Bears @ Lions Week 17 Game Preview
This game between the Bears and the Lions has shootout potential, with the Lions favored to win and both teams likely to have some good fantasy production.
Bears at Lions
It seems a bit strange to say I’ve been looking forward to a Week 17 game between two teams that are sub .500 since the offseason, but it is true. I’ve had my eye on this one ever since we were drafting best ball teams on the beach. While I can sadly already say this game isn’t going to win me any best ball tournaments, it at least has a good chance of living up to its shootout potential. The game total is currently set at 52 points, which reflects the fact that two bad defenses alongside two offenses capable of creating explosive plays is a great recipe for scoring.
The Lions’ offense has been truly impressive this year, and even in relatively down performances over the past two weeks, they still put up 350+ yards in both games. Those matchups were against significantly tougher defenses than Chicago, so there is good reason to think we will see plenty of points in Detroit. In fact, this game features two of the bottom three teams in yards per attempt allowed to opposing QBs, a great sign for the passing games here. Both Justin Fields and Jared Goff are ranked as top 8 QBs this week and I, like many others, have turned to Goff to deliver me a fantasy championship after losing multiple QBs to injury in recent weeks. Fields has been dealing with a number of injuries in recent weeks but the matchup is too good to consider not starting him, and he should receive a boost with multiple OL starters set to return for this game.
The most difficult start/sit decisions come in the Detroit backfield, where D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams are on the RB2/3 borderline due to their inconsistent usage and production. Both players are candidates to make you regret starting or benching them given their high ceilings and low floors. Amon-Ra St. Brown is an elite option at the WR position while DJ Chark is a boom or bust flex play who has a good chance of hauling in a couple deep passes in this game.
Apart from Fields, there aren’t too many Bears making their way into championship lineups. David Montgomery projects well and is a high level RB2 against a Lions defense that just got torched for 320 rushing yards by Carolina last week. Cole Kmet is a low-end TE1 who should see a solid target share, but is still in the TD-dependent TE category. Although he was ineffective in his return from injury last week, RB Khalil Herbert makes for a fun play in DFS tournaments in case the Bears run all over the Lions.
Their loss last week has the Lions on the outside looking in for the NFC playoff picture, but they will undoubtedly be ready for this divisional matchup at home and looking to secure a win that keeps them in the hunt should teams ahead of them stumble. The Bears are still in evaluation mode and want to build momentum for their young team heading into the offseason, but they definitely have less to play for. The Lions are currently 6 point favorites and that feels about right to me. I expect the Lions to win this one, but I’m more interested in seeing both teams put up points and deliver on the high expectations we have for the players in our lineups.