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Welcome to our Bears vs. Vikings fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em matchups analysis article for Week 6 of the 2023 NFL season.
Read our matchups analysis, player breakdowns, and lineup recommendations for the matchup and set those winning lineups. Good luck RotoBallers!
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Spread: Vikings -3.0
Implied Total: Vikings (23.5) vs. Bears (20.5)
Pace: Vikings (2nd) vs. Bears (17th)
Vikings Off. DVOA: 16.9% Pass (14th), -10.5% Rush (19th)
Bears Off. DVOA: -2.9% Pass (23rd), -0.9% Rush (10th)
Vikings Def. DVOA: 14.5% Pass (21st), -11.4% Rush (14th)
Bears Def. DVOA: 37.6% Pass (31st), -8.8% Rush (20th)
WEATHER: This game is expected to have sustained wind with a chance of lingering rain, which could impact the passing attack.
Matchups We Love
Kirk Cousins (QB, MIN)
Cousins has become the speculation of trade rumors with the team's playoff hopes dwindling and Justin Jefferson going down to injury. The latter of those updates is far more important for fantasy, especially when it comes to Cousins' value.
After struggling against Carolina, they had a tough time creating offense against the Chiefs. They totaled just 329 yards and 20 points. Combine those numbers with the loss of Jefferson and there's cause for concern. Fortunately, they'll head to Soldier Field to take on a porous defense. Cousins loses some of his ceiling but remains a top-12 quarterback in this matchup.
Vikings WRs
Talent-wise, there is no next man up for Jefferson. In terms of opportunity though, it'll be Jordan Addison and K.J. Osborn who take over as the primary options. Addison is undoubtedly the better player with a higher yards per route run (1.65 to 0.89) and targets per route run (19% to 13%). He'll be the alpha receiver, thrusting him into the top 24 against Chicago, while Osborn becomes an upside flex option.
T.J. Hockenson (TE, MIN)
Hockenson trails only Travis Kelce in targets per game, so vacating another 10 per game without Jefferson could enable him to challenge Kelce for the TE1 throne. It'll come down to touchdowns, but he's going to be awesome.
Justin Fields (QB, CHI)
Fields has been the QB2 and QB1 in the past two weeks, averaging almost 45 fantasy points per week. He didn't have a great passing day in terms of completion percentage (51.7%), but he totaled over 300 yards with four touchdowns for the second straight game. It's an unsustainable pace, but against the Vikings, he'll get another opportunity to finish in the top 10 with a top-five upside.
DJ Moore (WR, CHI)
After an incredible day with eight receptions for 230 yards and three scores, Moore now sits fifth in receiving yards (531) and tied for first in touchdowns (five). Furthermore, he was one of only three Bears players to catch a pass along with Cole Kmet and Robert Tonyan. There's a massive gap in skill level between him and everyone else in the receiving corps, which the team has now realized and is optimizing. He's a must-start against Minnesota.
Cole Kmet (TE, CHI)
Admittedly, I was late to the party to buy into Kmet this season. I wasn't convinced the offense would make him and Moore the focal point, but that's the way it's trending. He has a 19% target share, leads the team with six red zone targets, and is cemented as the No. 2 option, making him a top-12 tight end.
Matchups We Hate
None
Other Matchups
Alexander Mattison (RB, MIN)
Cam Akers has begun to gain ground on Mattison, playing 29% of the snaps against Kansas City. Mattison is still the feature back, especially as a receiver, which is where he's making his mark recently. He hauled in a touchdown through the air this week and dropped another pass that could've gone the distance. The mistakes are costing him playing time, but so long as he remains the starter, there'll be opportunities.
It's also possible that the offense, which ranks fourth in pass rate over expectation, may lean more on their rushing attack without Jefferson. The matchup is fantastic, keeping him around that top-24 range. Akers would also be a deeper flex option because of the matchup and his growing workload.
Bears RBs
The Vikings aren't the only ones dealing with injuries. Chicago lost Khalil Herbert (ankle), Roschon Johnson (concussion), and Travis Homer (hamstring) last Thursday, forcing them to turn to fullback Khari Blasingame. What a name. Herbert is expected to miss multiple weeks, while Johnson is still working his way through the concussion protocol.
The team also has D'Onta Foreman, who was inactive because he doesn't play special teams, but will surely play a role moving forward. The matchup is favorable, so someone will produce. It currently looks like Foreman given that no one else has practiced yet this week.
UPDATE: Roschon Johnson has been ruled OUT for Week 6.
Notable Injuries
Khalil Herbert (ankle)
Roschon Johnson (concussion)
Travis Homer (hamstring)
Justin Jefferson (hamstring)
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