Darnell Mooney Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Bears WR Darnell Mooney hurt his left ankle in the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Jets and is officially doubtful to return. We'll update his status when we know more.

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reports that Bears QB Trevor Siemian took a pain-killing injection for his oblique injury and might still start vs. the Jets today. Both Siemian and QB Nathan Peterman took some 1st-team reps in final warmups. You should obviously be staying far away from this situation in fantasy lineups.

Bears QB Trevor Siemian suffered an oblique injury in pregame warmups, so QB Nathan Peterman will now get the start vs. the Jets. Siemian wasn't a great option, but Peterman is even worse. He's somehow managed to toss 12 INTs on 135 career pass attempts. You should try to avoid Chicago's passing game in Week 12 fantasy lineups. The Jets defense is an elite play.

Bears QB Justin Fields (shoulder) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Jets. He got in 3 limited practices this week, so we’ll see if he can get cleared for Week 13. QB Trevor Siemian makes his 30th career start today. He owns a 59% completion rate and 6.6 yards-per-attempt average. Chicago figures to throw it at least a bit more with Siemian under center, but we wouldn’t consider this an upgrade for anyone on the offense.

Bears WR Darnell Mooney turned 5 targets into 4 catches, 29 yards and 1 score in a Week 11 loss to Atlanta. Mooney nearly added a long TD, but Justin Fields’ downfield pass arrived overthrown. His true TD came from 16 yards out with help from a well-executed pick. The young WR now enters Week 12 with 6 or fewer targets in all but 2 games this season. Next up is an elite Jets pass D.

Bears TE Cole Kmet caught 4 balls for 74 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's narrow loss to the Lions. He drew a team-high 7 targets and accounted for the Bears' only 2 receiving scores, including 1 from 50 yards out. WR Darnell Mooney was the only other Chicago player to catch more than 1 ball. Mooney snagged all 4 of his targets for 57 yards. Atlanta presents a positive fantasy-scoring matchup for all aspects of the Bears offense in Week 11.

Bears QB Justin Fields went off against Miami in Week 9, rushing 15 times for 178 yards and 1 score. Oh, and he added 3 TDs through the air. The ground game was really rolling, though, as Fields’ yardage marked a single-game record for a QB. There simply aren’t many QBs that can move the way he does. And it’s clear that designed runs are becoming a bigger part of the offense. Fields’ passing scores went to Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet (2). Chase Claypool was a non-factor (2-13) but did garner a 21.4% target share. As Claypool gets up to speed, Fields’ fantasy value only figures to strengthen. He has an excellent 2-game stretch coming up: vs. Detroit and at Atlanta.

The Bears are trading a 2nd-round pick to the Steelers in exchange for WR Chase Claypool, ESPN's Field Yates reports. It's a steep price for a guy who's been mostly disappointing since a flashy rookie season. Claypool ranks 52nd among 62 qualifying WRs in Pro Football Focus' 2022 receiving grades. His 1.03 yards per route run ranks 57th -- a bit behind teammates Diontae Johnson (1.16) and George Pickens (1.14). Of course, Claypool is still just 24 and brings a 6'4, 238-pound frame with 99th percentile athleticism. There's still intriguing fantasy upside here. Chicago is obviously a rough landing spot, though. QB Justin Fields has been better lately but remains a question mark as a passer. And this is the league's run-heaviest offense. The Bears rank dead last with just 20.0 pass attempts per game. That's climbed to 22.8 over the last 5 weeks -- but that's still not a workable number for Claypool. Consider him a WR4 unless we get a significant increase in passing volume from Chicago. Claypool's departure from Pittsburgh should mean more targets for Johnson, Pickens and TE Pat Freiermuth.

Bears QB Justin Fields logged just 17 pass attempts in Sunday's 23-20 win over the Texans, completing 8 for 106 yards, 0 INTs and 2 INTs. Through 3 weeks, Chicago has 10 fewer pass attempts than any other team in the league, with the next lowest being a Giants offense that has yet to play in Week 3. WR Darnell Mooney (6 targets) and TE Cole Kmet (3) assumed their expected positions as Chicago's target leaders, but the shares won't matter until the Bears begrudgingly throw the ball more. Each guy caught just 2 balls vs. Houston.

Bears WR Darnell Mooney sunk fantasy owners in Week 2 with 1 catch for -4 yards. Yeah, that’s not a typo. Justin Fields attempted only 11 passes at Green Bay and piloted an offense that scored 1 TD on the night. He did target Mooney once deep downfield, but the pass was overthrown. Through 2 games, Mooney’s now sitting on 2 catches (5 targets) for 4 yards. He’ll look to break the cold streak at home against Houston.

Bears WR Velus Jones (hamstring) is inactive for tonight’s game vs. the Packers. Darnell Mooney, Equanimeous St. Brown and Dante Pettis operated as Chicago’s top 3 WRs in the opener. We’ll see if WR Byron Pringle’s role increases tonight.

Bears WR Velus Jones (hamstring) is doubtful for Sunday night’s game vs. the Packers. He was limited in Wednesday’s practice but sidelined on Thursday and Friday, so it looks like the rookie suffered a setback. Darnell Mooney, Equanimeous St. Brown and Dante Pettis operated as Chicago’s top 3 WRs in the opener.

The rain was no joke in Chicago on Sunday, helping produce sub-50% completion rates for both the Bears and 49ers. QB Justin Fields attempted just 17 passes for the game, completing 8 for 121 yards and 2 TDs. Unfortunately for anyone who started WR Darnell Mooney or TE Cole Kmet, those scores went to WRs Dante Pettis and Equanimous St. Brown. RB David Montgomery led the team with 4 targets. Mooney tied for 2nd with just 3 looks, catching 1 for 8 yards. Kmet garnered just 1 target, which fell incomplete. Each guy did, at least, easily lead his position in Week 1 playing time. We're not altering our fantasy football outlooks for Mooney or Kmet based on the opener.

Chicago has been hit with heavy rains this morning. It looks like the worst of it will be gone by kickoff of 49ers-Bears, but there will be lingering showers -- and a wet field. The forecast also calls for 15-20 mph winds. Less than ideal scoring conditions, although this looked like a low-scoring game anyways. Expect lots of running from both teams.

The Bears' WR depth chart is "clear," according to The Athletic's Adam Jahns. "It’s [Darnell] Mooney followed by Byron Pringle ... Equanimeous St. Brown and Velus Jones Jr.," Jahns writes. Mooney remains the only WR in Chicago likely to have 2022 fantasy value. Pringle and Jones are only worth shots late in fantasy drafts of 18+ rounds.

Conditioning has been an offseason “point of emphasis” for Bears WR Darnell Mooney, per Dan Pompei of The Athletic. Mooney ranked 6th among WRs in snaps in 2021. “Last year, I think I struggled with just being there at all times when my number was called,” Mooney said. “I knew I was fatigued a little bit, but my mindset was not coming out of the game.” Mooney also gained about 10 pounds this offseason after playing the past 2 years in the low 170s. “Even though he’s a smaller guy, he’s not that guy that runs out of bounds like a lot of smaller receivers,” WR coach Tyke Tolbert said. “He’ll try to stick his foot in the ground, get upfield and make plays with the ball in his hand, try to break tackles. He’s not trying to save his body. He’s trying to get extra yardage.” With massive target potential, Mooney could inch up the WR2 ranks in 2022.

Adam Jahns of The Athletic believes WR Velus Jones “should have an immediate role on offense.” Frankly, it would be a major disappointment if he didn’t. The Bears feature a bunch of WR3/4 types behind Darnell Mooney, while Jones exits college as a 25-year-old. So yes, the opportunity outlook is nice. And Jones boasts rare, 4.31 speed. But his pedigree is uninspiring, with just 58-627-4 across 4 seasons before a 2021 breakout (62-807-7). He's not someone we're chasing in rookie drafts.

Beat writer Adam Jahns considers WR to be the Bears’ “top priority” in free agency. It’s hard to argue that one. Darnell Mooney took a step forward this past year, locking him into a starting spot going forward. Allen Robinson will play elsewhere next year, though. And the team currently lacks quality WR talent. Michael Gallup, Mike Williams and D.J. Chark supply a few intriguing options, but we'll see who makes it to the open market. Bank on Chicago adding a WR or 2 in the draft — just note that they’re without a 1st rounder following last year’s trade up for Justin Fields. As of now, the Bears won’t be on the clock until the 7th pick of Round 2.

The Bears fired HC Matt Nagy. This move has been anticipated for weeks now. Nagy went 12-4 in his first season at the helm but totaled only 22 wins over the past 3 seasons. He also didn't seem to maximize QB Justin Fields' skill set this year. Chicago's next HC hire will be key for Fields' development.

Update: Chicago also fired GM Ryan Pace.

Bears WR Allen Robinson has been activated from the COVID list. He figures to siphon a few targets from WR Darnell Mooney and TE Cole Kmet this weekend, but A-Rob isn't a fantasy option vs. the Giants.