Eagles vs. Bears Fantasy Football Worksheet, Week 3

The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Eagles-Bears Week 3 matchup on Monday Night Football.

Find a breakdown of every Week 3 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.

Trust = spike production for that player

Eagles vs. Bears Fantasy Quarterback Preview

Jalen Hurts

Hurts is coming off a QB15 (16.2 points) scoring week in Tennessee where he completed 26 of 37 passes (70.3%) for 264 yards (7.1 Y/A) with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

He added 16 rushing yards.

The Eagles have once again opened the season searching for an identity.

Right now, the offense is built on big plays rather than down-to-down consistency.

What they are struggling with right now is accepting that they are not a good running team, and it is putting them in negative situations.

This matchup may alleviate some of the rushing inefficiency, but the last drive of Sunday's game was more evidence that they need to open things up.

Through two weeks, the Eagles are the worst offense in the league on first downs.

They have a 40% dropback rate on first-down play calls (24th) outside of the fourth quarter despite rushing for 3.2 yards per attempt on those runs (26th).

The kicker is that on second downs needing 7 or more yards after a running play on first down, the Eagles are 27th in dropback rate (56.3%).

The league average in those spots is 71.1%.

On first-down passes, the Bears have allowed a 68.1% completion rate (26th), 7.9 yards per attempt (26th), and a new first down or touchdown on 30.7% of those passes (22nd) since the start of last season.

This would be a great spot to get things going for this passing game, which may, inversely, help the anemic running game.

I am still high on Hurts here as a QB1 for fantasy purposes.

I want to be extra bullish on Hurts having spike-week potential here, but with Caleb Williams unlikely to play, I'm a touch worried the Eagles won't be pushed to be aggressive.

Bears QB

While Caleb Williams avoided a major injury that will not end his season, we still don't expect him to play in Week 3.

Tyson Bagent suffered a concussion on the final play of last week's game, putting his status in jeopardy.

The Monday night game gives Bagent an extra day to clear protocol, but post-game symptoms make that a longer bet.

If Bagent sits, Case Keenum would be the starter for Chicago.

Keenum has not started a game (or thrown a pass) since 2023 with the Texans.

The last time he was on the field, he threw multiple interceptions and averaged 3.6 yards per pass attempt.

Keenum is only in play for 2QB formats and single-game DFS.

Ben Johnson will have to be in his bag on Monday night.

After scoring 59 points in Week 1, the Bears have a lower implied team total this week than all but the Dolphins and Commanders.

Going against this Eagles pass defense is already a tough ask.

They are ninth in pressure rate (39.1%).

When they have pressured the quarterback, those passers are 2 for 17 (11.8%) for 2 yards.

Without pressure, however, they have allowed a 78.4% completion rate (24th) and 8.9 Y/A (26th).

Quarterback runs have been an early-season issue for the Eagles, but removing Williams for Keenum wipes out that angle for the offense.

Eagles vs. Bears Fantasy Running Back Preview

Saquon Barkley

Barkley left last week's game due to a stinger/neck issue, something he has dealt with in the past.

We will follow his status this week to see if he can log a full practice before the weekend.

The Monday night game does not make things easier for managers, so hopefully we have clarity on his status before Sunday.

That has been an early theme for stars in these primetime games, with Malik Nabers in Week 1, Puka Nacua last week, and now potentially Barkley.

Barkley rushed only 4 times for 9 yards on Sunday (2.3 YPC), and the run game has struggled over the past two weeks.

After Barkley left Sunday, Tank Bigsby rushed 13 times for 33 yards (2.5 YPC), although he did get into the end zone, while Will Shipley ran 7 times for 24 yards (3.4 YPC).

This is a top-down problem so far.

Over two games, the Eagles' backfield has a 31% success rate (26th), has failed to gain yards on 21.4% of runs (24th), and has averaged 0.48 yards before contact per rush (30th).

The Chicago defense has been the opposite, so something has to give.

The Bears have allowed 4.6 yards per carry to backs (25th), allowing 2.18 yards before contact per rush (30th).

They are coming off allowing 113 rushing yards on 25 runs (4.5 YPC) to the Minnesota backfield on Sunday.

If Barkley checks out and is good to go, then you are going back to him in a favorable matchup.

With Case Keenum set to start, the Eagles should be in a neutral game script at least, if not playing ahead for most of the game.

If Barkley misses time, Bigsby becomes a back-end RB2/FLEX, with Shipley as a floor-based RB3/FLEX in full-PPR formats.

Bigsby and Shipley split the backfield last week, with Bigsby taking on the early-down and short-yardage rushing opportunities and Shipley as the change-of-pace back.

Shipley ran 24 pass routes last week to Bigsby's 7.

D'Andre Swift

Swift led the backfield with 67.1% of the snaps, 21 touches, and 99 total yards on Sunday, but a lost fumble at the goal line dampened his day in a one-score game.

The quarterback situation casts a cloud over the entire offense, leaving Swift as an RB2/FLEX here.

The Eagles have been spotty against the run to open the season, allowing 4.2 YPC to backs (21st) with a 59.6% success rate (21st).

The Bears ran all over this defense in this matchup last season.

They had 281 rushing yards, the most rushing yards a Vic Fangio-led defense has allowed in a game since 2005.

Chicago backs killed them on outside zone runs, rushing 28 times for 184 yards.

I have significant reservations that they can do that again, and I am sure it will be a talking point for this defense this week.

But I do expect the Bears to try to insulate their backup quarterback with the run game.

Swift also has outs as a pass catcher if things go south.

He ran 19 routes to just 5 for Kyle Monangai last week.

Kyle Monangai

Monangai played 32.9% of the snaps in Week 2, turning 12 touches into 58 yards.

He gets hurt most by the changing offensive environment, since his fantasy role needs positive game scripts and scoring opportunities.

Monangai had 130 yards in this matchup last year, but the variables have changed this time around.

He needs to get into the paint as a touchdown-dependent FLEX.

Monangai has run a route on only 25.3% of the dropbacks.

Eagles vs. Bears Fantasy Wide Receiver Preview

DeVonta Smith

Smith had a great game on Sunday, securing 10 of 13 targets for 117 yards and a touchdown.

He has opened the season with target shares of 27.3% and 37.1% while running routes on 96% of dropbacks.

If the Eagles get pushed to throw here or lean into the pass more because the run game continues to flounder, this is a tremendous spot for Smith as a WR1.

The Bears are playing single-high coverage 65.7% of the time (5th highest) and Cover 1 at the second-highest rate (38.1%).

Over two games this season, Smith has 38.9% of the team's targets against Cover 1, averaging 2.74 yards per route run.

Smith has been targeted on 44.4% of his routes against Cover 1 through two weeks and has averaged 2.03 yards per route against Cover 1 for his career.

Dontayvion Wicks

Wicks has started the season with games of 2-73-1 (4 targets) and 5-74-0 (6 targets).

He was banged up a bit on Sunday, which limited him to a 66.7% route rate (93.9% in Week 1), but he was still targeted on 21.4% of his routes.

This passing game has top-down matchup appeal, and Dallas Goedert‘s injury frees up targets in the offense.

Wicks is a WR4/FLEX with upside to be better if his route rate looks close to Week 1 and the Eagles get pushed.

Early-season coverage splits strongly favor Smith, but it is early in the year.

Against single-high coverages so far, Wicks has been targeted on 15% of his routes with 1.45 yards per route, compared to an 18.4% target rate per route and 3.11 yards per route against two-high coverages.

Luther Burden

Burden has not gotten off to the start that gamers had hoped for, catching 8 of 12 targets for 95 yards through two games.

That said, Burden still has 21.1% of the team's targets and leads the team in early-down target share (23.7%).

Short-term, however, Burden takes a hit as a floor-based WR3/FLEX given the quarterback change and the matchup.

Burden has played 55% of his snaps from the slot, but he has been targeted on only 12.5% of his slot routes (0.75 yards per route), compared with 32% of his routes outside (2.84 yards per route).

The Eagles obviously have awesome boundary corners in Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen, so it is hard to play through Burden's splits outside.

Philadelphia has allowed 10 catches for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns to slot receivers so far, which likely plays a role in adding Kenny Moore this week and potentially giving them more flexibility to move Cooper DeJean around more like they did last week.

After playing 52 snaps in the slot in Week 1, DeJean played 25 snaps in the slot last week, 22 in the box, and 6 snaps at safety.

There is a world where a traditional pocket passer can get these Chicago guys targets and catches to have usable floors.

The ceiling potential is just lowered, while the floor we have had to this point remains.

Rome Odunze

Odunze has 5 catches for 95 yards (7 targets) to open the year.

He was limited in Week 1 (57.9% route rate).

He returned to a full-time role (92.7%) in Week 2, but game conditions did the passing game no favors.

Now entering Week 3, we don't have Williams.

This is as bad a runout we could have for these pass catchers to open the season.

On top of that, Odunze has played 79.8% of his snaps out wide, where he will lock up with Mitchell and Woolen.

Factoring all of that in, Odunze is a touchdown-dependent WR4/FLEX.

Kalif Raymond

Raymond still is not going away.

After 8 catches for 84 yards in Week 1, Raymond caught 5 passes for 40 yards on Sunday.

His route rate last week (78%) was also up from Week 1 (57.9%).

Where Raymond is poaching targets from the guys gamers invested in is on third down.

Raymond has 44.4% of the team's targets on third down.

That is eighth in the NFL through two weeks.

On early downs, he has only 15.8% of the team's targets.

Raymond is still more of a thorn for the brand names here, and a floor-based WR5/FLEX in full-PPR formats.

Makai Lemon

Lemon gets a bump with Dallas Goedert's injury but is still only in play for single-game DFS or truly deep leaguers.

The Eagles threw the ball out of 11 personnel 92.5% of the time in Week 2.

Now, we need to see him get targets.

Lemon has only been targeted 5 times on 61 routes (8.2%).

Darius Cooper (3 targets on 14 routes) out-targeted Lemon last weekend.

I believe Lemon will see more targets moving forward, but this game lost some of its upside with Williams' injury.

Eagles vs. Bears Fantasy Tight End Preview

Colston Loveland

Loveland did catch a pass last week, but only 1 for 3 yards.

Sitting on 1 catch for 3 yards and only 5 targets in two games was not something I would have believed, even if you told me Loveland started out as a disappointment.

He played a touch less in Week 2 (70.7% routes) than in Week 1 (89.5%).

To add insult to injury, he was the guy who got bulldozed by Dallas Turner, which not only ended the game but also injured Bagent.

It is hard to go back to Loveland in Week 3 as more than a touchdown-dependent TE2.

Williams is out, and we have avoided the Eagles for tight end output since Zack Baun‘s ascension as one of the league's best coverage linebackers.

Since Baun joined the Eagles, they have allowed the lowest catch rate to tight ends (66.2%), fewest yards per target to the position (5.4), and 11 touchdowns (7th).

Zach Ertz

The Eagles brought back Ertz this week after losing Dallas Goedert to an MCL injury.

Ertz is expected to play on Monday, but it would be shocking to see him have a massive role right away in the first week back with the team.

The 35-year-old is coming back from an ACL tear last December.

For narrative's sake, he is a touchdown-or-bust swing in single-game DFS.

When Goedert went down last week, Johnny Mundt stepped in and caught 2 passes for 8 yards (20 routes), while E.J. Jenkins caught no passes on 9 routes.

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