The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 2 matchup between the Lions and Bears.
Find a breakdown of every Week 2 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Chicago | Rank | @ | Detroit | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | Spread | -5.5 | ||
| 21.0 | Implied Total | 26.5 | ||
| 24.0 | 10 | Points/Gm | 13.0 | 24 |
| 27.0 | 25 | Points All./Gm | 27.0 | 25 |
| 63.0 | 11 | Plays/Gm | 65.0 | 9 |
| 49.0 | 3 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 47.0 | 2 |
| 5 | 16 | Off. Yards/Play | 3.8 | 29 |
| 5.2 | 19 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.7 | 23 |
| 41.27% | 16 | Rush% | 33.85% | 27 |
| 58.73% | 17 | Pass% | 66.15% | 6 |
| 53.06% | 27 | Opp. Rush % | 53.19% | 28 |
| 46.94% | 6 | Opp. Pass % | 46.81% | 5 |
- The Lions averaged 3.8 yards per play in Week 1, their fewest in a game since Week 16, 2020 (3.7 yards).
- Detroit produced a play of 10 or more yards on 10.8% of their offensive snaps, ahead of only the Eagles (9.7%) and Titans (9.1%) in Week 1.
- Detroit produced a 37.3% success rate in Week 1 (26th) after leading the NFL with a 48.2% success rate on offense in 2024.
- The Lions had the lowest deep throw rate in Week 1 (2.6%).
- Lions running backs produced -7.13 EPA rushing in Week 1, 27th in the league.
- Chicago averaged 5.5 yards per play in the first half in Week 1 (13th) and then 4.5 yards per play after halftime (20th).
- The Bears allowed 4.2 yards per play in the first half of Week 1 (10th) before allowing 5.8 yards per play in the second half (25th).
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Caleb Williams: Week 1 was an up-and-down real game for Williams, but he found fantasy footing, closing as the QB9 (24.2 points).
Williams opened the game by connecting on his first 10 passes and going 13 of 16 in the first half.
The second half was not as strong, with Williams hitting 8 of 19 passes (42.1%) for 98 yards (5.2 Y/A) after the break.
Brian Flores was passive in the first half, blitzing Williams on only 20% of his dropbacks.
In the second half, he sent a blitz 43.5% of the time.
When blitzed, Williams was 4 of 11 for 33 yards (3.0 Y/A).
Accuracy was an ongoing issue for Williams again.
22.9% of his throws were inaccurate in Week 1, the highest rate of any passer.
Williams was third in expected completion rate per Next Gen Stats, but his -13.2% completion rate versus expectation was the worst in the league in Week 1.
Outside of the uneven passing night, Williams got a boost for fantasy through his legs.
He rushed for 58 yards and his first career rushing touchdown, coming up just 1 yard short of a second rushing score (he did throw a touchdown the next play).
Williams scrambled on 14% of his dropbacks in Week 1, second in the league.
Ben Johnson remained static with his preseason approach.
Williams took 50.8% of his snaps under center, which was third in the league.
But Williams will have to get acclimated to playing more under center.
On those dropbacks, he only threw for 4.0 yards per attempt.
Out of the shotgun, he averaged 7.2 yards per attempt.
Johnson heads back to Detroit but faces a new defensive coordinator in Kelvin Sheppard.
The Lions stayed aggressive in Sheppard’s first game calling the defense.
They blitzed 43.5% of the time (third) and played man coverage on a league-high 50% of the passing snaps.
When they did give up production, they allowed big gains.
Detroit allowed 8.5 Y/A (26th) and 11.8 yards per completion (25th).
The Bears are on the road with a pedestrian team total.
Pairing that with the continued sporadic passing efficiency from Williams, he is a volatile QB2 with added upside if his Week 1 rushing performance remains consistent.
Jared Goff: We anticipated regression for the Detroit offense, but next to nothing went right in their first game without Ben Johnson.
Goff ended the week as QB23 (10.9 points).
He did connect on 31 of 39 passes, but there was no downfield passing in this offense.
Goff averaged a league-low 4.2 air yards per attempt in Week 1.
Only 23.1% of his throws were 10 or more yards downfield (29th), while a league-low 2.6% went 20 or more yards downfield.
We were worried about the changes on the offensive line, and for at least one week, they were an issue.
Goff was pressured on 37.2% of his dropbacks.
The Detroit offense still has too much talent to be as bad as they were in Week 1 for the remainder of the season.
The Green Bay defense could also be a contributing factor to their struggles.
The Lions head home this week, and the books are still giving them the benefit of the doubt with a large team total.
Given the history of this offense, we should still have some optimism.
Goff does not come with any rushing upside, however, which leaves him as a floor-based QB2.
The Chicago defense started strong against J.J. McCarthy, but they were figured out after the half by a quarterback making his first career start.
In the first half on Monday, the Bears allowed 6.0 Y/A and a first down on 12.5% of the Minnesota passes (the lowest rate in the league).
But after the break, they allowed 11.9 Y/A and a first down or touchdown on 33.3% of passes.
Running Back
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Learn MoreMore Week 2 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Commanders @ Packers | Thursday Night Football |
| Jaguars @ Bengals | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Giants @ Cowboys | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bears @ Lions | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Rams @ Titans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Patriots @ Dolphins | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| 49ers @ Saints | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bills @ Jets | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Seahawks @ Steelers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Browns @ Ravens | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Broncos @ Colts | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Panthers @ Cardinals | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Eagles @ Chiefs | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Falcons @ Vikings | Sunday Night Football |
| Bucs @ Texans | Monday Night Football |
| Chargers @ Raiders | Monday Night Football |