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Week 14 of the fantasy football season is here, and injury updates are starting to roll in. Staying informed of the latest injury news, and making the proper lineup decisions, can be the difference between winning and losing your week.
Let's check in on the injuries for the Chicago Bears quarterbacks and their Week 14 Sunday night game against the Green Bay Packers.
Is Justin Fields playing this week? Should I start Justin Fields if he plays? How will Fields impact other Bears players? Below, we take a quick look at the updated injury status for Fields and attempt to answer these questions.
Is Justin Fields Playing In Week 14 Against the Packers?
Justin Fields has been dealing with a rib injury since Week 11, and after being listed as questionable to begin this week, he will be active and okay versus the Packers in Week 14:
Justin Fields will be under center and should not be hampered by his injury. However, as with any rib injury, the recovery is more about pain tolerance than any impediment on throwing motion or rushing ability. If Justin Fields scrambles and takes a big shot to the ribs, will he be able to continue playing? Those are the big questions we need to answer.
Should I Start Justin Fields In Week 14 Against the Packers?
While Justin Fields will be active and available on Sunday, the Bears haven't exactly been an elite offense this year. On the season, they are 29th in yards gained per play, 27th in the percentage of drives that end in a score, 30th in passing touchdowns, 32nd in passing yards, and 31st in sacks allowed. All of that certainly limits Justin Fields' upside.
In fact, a Bears quarterback, whether it be Justin Fields or Andy Dalton, has only finished as a top-12 quarterback in two of the 12 weeks they've played this season. I'm sure you're shocked to find out that those two finishes were both by Fields. What's more, they were both in his last two full starts (he left Week 11 early with the rib injury). The upside is apparent when you watch Fields play:
In that game against Pittsburgh, he finished as the 10th-ranked quarterback thanks to 291 yards passing and a touchdown, plus 45 yards on the ground. In Week 8 against the 49ers, he was the fifth-ranked quarterback despite only throwing for 175 yards and a touchdown through the air since he ran for 103 yards and another touchdown.
However, this alone doesn't make Fields a great play on Sunday. On the season, the Packers give up the 28th-most points to opposing quarterbacks, meaning only four teams give up fewer points to the position. In Week 6, when Fields last started against the Packers, he finished as the 18th-ranked quarterback. However, that game was without David Montgomery.
The Packers can be beaten on the ground by quarterbacks, allowing 43 yards to Fields in that Week 6 showdown, but also 46 yards to Jared Goff in Week 2, and 95 yards rushing to Taylor Heinicke in Week 7. Most of the other quarterbacks Green Bay has played have not been threats on the ground.
Still, given that this is a big game in Lambeau Field against a strong Packers team, Justin Fields is not a recommended start in normal 12-team leagues. However, his rushing upside can make him a solid play in two-quarterback leagues, and he could be a valuable bench stash with upcoming games against Minnesota, Seattle, and the New York Giants to end the season.
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