Fantasy Football Player Notes
2026 Half PPR Draft Rankings
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43.
Colston Loveland
TE - (at MIN)
Sure, Colston Loveland disappointed last season if you only look at his overall stats as the TE15 in fantasy points per game, but that was because he was languishing in a part-time role for most of the season. It wasn't until after Week 15 that Loveland was consistently featured as a full-time member of the offense. In Weeks 16-20, he exploded as the Bears' WR1 with a 25.6% target share, 81.6 receiving yards per game, 2.49 yards per route run, a 34% first-read share, 0.116 first downs per route run, and 17.2 PPR points per game (per Fantasy Points Data). If Loveland had produced like that over the course of the entire season, he would have given Trey McBride a run for his money as the TE1 in fantasy. Last year, those numbers, among all tight ends with at least 20 targets, would have ranked first, first, fourth, first, fourth, and second. If you compare those numbers against Trey McBride's 2025 season and Brock Bowers' 2024 campaign, Loveland would have beaten both players in every single category except for fantasy points per game with McBride's 2025 season. Loveland could easily pick up right where he left off this season and compete with Brock Bowers and Trey McBride for the TE1 crown. With D.J. Moore gone, Loveland has only Rome Odunze and Luther Burden to compete with for the top spot in the target pecking order in Chicago.
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50.
Luther Burden III
WR - (at MIN)
Luther Burden steps into a much larger workload in 2026. Last year (including the playoffs), Burden had only five games in which he played at least 53% of the snaps. In those games, he had a 15.5% target share and 61.2 receiving yards per game, which is concerning, but his per-route metrics were outstanding, with 2.30 yards per route run, a 23.6% first-read share, and 0.120 first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). There's a lot of projection for Burden's 2026 season. Last year, he was stellar overall per-route with a 26% target per route run rate (11th), 2.83 yards per route run (third), 0.117 first downs per route run (12th), and 0.56 fantasy points per route run (eighth, among all wideouts with at least 200 routes). The hope and hype centered around Burden is that he can turn that small-sample hyper-efficiency into a marvelous season with a full-time workload. That could happen this year, and it sends him screaming up the weekly rankings for wide receivers, but Burden also has Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland to contend with for the top spot in the Chicago pecking order. Burden is best viewed as a WR2 with upside.
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51.
D'Andre Swift
RB - (at MIN)
D'Andre Swift arguably had a career year last season for the Bears as the RB16 in fantasy points per game. He finished with 257 touches and 1,386 total yards while splitting work with Kyle Monangai. Monangai's presence didn't hurt Swift a ton as he was the RB20 in fantasy points per game after Monangai's emergence in Week 9. During Weeks 10-18, Swift remained the preferred passing down back for Chicago with a 43% route share (Monangai 28.8%, per Fantasy Points Data), but he split up the red zone work with Monangai, with 18 red zone rushing attempts to Monangai's 19. This is worrisome, but not something to freak out about in today's NFL, where most teams are utilizing some form of committee approach. It was nice to see Swift's efficiency numbers bounce back after a horrible 2024 season. Last year, he ranked 13th in explosive run rate, 11th in rushing success rate, and 20th in missed tackle rate. Swift should be a mid-range RB2 again this season.
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60.
Rome Odunze
WR - (at MIN)
Rome Odunze was on his way to a breakout season before he sustained a foot fracture. In Weeks 1-12, he was the WR21 in fantasy points per game despite dealing with a 68.3% catchable target rate (96th out of 127 qualifying receivers). During that stretch of games, among that sample of receivers, he was 21st in target share (22.4%), 20th in receiving yards per game (59.4), 27th in yards per route run (1.95), 25th in first-read share (27.2%), and 16th in first-downs per route run (0.107, per Fantasy Points Data). Foot injuries always scare me, and Odunze has talked openly this offseason about the "new normal" of playing, planting, and running on his foot. The bum foot could crush him in 2026 if it remains a problem, but Odunze is appropriately priced in drafts as a WR3 with WR2 upside, with the risk being baked in.
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66.
Caleb Williams
QB - (at MIN)
Last year, with Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams took a small step forward in his play, but it wasn't nearly as massive a step as most think. Yes, he was the QB7 in fantasy points per game while ranking 12th in rushing yards per game and 11th in rushing touchdowns among quarterbacks, but he still struggled mightily as a passer despite the fantasy production and late-game heroics. Among 38 qualifying passers, he was 22nd in yards per attempt, 30th in adjusted completion rate and highly accurate throw rate, 34th in catchable target rate, 25th in hero throw rate, and he had the tenth-highest off-target rate (per Fantasy Points Data). With Ben Johnson back at the controls this year and plenty of skill talent around Williams for 2026, I hope he makes more incremental improvements as a passer to improve his fantasy production because if his rushing production dips, he could see his fantasy stock slightly decline. He should still return QB1 production in 2026.
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101.
Kyle Monangai
RB - (at MIN)
Kyle Monangai is a solid RB3/flex option with high-end handcuff appeal for 2026. Last year, in Weeks 10-18, Monangai led D'Andre Swift with 19 red zone rushing attempts compared to Swift's 18 while producing as the RB33 in fantasy points per game. During the same span, Monangai averaged 12.2 touches and 55.8 total yards while having a 28.8% route share (per Fantasy Points Data). Monangai is a serviceable early down hammer for Chicago, ranking 24th in explosive run rate, 21st in rushing success rate, and 20th in yards after contact per attempt. If Swift misses any time, Monangai would be Chicago's lead back and an RB1/2.
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237.
Cairo Santos
K - (at MIN)
The Bears have an ascendant offense under second-year head coach Ben Johnson, giving Bears kicker Cairo Santos some fantasy appeal for 2026. Santos tied for 15th among kickers in fantasy points per game last season with 8.8. The 34-year-old kicker's field goal accuracy has waned in recent years. Santos converted 91.1 of his FG attempts over a four-year span from 2020 to 2023, but he's hit just 83.6% of his field goals over the last two seasons. Fantasy managers should also consider that Santos plays his home games in Chicago's Soldier Field, where weather often becomes a factor late in the season.
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322.
Chicago Bears
DST - (at MIN)
Best turnover luck imaginable last season and still didn't finish as a top-12 unit in 2025.
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339.
Cole Kmet
TE - (at MIN)
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380.
Zavion Thomas
WR - (at MIN)
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392.
Kalif Raymond
WR - (at MIN)
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396.
Roschon Johnson
RB - (at MIN)
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463.
Jahdae Walker
WR - (at MIN)
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513.
Sam Roush
TE - (at MIN)
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514.
Scotty Miller
WR - (at MIN)
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540.
Maurice Alexander
WR - (at MIN)
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583.
Tyson Bagent
QB - (at MIN)
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652.
Ray-Ray McCloud III
WR - (at MIN)
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723.
Brittain Brown
RB - (at MIN)
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799.
Case Keenum
QB - (at MIN)
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801.
Nikola Kalinic
TE - (at MIN)
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814.
Hayden Large
TE - (at MIN)
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819.
Stephen Carlson
TE - (at MIN)
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864.
Salvon Ahmed
RB - (at MIN)
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904.
Omari Kelly
WR - (at MIN)
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911.
JP Richardson
WR - (at MIN)
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926.
Miller Moss
QB - (at MIN)
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