 6th-round pick in a bad offense and a matchup that finds the opponent heavily favored. Ryan Nall is the only other RB on the active roster and figures to be involved to some degree. He totaled just 3 carries and 9 targets for last year's Bears. Artavis Pierce is the only RB on the practice squad.

Update: ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Williams tested positive for COVID. It'll be tough for him to return 2 negative tests prior to Sunday's game vs. the Packers.

Bears RB David Montgomery (knee) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Raiders. He’s expected to miss 4-5 weeks but hasn’t yet been placed on IR. Damien Williams should operate as Chicago’s clear lead back this weekend, with rookie Khalil Herbert as the #2 RB.

Bears RB Damien Williams (quad) put in a full practice on Wednesday. He's ready to take over as Chicago's lead back vs. the Raiders this weekend. Williams is a rock-solid RB2 in Week 5 fantasy lineups.

Bears RB David Montgomery is expected to miss 4-5 weeks with a sprained knee, ESPN's Dan Graziano reports. Chicago has a Week 10 bye, so it's possible that we don't see Montgomery again until Week 11. He was looking like a high-end RB2 before going down, so we'd try to keep him stashed on fantasy benches. Damien Williams is set to take over as Chicago's lead back, assuming his quad injury doesn't keep him out. Rookie Khalil Herbert is now #2 on the depth chart. Remember, too, that RB Tarik Cohen (ACL) is eligible to come off the PUP list in Week 7.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Bears RB Damien Williams suffered only a bruise to his quad late in Sunday's game and "should be OK." Williams would be taking over the backfield lead if David Montgomery is out with his knee injury. Rapoport adds that Montgomery "may miss some time," but we're still waiting on an official diagnosis.

Bears HC Matt Nagy said RB Damien Williams hurt his quad in Sunday's win over the Lions. We didn't notice the injury, but RB Khalil Herbert handled Chicago's final 3 carries of the game. We should learn more about Williams and RB David Montgomery on Monday.

The "initial belief based on early tests" is that Bears RB David Montgomery's knee injury is not major, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Montgomery hyperextended the knee and is set for an MRI on Monday. We should get a more concrete diagnosis then. Damien Williams will step in as Chicago's lead back if Montgomery misses time.

Bears RB David Montgomery appeared to injure his left knee in the 4th quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Lions. He was in obvious pain and limped slowly off the field. Stay tuned for an update. RB Damien Williams is Chicago's backup.

Bears RB David Montgomery headed to the locker room in the 3rd quarter of Sunday night's game against the Rams. Montgomery appeared to have some issue with his right hand. We'll watch for reports.

Update: Montgomery returned shortly thereafter and completed the game

The Bears placed RB Tarik Cohen on reserve/PUP. In other words, he’ll miss at least the first 6 games of the season. Chicago will move forward with David Montgomery and Damien Williams as the top-2 RBs. Montgomery should dominate the rushing work, with Williams acting as a change-of-pace/receiving back. Montgomery is in play as a mid-to-late Round 3 pick. Williams is a worthy late-round flier.

The Bears have placed RB Tarik Cohen on the active PUP list to start training camp. Cohen is still working back from last September's torn ACL and was reportedly hobbled during spring workouts. We're guessing he'll be available for the start of this season -- but it's certainly not a lock. We'll continue to monitor his progress. Cohen's absence would free up targets for RB David Montgomery. Chicago also added RB Damien Williams this offseason.

The Bears picked up RB Khalil Herbert in Round 6 of the 2021 NFL Draft. After an underwhelming stint at Kansas, Herbert transferred to Virginia Tech and enjoyed a breakout 2020. As a 22-year-old senior, the Florida native tallied 154-1,182-8 in 11 games. His 7.68 YPC ranked 4th nationally. On film, Herbert excelled both after contact and as a contact-dodger. He also exits college with only 1 career fumble (507 career touches). On the negative side, Herbert is still largely unproven in the receiving game. He at least managed 17.9 YPC on his 10 receptions last season. In Chicago, he could be fighting Damien Williams for a 2021 roster spot.

The Bears have agreed to a 1-year deal with RB Damien Williams, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The 29-year-old (as of April 3) spent 2 seasons with the Chiefs before opting out of 2020 over COVID concerns. Williams shined over late-season stretches in both of those years but totaled just 161 regular-season carries and 53 receptions over those 2 campaigns. He previously played under new Bears OC Bill Lazor in Miami but totaled a mere 51 rushes and 60 targets over those 2 shared seasons. Williams will join a Chicago backfield that finds David Montgomery heading into his 3rd season and coming off a torrid fantasy finish to 2020, plus Tarik Cohen coming off a September ACL tear. We'll see how all these pieces fit together, but we don't head toward 2021 with big expectations for the former Chief.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Chiefs are releasing RB Damien Williams. The veteran, of course, opted out of the 2020 season for COVID reasons. His departure now creates a potential opportunity for Darwin Thompson to fight for the #2 job. Neither Darrel Williams nor Le'Veon Bell is under contract for 2021, leaving only Thompson and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. We'd bet on the Chiefs adding more either in free agency or the draft. Thompson is a fine shot to take late in best-ball drafts right now, though, in case he reaches the season as K.C.'s 2nd back.

Chiefs RB Damien Williams has opted out for the 2020 season. This one has huge fantasy implications, as Williams was set to battle with rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the majority of the RB work in 1 of the game's top offenses. Kansas City's depth chart behind CEH now reads: Darwin Thompson, DeAndre Washington, Darrel Williams and Elijah McGuire. Thompson and Washington are both undersized, change-of-pace types. Williams and McGuire have more size but look like career journeyman. So Edwards-Helaire is now a virtual lock to lead the 2020 Chiefs backfield in touches -- and he'll likely dominate them. That's a pristine spot to be in, with QB Patrick Mahomes and a HC in Andy Reid who's produced a top-16 PPR RB in 16 of his 21 seasons as a HC, including 10 top-10 finishers. Check out Edwards-Helaire's updated projections and spot in the RB rankings.

Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy called rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire a "piece of the puzzle” when discussing his 2020 backfield. Bieniemy also mentioned Damien Williams, Darwin Thompson and DeAndre Washington as pieces. He went on to call Edwards-Helaire a “special kid … running the ball, having the ability to get outside in the open field, make some plays as a receiver. You can create matchups with him. He’s one of those ideal kids that fit in what we do.” We know the Chiefs are high on CEH after they spent the 32nd overall pick on him last month. And we’re expecting him to lead the backfield in touches and fantasy points this season. The question is just how much of the work he’ll garner. Fantasy drafters are assuming it’ll be a whole bunch. Edwards-Helaire’s ADP is currently sitting in the early 3rd round.

The Chiefs selected LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire with the 32nd overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. CEH was a huge part of LSU’s high-powered offense this past season, taking 215 carries for 1,414 yards (6.6 YPC) and 16 TDs. He also ranked 3rd on the team with 55 catches and 5th with 453 receiving yards. The biggest knock on Edwards-Helaire is that he did virtually nothing prior to 2019. He barely got on the field as a true freshman and played behind plodder Nick Brossette in 2018, averaging just 4.5 yards per carry and tallying 11 catches. So you could argue that Edwards-Helaire is mostly a product of LSU’s record-setting 2019 offense. But turn on the tape and it’s tough to not get excited about this guy. He has excellent vision, agility and balance, earning Pro Football Focus’ 2nd-best rushing grade in the nation last year. And he’s 1 of, if not the best, pass-catching RB prospects in this year’s rookie class. That makes him an excellent fit in Kansas City. With 1st-round draft capital, Edwards-Helaire should be expected to step right in as the Chiefs’ lead back.