The Chicago Bears will kick off their 2023 season against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1. The Bears are in a rebuilding year as they retool the offense around QB Justin Fields, letting David Montgomery walk in free agency and bringing in D’Onta Foreman. They also drafted rookie Roschon Johnson with the 115th overall pick to add some depth to the backfield.
Fantasy Football analysis: Bears RB Roschon Johnson
Johnson will have to compete with the veterans for snaps in his first season in the league, but he’ll no doubt get a few looks early on. He spent his time in college at Texas playing second fiddle to Bijan Robinson, who garnered most of the attention and was picked No. 8 overall — and was the first running back to go — in this year’s draft. Johnson impressed at the combine and got some playing time during preseason with Chicago.
Start or sit in Week 1 PPR leagues?
Sit Roschon Johnson in PPR leagues for Week 1.
He wouldn’t be a bad player to stash on your bench for future weeks depending on how he does early on, but he’s absolutely not worth starting in Week 1 when the Bears have Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman in the backfield. Johnson will look to compete for playing time with running backs who aren’t named Bijan Robinson, but Week 1 shouldn’t see Johnson in your starting lineups.
Start or sit in Week 1 standard leagues?
Sit Roschon Johnson in standard leagues for Week 1.
All of the same reasons above apply as to why Johnson should be benched in standard leagues. It’s all about his playing time, which he likely won’t have much consistent time on the field especially in the early weeks as he fights for a bigger snap share.
Player(s) you would start ahead of Roschon Johnson
Roschon Johnson is 170th on the FantasyPros FLEX rankings ahead of Week 1, coming in at RB53. Another solid option that’s not too far above him is Ezekiel Elliott at RB50, who will be worth a shot right out of the gates on Bill Belichick’s team.