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Will D'Andre Swift start for the Chicago Bears when he returns? John Johnson breaks down the Week 10 D'Andre Swift return timeline and fantasy football outlook.
Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift (groin) was ruled out before his team's Week 9 game against the Cincinnati Bengals with a groin injury. Apparently, he had been dealing with the injury for some time, as he was listed on previous weeks' injury reports with the aliment.
In his place, rookie RB Kyle Monangai (ankle) got the starting nod. And he capitalized on that opportunity with a massive game -- he exploded for 176 yards on 26 carries, additionally catching three of his five targets for 22 yards, and finished the day with 22.8 PPR fantasy points.
After seeing Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard quickly lose his starting job to his (former) backup, Rico Dowdle (quad), fantasy managers might be more wary of potential shake-ups in backfields, especially due to injuries. So will Swift be the starter when he returns?
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Will D'Andre Swift Start For The Bears When He Returns?
While it's unlikely that things swing as far as they did with the Panthers, and Swift should maintain his spot at No. 1 on his team's depth chart for running backs, it seems that Monangai has carved himself out a more consistent, and bigger, role in the offense. It's unlikely that's a workhorse role.
He only had so many touches because Swift couldn't play. And the starter returned to practice this week and appears to be on track to play in Week 10. However, Bears head coach Ben Johnson indicated that there would be more competition for touches moving forward.
Unleash Kyle Monangai 😤
CHIvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/YLQ3cT70sT
— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2025
The problems with Swift's game have long been known, and were a driving factor in both the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles in letting him go. He's not a good runner between the tackles, tends to shy away from contact, and has very little contact balance.
He's had big games this year because Chicago has been able to get him in space to work. But his lack of toughness and tendency to bounce runs outside limits the offensive playbook. Monangai has no issues running between the tackles and powering through defenders, and is quite shifty himself.
The rookie taking over short-yardage and goal-line work makes sense to me, though it's probably better to use Swift as a receiving back. But Swift's pass protection is also a liability -- he's been successful in fantasy based purely on his raw athleticism, which is quite good, and him being on a good offense.
D'Andre Swift Fantasy Football Outlook
While he won't be phased out of the offense, it might be unrealistic to expect his pace to continue at what it's been the past few games he's played. He might be limited to around 15 touches per game moving forward, down from his nearly 20 touches per game through the season before Week 7.
From Week 4 to Week 8, Swift averaged nearly 19.4 PPR fantasy points per game and was heavily involved as both a runner and pass-catcher. But the injury he has is something that needs to be managed moving forward, according to the Bears organization, and Monangai's skill set helps the team greatly.
.@DAndreSwift reaches out for the score ‼️
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/mZPctPoz62
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 28, 2025
Of great importance will be the goal-line role, which might start out as a split between Swift and Monangai. However, when Swift is in the game, opposing defenses have an advantage in the trenches because he doesn't have the power to break tackles from big defenders and prefers to take runs outside.
Later in the season, we could see Monangai as the exclusive short-yardage and goal-line back, with Swift taking little to no carries in those situations, which would hurt his ability to score touchdowns. Technically, the Bears offensive line is good enough to open big holes for him to run through and negate those weaknesses, but it's a disadvantage nonetheless.
He should carry flex appeal for the rest of the season at minimum, though a low-end RB2 status is more likely.
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Popular Week 10 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 10 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Kimani Vidal, Kyle Monangai, Quentin Johnston, Alec Pierce, Parker Washington compared to others:
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