The Chicago Bears have loaded with their offense with playmaking pass catchers as they look to help quarterback Caleb Williams reach his number one overall pick ceiling. With new head coach Ben Johnson running the show, the Bears are expecting supreme offensive upgrades.
Wide receiver DJ Moore will still be a focal point of the offense. He led the team in receiving in 2024. But now, he’ll be competing for targets with the likes of Luther Burden, Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet. “Competing” may be the wrong term for Johnson’s expectations, as he wants his offense to be explosive and dynamic from all angles.
But from a fantasy football perspective, Moore’s potential has taken a bit of a bit. If Williams moves the ball around the field, as is expected, Moore may have down weeks where another receiver shines. Because of that scenario, Moore found himself on Matt Berry of NBC Sports’ ‘Hate’ list coming out of the 2025 NFL Draft.
“The additions of Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III mean consistent targets could be difficult to come by,” Berry wrote. “DJ Moore is coming off career lows in yards per target and yards per route run. Even worse for Moore? Burden is essentially more … Moore. Their skill sets overlap. Last season, more than 60% of Moore’s receiving yards came after the catch and he led the NFL in screen targets.”
Chicago Bears’ DJ Moore takes fantasy football hit
At the end of the day, Moore nor the Bears will care about his fantasy value. If Chicago is winning games, and the wide receiver is producing in the offense, that is all the team needs. However, those who do care about fantasy football might want to be a bit wary of Moore on draft night.
In Williams’ rookie season, Moore caught 98 passes for 966 yards and six touchdowns. It was a slight drop in his production from his first year with the Bears, where Moore had 96 grabs for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns. However, it’s clear that there is a connection between wide receiver and quarterback. Even with the influx of talent, Williams is still going to be looking Moore’s way early and often.
During Johnson’s final year with the Detroit Lions, he was able to help the offense produce a number of fantasy football stars. In terms of wide receivers, both Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams broke 1,000 yards, catching 12 and seven touchdown passes respectively. That was with tight end Sam LaPorta gaining 726 yards and seven touchdowns and running back Jahmyr Gibbs adding 517 yards and four touchdowns.
Of course, it would be naive to directly compare the Bears to the Lions offensively. If everything works out as Johnson plans, there will be a true resurgence on offense. But in year one, Chicago is still trying to set their foundation.
Still, it shows that when Johnson’s offense is working at its highest caliber, numerous pass catchers can succeed. In a sense, Moore’s fantasy value could go up if he takes on the Brown role. He would have consistent targets and the lead role in the passing game.
But Johnson will need to figure out exactly how the offense will function. It makes sense to be a bit concerned about Moore’s outlook with so many cooks in the kitchen. But if Johnson can help Williams become the quarterback the Bears know he can be, Moore and everyone on Chicago’s offense will benefit.
Chicago Bears declared NFC North draft champions
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