2024 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Chicago Bears player outlooks, schedule, depth chart and more to know

The Bears drafted Caleb Williams No. 1 overall, signing Keenan Allen prior to the pick to insulate their rookie quarterback with talent on the perimeter. Williams will have Allen, DJ Moore and Rome Odunze to throw to this season. With that much talent at wide receiver, he'll be afforded every opportunity to be successful early in his NFL career.   

Below the CBS Sports Fantasy staff will take a look into the Bears' entire team outlook including changes to the top of the depth chart that matter for Fantasy, a burning question for Fantasy Football managers that needs to be answered, a review of their draft class, strength of schedule, and individual player outlooks for all of the notable Bears players who may end up on your Fantasy rosters.

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Bears 2024 lineup changes

Burning question: Can D'Andre Swift be the Bears' workhorse?

When the Bears signed Swift, they found the perfect running back to pair with Caleb Williams. The young quarterback will rely on a talented running back to keep the Bears offense on schedule. With Swift's ability as a receiver out of the backfield, Williams can check the ball down without pressure to force vertical passes. Although Swift has battled injuries, he has missed few games to date. However, he has surpassed 200 rushing attempts only once in his NFL career. To meet expectations, he must stay healthy and productive both on the ground and through the air for Williams.

2024 NFL Draft class

Bears 2024 schedule

Bears 2024 player outlooks

By Jamey Eisenberg and CBS Fantasy staff

QB Caleb Williams

The Bears selected Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and he will be Chicago's starter in Week 1. We like Williams as a potential starter in all one-quarterback leagues, and he's worth drafting with a late-round pick. Williams is worth drafting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues as early as Round 3. He is stepping into a great situation with an outstanding receiving corps led by D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, fellow rookie Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet. Williams was excellent at USC, where he passed for 8,170 yards and 72 touchdowns in the past two seasons. It might be safer to draft Williams as a No. 2 Fantasy quarterback in redraft leagues, but he could end up starting for your team sooner rather than later based on his potential, as well as the talent around him in Chicago. Williams is worth a first-round pick in rookie-only drafts for Dynasty leagues, and he could go as early as No. 1 overall in these formats for Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.  

QB Tyson Bagent

Bagent is expected to be the No. 2 quarterback in Chicago this season behind Caleb Williams, but Bagent has minimal Fantasy value in that role. Bagent is not worth drafting in the majority of leagues. In 2023 as a rookie, Bagent appeared in five games when Justin Fields was injured, but Bagent never scored more than 19.8 Fantasy points in any outing. If he got the chance to start any games this season in place of Williams then Bagent could be a Fantasy option in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. But you can just add Bagent off the waiver wire in that scenario since the Bears are expected to remain committed to Williams as their starter this season.

RB D'Andre Swift

Swift joined the Bears in the offseason, where we expect he'll be the 1A in a committee approach. In a full PPR league, Swift should be drafted no earlier than Round 6, and he can go a round earlier in non-PPR. Swift's 229 carries last year were a career-high and slightly more than we are projecting for 2024. The less clear question is what his role will be in the passing game. Shane Waldron's offenses haven't generally featured running backs catching the ball. Add in a rookie quarterback and three high-end wide receivers and Swift may struggle to reach 40 grabs. You will feel a lot better about him if he's your flex rather than your RB2.  

RB Khalil Herbert

If Herbert remains with the Bears this season then he'll be the No. 2 running back behind D'Andre Swift to open the year. But there's the potential of Herbert getting traded since Chicago has a crowded backfield, which also features Roschon Johnson. The Bears will likely lean on Swift as long as he's healthy, and Johnson could play a role in the passing game. That could leave Herbert without the potential for many touches, and he's only worth a late-round pick. However, if he gets traded, that could make Herbert an attractive Fantasy option depending on his destination. In 2023, Herbert scored at least 11.4 PPR points in four of the 12 games he played, but he also had just six games with double digits in touches. It will be difficult to trust Herbert in most Fantasy leagues if he stays with the Bears and Swift is healthy, so hopefully he's dealt to a new team where he could showcase his skills. Remember, in 2022 Herbert led the NFL at 5.7 yards per carry.

RB Roschon Johnson

The Bears backfield got crowded this offseason with the addition of D'Andre Swift, and we'll see what that means for Johnson, the second-year running back. At the time of publication, Khalil Herbert is also on Chicago's roster, but there's the potential of Herbert getting traded, which would be great for Johnson. Most likely, Johnson will have a role in the passing game for the Bears, but we'd love to see him entrenched as the No. 2 running back behind Swift. That would likely allow Johnson the chance for guaranteed touches, as well as being a lottery ticket in case Swift ever got hurt. However, if Herbert remains in Chicago, then it could be tough to trust Johnson until we see his role. Plan on taking a flier on Johnson with a late-round pick in all leagues, and his value would rise if Herbert is traded. As a rookie in 2023, Johnson was underwhelming at 6.8 PPR points per game, but we expect him to perform at a higher level this season, especially if he was No. 2 on the depth chart behind Swift.

WR D.J. Moore

Moore should once again be considered the No. 1 receiver for the Bears, but he might not be as productive as he was in 2023. This season, consider Moore a No. 2 Fantasy receiver, and he's worth drafting in Round 4 in the majority of leagues. Last year, Moore averaged a career-best 16.9 PPR points per game, but he was the clear focal point of the passing game with 136 targets. This season, the Bears added Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, and both will command plenty of targets, which should impact Moore. We also have to see how Moore adjusts to a rookie quarterback in Caleb Williams, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Moore should still be productive but don't be surprised if he sees a decline in production this season with the new additions to Chicago's receiving corps. He should definitely be drafted as a starter in the majority of leagues, but don't reach for him on Draft Day based on how he performed in 2023.  

WR Keenan Allen

A new team, a crowded receiving corps and a rookie quarterback are likely to rein in Allen's numbers in 2024, making him more of a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in PPR leagues. Allen has consistently been a good stat producer, but he's also averaged at least six catches per game in each of his past seven seasons. Now in Chicago, the 32-year-old will share the field with D.J. Moore and first-rounder Rome Odunze while catching passes from rookie No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. It's clear Allen won't have the 8.5 or more targets per game he's enjoyed in each of his last seven seasons, and it's also clear from watching him last season that he's not as explosive as he once was. With receptions his primary way of scoring Fantasy points, Allen could hit eight-year lows in Fantasy point totals, even if he's helping the Bears offense in other ways. We'd consider Allen in Round 8 in PPR drafts, Round 9-plus in non-PPR.

WR Rome Odunze

The Bears selected Odunze with the No. 9 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and he should be a key part of Chicago's offense this season. We like Odunze with a mid-round pick in all redraft leagues, and he's worth drafting as a top-five overall pick in rookie-only drafts for Dynasty leagues. The Bears have a crowded receiving corps with Odunze, D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen, and Odunze should open the season as the No. 3 option behind the veterans. But Odunze could emerge as the go-to option for fellow rookie Caleb Williams, and Odunze has plenty of upside in his rookie campaign. He was a star in college at Washington, and in 2023 he had 92 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns. We'll see how quickly he adapts to the NFL and establishes a rapport with Williams, but plan on Odunze being a No. 3 Fantasy receiver to open the season with the chance to be a top-20 option by the end of the year if things go right.   

TE Cole Kmet

Kmet looked like he was poised to be the next breakout Fantasy tight end when 2023 ended, and that could still happen. However, the path to that breakout campaign got harder this offseason when the Bears added Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze to a receiving corps that already includes D.J. Moore, as well as a new tight end in Gerald Everett, so Kmet could struggle for targets. We view Kmet as just a No. 2 Fantasy tight end this season, and he's only worth drafting with a late-round pick. In 2023, Kmet played well when he scored at least 11.3 PPR points in eight games, and he averaged a career-best 10.7 PPR points per game for the season on 90 targets. It will be hard for Kmet to replicate those stats when everyone is healthy, but hopefully he develops a quick rapport with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. It's not a bad idea to stash Kmet at the end of your bench to see what happens early in the season. And if he goes undrafted then he could emerge as a waiver-wire option during the year if he plays well despite the crowded receiving corps in Chicago.

TE Gerald Everett

Everett landed with the Bears this offseason, reuniting with playcaller Shane Waldron from his days with Seattle. He'll compete for playing time this preseason, but with veteran TE Cole Kmet likely to lead the position in targets, and with Chicago's receiving corps rather deep, Everett probably won't get much of a chance to put up good numbers. Keep him off Fantasy rosters.

K Cairo Santos

Santos is coming off the best season of his career in 2023, and he could build off that performance this year with a revamped Chicago offense. We view Santos as a No. 2 Fantasy kicker to open the season, but he could emerge as a waiver-wire option during the year. In 2023, Santos averaged a career-best 9.3 Fantasy points per game. He made 35-of-38 field goals, including four of five kicks from 50-plus yards, and he also added 31 PATs on 33 attempts. The Bears offense should be more productive this season with additions in Caleb Williams, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, D'Andre Swift and Gerald Everett joining D.J. Moore and Cole Kmet, and hopefully that leads to consistent production for Santos. He could have the chance for another solid season in 2024.  

Bears DST

The Bears defense is getting overshadowed this season compared to the offense based on several high-profile additions, but don't forget about that side of the ball for Chicago. The Bears DST could be a nice surprise in 2024 and might prove to be a waiver-wire addition during the season. Chicago has some potential playmakers on defense in Montez Sweat, Tremaine Edmunds, Jaylon Johnson and Kevin Byard, and the Bears tied for first in interceptions in 2023 with 22. The problem for Chicago was being second to last in the NFL in sacks with 30, and hopefully a full season with Sweat changes that. Better pressure on the quarterback and continued turnovers will make the Bears DST more attractive, but don't draft the unit in the majority of leagues. Instead, let the Bears DST prove itself first and become a waiver-wire addition during the season.