The 2-8 New York Giants travel to Soldier Field to face the 4-6 Chicago Bears on Sunday in a matchup between two offenses that have been less than fantasy football friendly.
Here’s a quick and dirty breakdown of the fantasy options in this ballgame.
Weather: The forecast calls for a sunny afternoon in the mid 40’s which is like a summer day this time of year in the windy city. Wind will be WSW at approximately 12 MPH.
Injuries: The Giants will be without their two top tight ends – Evan Engram (foot) and Rhett Ellison (concussion). TE Adam Shaheen (foot) is out for Chicago.
Matchups
QB: The Bears have been allowing just 12.4 fantasy points to quarterbacks while the Giants have surrendered an average of 19.7. Daniel Jones will start again for the Giants and his turnover problems probably won’t be solved this week. The Bears are 12th in the NFL in takeaways with 14 (7 INT, 7 fumbles) and the Giants are second in giveaways with 24 (14 fumbles). The Bears are 10th in the NFL against the pass. The Giants are 25th. Mitchell Trubisky (hip) practiced in full this week, so he’s likely to start. Advice: Jones is punt play this week at best. No one should be playing Trubisky in any format as he has been erratic all season.
RB: The Bears are 8th against the run and the Giants are 25th but both teams have allowed an average of 19.7 fantasy point per week to running backs. Â Chicago rookie David Montgomery could be in for a nice day as well as Tarik Cohen, the changeup back. If you want to put your trust back into Saquon Barkley, good luck to you. He claims he’s close to 100% after the high ankle sprain earlier this season but we have yet to see the old Saquon since he returned from the injury. Advice:Â Play at your own peril.
WR: The Giants’ defense penchant for permitting big gains in the passing game is well documented. They lead the league with 12 plays of over 40 yards. Even with Trubisky under center, the Bears receiving corp looks like a play here. If you have Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel or Anthony Miller in season-long leagues, you should consider playing them. Chicago is 10th against the pass but they’ll have to deal with the Giants’ explosive rookie, Darius Slayton and veteran Golden Tate. They will be joined by Sterling Shepard, who is returning after five weeks in the concussion protocol. Advice: All six are season-long plays. DFS not so much.
TE: With Engram and Ellison out, the Giants will be roughing it with journeyman Scott Simonson and rookie Kaden Smith. The Bears will not have Shaheen and Trey Burton is on IR. Advice: Look elsewhere for a TE.
Defense: The Bears are in a good spot here to get some sacks and turnovers. The Giants will benefit from playing against a struggling offense but if you need to play them, keep in mind they’ve allowed 30 or more points in six of their ten games and over 27 in nine games.