The Chicago Bears remain in search of their first win of 2023, but a Week 3 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs gives them a most inopportune challenge. If anything, the Bears will hope for some resurgent play from quarterback Justin Fields. Chicago’s signal-caller has struggled in his first two games of the season, as the team’s offensive philosophy has more or less clashed with his skillset.
We assess Fields’ upcoming matchup and determine whether it’s time to bench him in fantasy, or if managers should hold out hope for a strong performance.
Fantasy Football analysis: Bears QB Justin Fields
It hasn’t exactly been a strong start for Fields in 2023, as he’s managed to complete just 60.6 percent of his passes while sporting a 2:3 TD-to-interception ratio over two games. Exacerbating his struggles were his comments earlier this week, in which he suggested “coaching” was one of the factors of his subpar play.
Start or sit in Week 3 leagues?
Start, even despite his early season struggles. Though Fields has struggled as a passer over the last two games, his rushing upside continues to put him in the fantasy “must start” category. After his noteworthy comments during the week, it will be interesting to see if Chicago opts to let him move around more and flex his skillset as a runner a bit. It would certainly make sense against Kansas City, who gave up the fifth-most rushing yards (444) to quarterbacks last season. They also allowed the third-most fantasy points to the position in 2022 (19.5 PPG).
In smaller leagues, Fields is a lock to start unless you happen to have a more reliable option on your roster. For larger leagues of more than 12 teams, starting quarterbacks are a dime a dozen, so chances are Fields is a shoo-in to start even amid his passing struggles.
Player(s) you would start ahead of Justin Fields
Dak Prescott and Jared Goff are options to consider given their plus-matchups in Week 3. Goff will be at home against the Atlanta Falcons, and Detroit tends to fare better offensively when playing at Ford Field. They’re coming off a 31-point performance last week and averaged more than 30 points per game when at home in 2022.
Prescott has a road matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, who are allowing the third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season (23.0 PPG). They’ve also allowed the third-most passing yards per game (261.5) to start the season.