Fantasy Football Player Notes

D'Andre Swift had 1,345 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns in his first season with the Bears, and things are now looking up for the Chicago offense. New head coach Ben Johnson is taking over as the playcaller, and Johnson worked with Swift in Detroit. The Bears dramatically improved the interior of their offensive line in free agency. And Chicago didn't make any major additions at running back in the offseason. But Swift ranked dead last in rushing yards over expected per attempt (-0.69) among all RBs with at least 90 carries in 2024, so he's not exactly foolproof. Still, he seems like a reasonably good value at a high-end RB3 price

Well, the Bears didn't address running back early in the draft, but they didn't overlook the position. Chicago selected Monangai in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. Monangai is a squatty pinball back that can handle volume and fight for every blade of grass. He isn't an explosive runner, but he can roll up plenty of chunk gains and handle a ton of volume. Last year, he had 25 or more carries in 55% of his games and at least 18 carries in every game. In his final two collegiate seasons, he ranked 76th and 46th in yards after contact per attempt (per PFF), but he only amassed 31 targets. He'll have to earn his NFL paychecks and rack up fantasy points on early downs. He has to beat out Roschon Johnson for RB2 duties behind D'Andre Swift to have a pathway to fantasy success in 2025, but that's not impossible. Johnson hasn't exactly set the league on fire so far, and he has had trouble staying on the field (concussions). Monangai is a decent last-round pick.