Bears' Top Fantasy Football Values for Dynasty, Redraft Leagues

There weren't many players on the Chicago Bears' offense who were top fantasy football performers in 2021. Running back David Montgomery had a bit of a down year, while Darnell Mooney was the only wide receiver who had any semblance of fantasy value.

Things could be different in 2022, though. Justin Fields will be in his second season as the team's starting quarterback, and he may start to show major improvement. As that happens, the playmakers around him will start putting up bigger numbers, increasing their fantasy values.

It's also possible Chicago struggles again this season, as it may not have enough strong core players to get back to being competitive. Even if that's the case, though, there should be at least one or two players on the roster worthy of starting consideration for fantasy football managers.

With that in mind, here's a look at several Bears players you may want to target in fantasy football drafts later this summer.

If David Montgomery is healthy and playing to his potential, he has the talent to be among the top running backs in the NFL.

In 2021, though, the 24-year-old was limited to 13 games because of a knee injury, and he ran for a career-low 849 yards. But he still got into the end zone seven times, boosting his career touchdown total to 21 through three seasons.

Assuming Montgomery stays healthy, he should be a three-down back for the Bears this upcoming season. It's also going to be a contract year for him, so he'll have added motivation to put up big numbers before potentially hitting free agency (or to prove he should get an extension).

The Iowa State product may be on the board for a bit in some fantasy football drafts this year. In a 12-team mock by a Sports Illustrated panel, he lasted until the 40th overall pick in the fourth round. He didn't get selected until the No. 28 overall selection in the third round in a 10-team mock by ESPN experts.

There's a big chance Montgomery will outperform his preseason projections. So, he could be a great player to target around the third or fourth round, as he may take off and put up career-best numbers now that he has more NFL experience and should get a large number of touches.

Unless you're a fantasy manager who ends up with one of the elite tight ends—Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Darren Waller, etc.—you'll likely be looking for potential breakout candidates later in the draft. And there may be no one better to target this year than Cole Kmet.

In his second NFL season in 2021, the 23-year-old showed improvement and ranked second on the Bears with 612 receiving yards. However, he didn't score any touchdowns, with one reason being the fact that Jimmy Graham got into the end zone three times.

Graham is a free agent and may not be back in Chicago, so Kmet will be the Bears' clear No. 1 tight end. If Fields progresses and has more success through the air, then that should lead to bigger numbers for the Notre Dame product as well.

Because he doesn't yet have a proven track record, Kmet isn't likely to be among the top tight ends taken in most fantasy football drafts. There's even a chance he may not get picked at all in some leagues.

However, it might be worth taking him and seeing how things develop in Chicago the first few weeks of the season.

A lot of talented wide receivers entered the league via the 2022 NFL draft, and quite a few are getting a ton of hype heading into their rookie campaigns.

However, one receiver who may be getting overlooked is Velus Jones Jr., who was selected by the Bears with the No. 71 overall pick.

The 25-year-old wasn't considered one of the top receivers in the draft class, but he was one of the oldest. After six college seasons, he finally turned pro and will be looking to make an impact in his first year with Chicago.

There aren't a lot of proven wide receivers on the Bears' depth chart beyond Mooney. So there are going to be starting jobs up for grabs heading into the season, and Jones has the talent and experience to land one of them, potentially even heading into Week 1.

Even in dynasty formats, the Tennessee product may not be heavily pursued, so either take him in a later round or possibly just wait, let him hit the waiver wire and then keep a close eye on him from there.

Jones is among the rookie receivers who could quickly contribute, though, and he may surprise some people in 2022.