Monday Night Football Starts and Sits - Steelers vs Bears

Fantasy football starts/sits and lineups advice for the Steelers and Bears Monday game in Week 9. Dan Fornek analyzes the MNF matchups with a detailed breakdown.

Last week’s Monday night game featured a close contest between the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants. Unfortunately, the game featured two offenses that struggled, leading to an unexciting game between two teams trying to get something going. Patrick Mahomes continued to get momentum in the passing game for Kansas City, but he was able to get a big fantasy day out of Tyreek Hill thanks to a steady dose of short to intermediate targets. Outside of Hill and Giants' running back Devontae Booker, there wasn't much fantasy production in Week 8's Monday night matchup. Somehow, this week’s Monday night game may produce even less statistical output.

Chicago and Pittsburgh come into this game struggling to produce on offense. Both teams are currently averaging less than 20 points per game despite featuring numerous players that were considered fantasy assets during draft season. The Bears' offensive gameplan has been extremely run-heavy since rookie Justin Fields took over, although he has shown flashes of talent to start his career. Sixth-round rookie running back Khalil Herbert has been fantastic this season filling in for David Montgomery as he's rushed for 351 yards and a touchdown in his last four games. Outside of Herbert, it is difficult to find many positives in the Chicago offense.

Pittsburgh’s offense hasn’t been much better this season thanks to the continued struggles of Ben Roethlisberger. The veteran quarterback is averaging just 6.6 yards per attempt in the passing game and has just eight touchdowns with four interceptions in seven games. On the bright side, Pittsburgh’s offense has been able to produce two fantasy-relevant players thanks to pure volume. Diontae Johnson is averaging 18 fantasy points per game (largely due to receptions) in PPR scoring, placing him in the top-10 at the wide receiver position. Rookie running back Najee Harris has also been fantastic this season operating as one of the few bell-cow running backs left in the NFL. Harris is third in PPR scoring in fantasy points per game (20.3). Harris is averaging 18.3 carries and seven targets per game this season.

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Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers

• Game time: Monday, November 8, 8:15 p.m.
• Game line: Pittsburgh -6.5
• Game total: 40.5

Must Start

Najee Harris (RB, PIT)

Najee Harris has been everything fantasy managers could have hoped for in his rookie year, stepping into a high-volume role as both a rusher and a receiver. Harris has three straight games with at least 20 carries and four consecutive games with 60 rushing yards. Since Week 1, Harris is averaging 7.7 targets, six receptions, and 44.8 receiving yards per game. Harris has four straight games with a touchdown. He’s a legitimate bell-cow running back in a season that is rife with running back injuries and split backfields. The Bears are surrendering 18.8 fantasy points per game to running backs this season and just allowed Elijah Mitchell to average 7.6 yards per carry last week. Harris is the safest play fantasy play of anybody involved in this game. 

David Montgomery (RB, CHI)

David Montgomery was activated from the injured reserve prior to Monday night's game, meaning he will be good to go and should see the bulk of the touches in Chicago's backfield. Prior to his knee injury, Montgomery was averaging 17.3 carries and 77.3 rushing yards per game. He also added 2.3 targets and 1.5 receptions in Chicago's first four games. The Bears have been one of the most run-heavy teams in the NFL since Justin Fields took over, which should mean a solid day for Montgomery in the run game. Khalil Herbert could get quite a bit of work considering it is his first game back, but Montgomery will likely be the featured back and give the best opportunity for fantasy production out of the backfield for the Bears. Pittsburgh has been strong against running backs this season, allowing just 14.9 points per game to the position on the season. However, based on potential volume, Montgomery has RB2 or FLEX upside in his first game since Week 4.

Diontae Johnson (WR, PIT)

Speaking of volume, Diontae Johnson is a must-start because of his role in the Pittsburgh offense. Johnson has double-digit targets and at least five receptions in five of six games this season. Johnson has at least 71 yards in every game he has played in since Week 1. The third-year receiver hasn’t found the end zone since Week 5 but still has three receiving touchdowns on the season. With JuJu Smith-Schuster out for the season and Ben Roethlisberger’s arm deteriorating, Johnson is locked into a high-volume role every week. He’s a smash start in PPR formats thanks to his high reception totals, but the yardage makes him a solid play in half-point PPR leagues as well.

Chase Claypool (WR, PIT)

Chase Claypool has struggled to consistently generate the big plays that highlighted his rookie season. In six games, Claypool has just 26 receptions for 403 yards and one touchdown. While the production isn’t there, Claypool still has a consistent role in the Steelers’ offense. The Notre Dame product has at least five targets in all six of his games this season. During that stretch, Claypool five games with at least three receptions and 45 receiving yards. Ben Roethlisberger’s inability to hit deep shots has hindered Claypool’s ability to have high-impact weeks, but the Bears are allowing 28.5 fantasy points per week to wide receivers, the third most of any team this season. Claypool hasn’t had many boom weeks this season, but Chicago’s secondary represents an excellent chance for him to have a big day.

Darnell Mooney (WR, CHI)

Chicago’s passing attack has struggled this season, but if you need a wide receiver play with upside this week, then Darnell Mooney has intriguing upside. Mooney has just four games this season with over 40 receiving yards, but he has been operating as a safety valve for Allen Robinson as opposed to the deep threat fantasy managers hoped for during the summer. The second-year receiver is averaging 6.6 targets and 4.1 receptions per game this season, giving him a solid enough PPR floor with big-play upside if he and Justin Fields can connect on a deep shot. The Steelers have a reputation as a strong defense, but they are allowing 24.5 fantasy points per game to wide receivers on the season.  

Pat Freiermuth (TE, PIT)

The Juju Smith-Schuster injury has opened up a fantastic opportunity in the passing game for Pat Freiermuth. In his last two games, the rookie tight end has caught 11 of 14 targets for 102 yards and a touchdown. Since Week 6, Freiermuth is averaging 13.6 points per game, the fourth most of any tight end in the NFL during that stretch. The Penn State product has started to take over Eric Ebron’s role in the offense but is also running a higher percentage of snaps from the slot thanks to Juju’s injury. The Bears are allowing just 3.6 points per game to tight ends this season, but volume is king (especially at the tight end position), giving Freiermuth a solid floor worth putting into starting lineups in a pinch.

Consider Sitting

Ben Roethlisberger (QB, PIT)

Ben Roethlisberger is getting solid passing volume, it just isn’t translating to fantasy scoring. Big Ben has at least 32 attempts in six of seven starts this season, but he has only two games with more than 275 passing yards. Additionally, the veteran quarterback has just one game with multiple passing touchdowns on the season despite having numerous weapons in the passing game at his disposal. The Bears are allowing 19.2 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, but unless his skill players are willing to do the heavy lifting after the catch, it is hard to justify putting Ben into starting lineups this week.

Khalil Herbert (RB, CHI)

Since David Montgomery went down with an injury, Khalil Herbert has been a fantastic fantasy asset. In four starts, Herbert has carried the ball 78 times for 344 yards and a touchdown. He’s also added nine receptions on 10 targets for 44 yards. Herbert is averaging 19 carries and has at least 72 yards in each of his last four games. Unfortunately for fantasy managers that struck gold with their Khalil Herbert waiver bids, David Montgomery is healthy and activated for this week's game against the Steelers. The Bears have featured a run-first offense since Justin Fields took the helm at quarterback, but they have elected to consistently feature one running back for most of the season. Montgomery will likely be the lead back, which will significantly cut into Herbert's role in the backfield. It is very likely the rookie gets some work tonight, but until we see how the Bears plan to utilize their running backs, it is hard to trust him to be fantasy viable this week. 

Allen Robinson (WR, CHI)

Allen Robinson just isn’t producing this season. The veteran wide receiver has just one game with over four receptions and more than 60 receiving yards. Robinson hasn’t found the end zone since Week 2. Robinson and rookie quarterback Justin Fields just haven’t been on the same page this season, leaving Robinson as a player you just can’t start with confidence. Until Robinson shows he can produce with Fields under center, he’s nothing more than a bench player that can be started in only the most desperate situations.

James Washington (WR, PIT)

James Washington was a potential pickup after Juju Smith-Schuster’s injury, but he just doesn’t have a consistent role in Pittsburgh’s passing attack. Washington has just two receptions on two targets for 13 yards in his last two games. Washington is behind Diontae Johnson, Najee Harris, Chase Claypool, and Pat Freiermuth in the pecking order, making him irrelevant for fantasy.

Potential Sleepers

Justin Fields (QB, CHI)

Just two weeks ago Justin Fields would have been a lock for the “consider benching” portion of this article. However, a strong performance against the San Francisco 49ers showed enough flashes to warrant putting him as a potential sleeper with upside. Fields had modest production in the passing game, completing 70% of his passes for 175 yards and a touchdown and an interception. However, Fields showed the dual-threat ability that made him an enticing fantasy pick during the summer. Fields carried the ball 10 times for 103 yards and a touchdown, including a highlight reel scramble that involved him avoiding nine different tacklers in one play. The Steelers have the kind of pass rush that the rookie has struggled with this season, but if he can continue to extend plays, then he has a chance to exploit a secondary allowing 17.2 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season.

Cole Kmet (TE, CHI)

At some point, you have to believe that Cole Kmet will have a big fantasy week. The second-year tight end has been on the field for at least 79% of Chicago’s offensive snaps since Week 3. During that stretch, Kmet is averaging 4.7 targets per game. Unfortunately, he has an average of just 2.7 receptions and 25.8 yards per game during that stretch. Kmet is on the field, running routes, and getting looks, he just isn’t producing. It’s hard to justify playing Kmet unless your team is ravaged by injuries or bye weeks, but he at least has all the makings of a tight end that can produce a big day through his usage this season.

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