RADIO
When is Kyle Monangai coming back? Will Kyle Monangai play again this season? Read about Kyle Monangai's return date and injury updates for 2026.
The 2026 season hasn't been kind to fantasy running back depth. There are 10 running backs who are averaging 18.0+ fantasy points per game, but only 25 total rushers who are averaging 10.0+ points per game.
The lack of solid RB2 options has led fantasy managers to churn the waiver wire each week, hoping that injuries and role changes allow somebody to emerge as a playable piece in fantasy. One player who has missed time and may come available on the waiver wire is Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai.
Is Kyle Monangai healthy? When will he return to the field? Let’s dive in.
Editor's Note: The FFPC Baby Gorilla Tournament is now open, featuring a $100,000 grand prize and a $675,450 total prize pool! This 12-team, Tight End Premium contest uses a 20-round draft format, with the overall winners determined by total points scored during Weeks 15–17. Get $25 to use toward your first entry by signing up through our link. Grab your team now! Sign Up Now!
Kyle Monangai Injury Update for Fantasy Football
Kyle Monangai was one of the big surprises in fantasy football as a rookie in 2025, carving out a significant role in Chicago’s backfield despite being drafted in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.
Based on his first four games, 2026 was going to be an even better year.
In Weeks 1 through 4, Monangai recorded 60 carries for 324 yards and three touchdowns, while catching all five targets for 39 yards. The second-year running back had two 100-yard rushing efforts, including a dominant 30 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns against the Jets in Week 4.
Not many are running it better than Kyle Monangai today 😤
NYJvsCHI on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/aOzQXt1CM5— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
It was in that game that Monangai suffered a thumb and toe injury. Initial reports were optimistic and suggested that Monangai would miss little to no time with those injuries. Unfortunately, further scans after Week 4 indicated that the toe injury was worse than anticipated.
Monangai has missed both Weeks 5 and 6 recovering from his injury and was listed as a “did not participate” for practice on Monday 10/19. That is a bad sign for him to return in Week 7 since the Bears play the Patriots on Thursday Night Football.
It is still encouraging that Chicago chose not to put Monangai on the injured reserve, a move that would have shut him down for a minimum of four games. However, it seems very likely at this point that he will miss three games, with a potential return in Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football.
Kyle Monangai Fantasy Football Outlook
Kyle Monangai was the RB13 in PPR points per game (14.8) over the first four weeks of the regular season, putting him just behind teammate D’Andre Swift (15.9) in fantasy scoring.
Monangai handled just 41.3% of Chicago’s backfield snap share during that stretch, but was arguably more efficient on the ground than Swift, leading the backfield in explosive run rate (14.0%), rushing success rate (51.7%), and rush yards over expected (93.0).
It will be hard for Monangai to be a consistent RB1 given Chicago’s preference to split their backfield workload and his lack of pass-catching ability, but he proved over the first four weeks he’s capable of being a high-end RB2, and more realistically, a solid top 24 weekly option in a run-first offense.
It’s fair to be cautiously optimistic about Monangai’s return since he’s missed several games due to a toe injury, which could affect his production even when he’s healthy enough to return. However, Chicago remains an offense to target in fantasy, and a healthy Monangai is a player worth targeting, especially since running mate D’Andre Swift is also nursing injuries of his own.
If Swift misses time, Monangai could be a weekly top 12 running back finisher once he returns to the field.
Who Should I Start Tool
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 7 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Dameon Pierce, Tony Pollard, Kendre Miller, and Blake Corum. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 7.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 7 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 7 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 7 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 7 for Dameon Pierce, Tony Pollard, Kendre Miller, and Blake Corum:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
