Chicago Bears Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Bears WR Velus Jones (hamstring) is inactive for today’s game vs. the 49ers. Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown figure to operate as the #2 and #3 WRs behind Darnell Mooney.

Bears WR Velus Jones (hamstring) didn't practice all week and is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game vs. the 49ers. Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown figure to operate as the #2 and #3 WRs behind Darnell Mooney.

Packers TE Robert Tonyan (knee) is not listed on the final Week 1 injury report. He was limited in practice all week but is evidently set to play vs. the Vikings on Sunday -- 10-and-a-half months after tearing an ACL. Tonyan just returned to practice in mid-August, so it's unclear if he's ready for a full-time role just yet. Despite Green Bay's WR issues, we'd try not to use Tonyan in Week 1 fantasy lineups.

Update: ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says Tonyan "will likely have a limited role" in the opener.

Packers TE Robert Tonyan (knee) was limited in Wednesday's practice. His status for Sunday's opener vs. the Vikings remains uncertain -- but it at least looks like he's close to making it back from last October's torn ACL.

Bears WR Velus Jones (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. The rookie's availability for this weekend's opener vs. the 49ers is in doubt -- but he shouldn't have been in your plans anyway. WR Byron Pringle, who missed time in August, isn't on the Week 1 injury report.

Packers TE Robert Tonyan returned to 11-on-11 work on Sunday for the 1st time since tearing his ACL last October. But HC Matt LaFleur was non-committal when asked Monday whether Tonyan will be ready for Week 1. "It's a little early to say that right now," LaFleur said. "That was his first action in team periods. We'll see how he responds." Tonyan shouldn't be in your early-season fantasy plans, but he's capable of emerging as an asset later on.

Bears RB Khalil Herbert is participating in practice on Sunday. He left practice early on Saturday with an unknown injury, but apparently it wasn’t anything of significance. The 2nd-year RB remains an intriguing bench stash.

Bears rookie S Jaquon Brisker recently had surgery to address the thumb injury he suffered in the team's preseason opener, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Brisker reportedly has a decent chance to return for Week 1.

Bears RB Trestan Ebner left Friday night's preseason game with an ankle injury and remained out for Saturday's practice, according to SB Nation's Windy City Gridiron. We'll see about the severity.

Bears RB Khalil Herbert left Saturday's practice on a cart, according to multiple reports. We have yet to see any details beyond that but will certainly be watching for more.

The Athletic’s Adam Jahns considers Bears TE Cole Kmet the team’s #2 option in the passing game. No surprise there, but per Jahns, Kmet has earned the “trust” of Justin Fields and OC Luke Getsy. The young TE snagged 2 of 3 targets from Fields for 31 yards in Thursday night’s preseason game, carrying over what's been a strong training camp showing. There’s clear TE1 potential here.

ESPN Panthers reporter David Newton seems to think RB D'Onta Foreman will be the #2 RB for Carolina this season. In a piece with team-by-team fantasy-related questions for beat writers, Newton writes: "If [Christian McCaffrey] can play 14-17 games, he should again be one of the most productive backs in the league. Just in case, though, put D'Onta Foreman on your roster for insurance." We still wouldn't bet on either Foreman or Chuba Hubbard as a direct replacement should McCaffrey go down. But this could point to Foreman at least taking the rushing lead in that scenario.

Packers TE Robert Tonyan was activated from the PUP list on Sunday. Coming back from an ACL tear, Tonyan will be limited in the short term to individual work and walkthroughs, per HC Matt LaFleur. We’d temper early-season expectations for the veteran TE.

Insider Jordan Schultz hears that QB Justin Fields has "blown away" the Bears' coaching staff in camp. “His mechanics have improved, he’s in great shape, he works at it and he really cares. [OC] Luke [Getsy] loves him," a source told Schultz. That's obviously encouraging -- although we still wish Chicago surrounded Fields with a better supporting cast this season. He's still capable of QB1 production thanks to his rushing ability, but Fields is more exciting in dynasty leagues than redraft.

Adam Jahns of The Athletic writes that Bears QB Justin Fields “seems to be stacking more good throws and moments in camp.” Chicago’s rolled out a number of combinations at WR and along the O-line, largely due to injuries. So it hasn’t been the easiest environment for the 2nd-year passer — especially when he's also been tasked with learning new OC Luke Getsy’s system. It’s the talent-thin pass catching corps that leaves Fields as a QB2 to open the season.

WR Equanimeous St. Brown is listed with the 1st-team offense on the Bears' initial depth chart. These early-August depth charts are notoriously unreliable, so we're not reading much into this. But it at least looks like St. Brown has a shot to claim a significant role in a WR corps that's wide open behind Darnell Mooney. Byron Pringle and rookie Velus Jones are listed as the 2nd-team WRs.

Steelers WR Chase Claypool (shoulder) returned to practice on Monday. He ended up missing 9 days. Claypool is still the favorite to open the season as Pittsburgh's #2 WR, but rookie George Pickens is pushing hard.

Insider Peter King came away from Bears camp believing the team has "big intentions" for WR Velus Jones this year. That's not a surprise considering he was the 71st overall pick of this spring's draft -- and considering the state of Chicago's WR corps. "He will play," King said. "And he has hit the ground running." Jones didn't check many analytical boxes as a prospect and still isn't someone we're betting on long term. But his opportunity alone makes him worth a look at the end of fantasy drafts.

Despite some early hope that TE Robert Tonyan's repaired ACL would be ready for the start of training camp, he remains on the PUP through the 1st 9 practices. And according to Packers Wire, the team has provided no update on when Tonyan will actually get back onto the field. He told the Bussin' With the Boys podcast last week that the knee "feels great." We'll see when that next step comes.

Bryan Perez of Bears Talk writes that "no Chicago Bears player is having a better start to training camp" than TE Cole Kmet. OC Luke Getsy says they're moving the 3rd-year TE around the formation and that he's doing everything well, including running some routes from out wide. "I think he's on the brink right now of taking his game to another level," Getsy says. "So I am hopeful that by the time we get through this camp, he is ready to be a rock star for us, because we're going to need him to be." That need is key, as Kmet looks like the favorite to follow WR Darnell Mooney as top targets. Kmet has been a value pick outside the top 12 TEs in PPR drafts all year.