Bears @ Vikings Week 12 Game Preview
Jonathan Fuller breaks down the Week 12 matchup between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings from a fantasy football and betting perspective.
Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings
We have an NFC North showdown on Monday Night Football in Minneapolis for Week 12.
Both the Bears and Vikings are coming off disappointing losses, but Minnesota is still firmly in the playoff hunt, while Chicago is in the hunt to land two top draft picks as a result of their (and Carolina’s) struggles this year.
The game has a respectable point total, and the Vikings are more than a field goal favorite at the time of writing, but both teams ranked among the most run-heavy offenses in the NFL in Week 11.
Both teams were leading for the majority of their Week 11 matchup but ended up giving up the lead late, we’ll have to see whether they decide to be more aggressive following their blown leads.
For the Bears, Justin Fields was back in the lineup last week and helped the Bears offense put up 20+ points for the first time in four games. He posted a season-high in rush attempts (14) and rushing yards (104), a trend that fantasy managers hope to see continue.
Fields leaned on DJ Moore heavily last week which helped him post his best fantasy finish since Week 5. Both players should be in fantasy lineups this week, with Fields checking in as the QB7 in the Fantasy Life consensus ranks while Moore is the WR18.
Khalil Herbert is also healthy again and resumed his role as the lead back. If D’Onta Foreman misses time with the ankle injury he suffered in Week 11, Herbert could be in line for an even larger role.
Minnesota has been solid against the run, which means Herbert probably isn’t a great FLEX option, but he’s someone I would be excited to have on my bench for what he could offer in the coming weeks.
Cole Kmet ended his run of three straight weeks as a top-12 TE but remains a strong fantasy option and is the TE10 in the Fantasy Life consensus ranks for this week. Kmet had a 20% target share in Week 1-6 with Fields starting and should have a nice weekly ceiling going forward.
The third game of the Josh Dobbs experience in Minnesota resulted in a last minute loss to the Broncos, but Dobbs still played relatively well and continued his streak of having a passing and rushing TD in every game for Minnesota. His rushing upside will keep him as a borderline top-12 QB most weeks.
Unfortunately for the Vikings, it sounds like Justin Jefferson may not return until after their bye in Week 13, and he isn’t worried about what that means for fantasy managers.
The Dobbs era has been best for TJ Hockenson, who has seen a 35% target share over the last three weeks. Jordan Addison and KJ Osborn haven’t delivered for fantasy recently, but I expect Minnesota to throw a decent amount in this game, so I am sticking with Addison in lineups where I have him.
The Bears' defense ranks third best in rushing success rate allowed but ranks fourth worst in dropback EPA allowed. Minnesota is one of the least efficient rushing offenses this year so everything sets up for Minnesota to have to move the ball through the air.