Bears' Kyle Monangai: Limited production in Week 18
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Monangai rushed six times for 14 yards and caught his only target for 15 yards in Sunday's 19-16 loss to the Lions.
Monangai was bottled up for the most part in Week 18, producing his lowest yardage total on the ground since Week 1. On the bright side, the running back has now corralled at least one pass in three straight games after having caught just one pass over the previous four contests combined. Monangai will complete his rookie campaign having turned 169 carries into 783 yards and five touchdowns while catching 18 of 30 targets for 164 yards over 17 regular-season contests. The Bears will now square off with the Packers in the wild-card round next weekend, and Monangai combined to record 107 rushing yards on 23 carries in the team's previous two matchups with Green Bay this year.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Sleeper RBs
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I like D'Andre Swift as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues, but Monangai is worth using as a flex. He hasn't scored a touchdown in four games in a row, so he's due, and the Lions have allowed seven rushing touchdowns and eight total scores to running backs in the past five games. Monangai has at least 11 total touches in seven games in a row, including consecutive outings with three catches, and he should be a nice complement to Swift in this matchup at home.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Gains 47 yards Sunday
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Monangai handled eight carries for 38 yards and caught three of four targets for nine yards in Sunday's 42-38 loss to the 49ers.
Monangai and D'Andre Swift (9-54-2) both averaged well over 4.0 yards per carry against the 49ers' porous run defense Sunday, but the latter's pair of rushing touchdowns gave the veteran counterpart of Chicago's backfield duo the fantasy edge in Week 17. Monangai has cooled off a bit since exploding on the scene midseason, averaging 44.5 rushing yards per game with no touchdowns over his last four contests. That said, the seventh-round rookie remains a featured piece on offense for Chicago heading into a Week 18 matchup against the Lions.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Sleeper RBs
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Monangai had a solid game in Week 16 against Green Bay with nine carries for 50 yards and three catches for 43 yards on four targets, and he scored 12.3 PPR points. He has now scored at least 10.7 PPR points in four of his past six games, with three touchdowns over that span, and he's worth using as a high-end flex option in all leagues. D'Andre Swift should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all formats, and the 49ers have allowed a running back to score at least 11.4 PPR points in six games in a row.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Totals 93 yards
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Monangai rushed the ball nine times for 50 yards in Saturday's 22-16 overtime win over the Packers. He added three receptions on four targets for 43 yards.
Monangai was modestly out-touched by D'Andre Swift, but the rookie was the more productive in Saturday's comeback win. Monangai delivered a few particularly impactful plays, highlighted by a 34-yard catch and run on a screen pass to set up a field goal for the Bears. His longest rushes went for 13 and 11 yards, the latter of which converted a third down and set up Caleb Williams' game-winning throw. Monangai has double-digit touches in six consecutive games while splitting the backfield with Swift, and the former has reached 90 yards from scrimmage twice in that span.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Held quiet on 11 carries
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Monangai rushed the ball 11 times for 33 yards in Sunday's 31-3 win over the Browns. He wasn't able to catch either of his two targets.
Monangai split carries evenly with D'Andre Swift throughout the first half, accounting for eight of his 11 carries. However, Swift saw nine carries in the final two quarters as opposed to only three for Monangai. While he's still seen double-digit carries in five consecutive games, it appears clear that Swift remains the lead back in Chicago, meaning Monangai will be reliant on finding the end zone and rushing efficiency to put up viable fantasy performances. He didn't do either in Sunday's blowout win, leading to a disappointing stat line.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Handles 14 carries
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Monangai rushed the ball 14 times for 57 yards in Sunday's 28-21 loss to the Packers. He added one reception on two targets for zero yards.
Monangai worked as the traditional lead back for Chicago during the first half, though his touches ultimately evened out with D'Andre Swift throughout the final two quarters. Monangai couldn't find much running room in the tough matchup, logging a long gain of only nine yards while averaging 4.1 yards per carry. While it wasn't his best showing, Monangai has clearly established a major role in the Chicago offense, having logged at least 12 carries in four consecutive contests.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Cleared from injury report
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Monangai (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at Green Bay.
Monangai made it back to full participation Friday after missing Wednesday's practice and being limited Thursday. He should be fine for his usual role as the 1B to D'Andre Swift's 1A, but a matchup with the Packers could make it difficult to pile up rushing volume the way the Bears did in some of their recent games.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Sleeper RBs
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Monangai comes to Week 14 at Green Bay having scored a touchdown in four games in a row, and he has at least 10.7 PPR points in three consecutive outings. In Week 13 at Philadelphia, Monangai was dominant with 22 carries for 130 yards and a touchdown, and all of this production has come in tandem with D'Andre Swift. The Bears have given Monangai at least 12 carries in three games in a row, and that should continue against the Packers, who will be without defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (ankle) for the remainder of the year. Six running backs have scored at least 11.6 PPR points against Green Bay in the past five games, including a pair of teammates for the Giants in Week 11 (Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary) and the Lions in Week 13 (Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery), which bodes well for Swift and Monangai. I like both running backs in this matchup in Week 14.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Logs limited practice Thursday
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Monangai (ankle) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday.
One day removed from logging no on-field work due to an ankle injury Wednesday, Monangai was back in the mix, which generally is a positive sign as the Bears prepare for Sunday's visit to the Packers. Friday's practice report will unveil if he enters the weekend with a designation for Week 14 action, but if he's able to suit up, he likely will continue to see regular work out of Chicago's backfield along with D'Andre Swift, which resulted in both players surpassing 120 rushing yards and scoring one TD last Friday at Philadelphia.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Listed as DNP on Wednesday
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Monangai was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's practice estimate due to an ankle injury.
Monangai was listed with an ankle injury ahead of the Bears' Week 10 matchup against the Giants, but his listed lack of activity to begin Week 14 prep is somewhat worrisome as the team prepares for Sunday's road showdown with the Packers. His status thus will be monitored closely as the week continues to see if he practices Thursday and/or Friday, after which the Bears may tag him with a designation. D'Andre Swift would take on most of the backfield reps this weekend if Monangai is inhibited or sidelined.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Big numbers with elevated workload
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Monangai rushed 22 times for 130 yards and a touchdown and failed to bring in his only target in the Bears' 24-15 win over the Eagles on Friday.
Monangai surprisingly returned to a starter-level workload despite D'Andre Swift being active and gaining 125 rushing yards of his own while also punching in a score. Monangai outpaced his veteran backfield mate by four carries and recorded his fifth rush TD of the season on a four-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Monangai had topped out at 12 carries in terms of a single-game tally in the last three contests, so the boost in volume Friday was significant and surprising. Nevertheless, the division of labor in the backfield is likely to continue fluctuating game to game moving forward, and Friday's usage for both backs was largely the result of a favorable game script and clear matchup advantage.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Gets seven touches to Swift's 18
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Monangai rushed seven times for 28 yards and a touchdown while failing to catch his only target in Sunday's 24-20 win over the Giants.
Monangai broke out for 198 scrimmage yards against the Bengals in Week 9 but was outplayed by D'Andre Swift (groin) in Swift's return from a one-game absence in Week 10. The rookie seventh-round pick out of Rutgers opened the scoring with an eight-yard touchdown run in the first quarter but was out-touched, 18-7, by Swift. Head coach Ben Johnson may be attempting to replicate the backfield formula he used as the Lions' offensive coordinator the previous couple seasons, with the 5-foot-8, 207-pound Monangai providing power inside a la David Montgomery while Swift's used in a more versatile role like Jahmyr Gibbs. Swift is still the top option for the Bears, but Monangai should remain involved in Week 11 against the Vikings.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: 'Hot hand' may determine workload
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Coach Ben Johnson said Friday that he believes "in a guy having the hot hand," which may sway the RB pecking order between Monangai (ankle) and typical No. 1 option D'Andre Swift (groin/personal) on Sunday against the Giants, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports. "One guy, if he's feeling it and giving us a spark, we might lean on that a little bit longer," Johnson added.
With Swift absent this past Sunday at Cincinnati, Monangai took full advantage of the opportunity, reeling off 198 yards from scrimmage on 29 touches. That would indicate Monangai has the so-called "hot hand" at the moment, and while both he and Swift followed up limited sessions Wednesday with full listings one day later, Swift didn't practice Friday due to a personal concern and is listed as questionable for Week 10 action. The Bears have a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday, meaning Swift's status will become known about 90 minutes prior to that. In any case, Monangai is slated to be a part of Chicago's backfield this weekend, but how large his workload may be remains to be seen.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: No limitations Thursday
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Monangai (ankle) was a full practice participant Thursday.
Monangai had a cap on his reps Wednesday during the Bears' first Week 10 session, but his ability to participate fully in Thursday's practice clears the way for the rookie to play Sunday against the Giants. While D'Andre Swift (groin) missed his first game of the season in Week 9, Monangai stepped in seamlessly as the Bears' starting running back in a 47-42 win over the Bengals, finishing with 198 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 29 touches. Swift also practiced fully Thursday and should return to a starting role this weekend, but Monangai may have nonetheless earned himself a larger share of the touches and snaps out of the backfield than he had previously occupied on the heels of his big performance.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: RBs to Start
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We'll see if D'Andre Swift (groin) is able to return in Week 10 against the Giants after missing Week 9 at Cincinnati, but even if Swift is healthy, I still like Monangai as a low-end starter in all leagues. And without Swift, Monangai has top-five upside after what he just did against the Bengals with 26 carries for 176 yards and three catches for 22 yards on five targets. Monangai now has two games this season with double digits in carries, and he scored at least 17.4 PPR points in both of them. The Giants are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and in the past two games the Eagles and 49ers backfield have combined for 59 carries for 415 yards and three touchdowns and 10 catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns on 13 targets. This could be another monster game for Monangai in Week 10.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Top DFS Play
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Assuming Swift is still out, Monangai is the clear top play at running back with a price tag of $6,500. He projects as a top 10 back for me in all formats against a Giants defense that has allowed the second most Fantasy points to opposing running backs. If Swift is back, then Dowdle is the top play.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Memorable day in first career start
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Monangai rushed 26 times for 176 yards and brought in three of five targets for 22 yards in the Bears' 47-42 win over the Bengals on Sunday.
The rookie seventh-round pick got the starting call due to both D'Andre Swift (groin) and Roschon Johnson (back) being sidelined, and Monangai delivered even better returns than he was already projected for while facing a highly porous Bengals defense. Monangai's longest run of the day went for an impressive 39 yards, one of his three gains of 10-plus yards on the ground. The standout performance certainly gives the Bears confidence -- and perhaps the luxury of sitting Swift out an extra week if he's not fully healthy -- when they draw another extremely favorable matchup for the running game in that of the visiting Giants in Week 10.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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D'Andre Swift (groin) is out for the Bears, and Monangai now has the chance for a big game in Week 9. He has a dream matchup against the Bengals, who are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and 12 running backs have scored at least 11.5 PPR points against the Bengals this season. And in the past five games alone, RJ Harvey, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Josh Jacobs, Jaylen Warren, Breece Hall and Isaiah Davis all scored at least 14.1 PPR points. I was planning to use Monangai as a flex option in tandem with Swift before he was ruled out, but now Monangai is a borderline No. 1 running back in all formats. He has one game this season with double digits in touches in Week 7 against New Orleans, and he had 13 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown and two catches for 13 yards on three targets for 17.4 PPR points. I could see him matching that level of production in Week 9.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Slated to pace backfield in Week 9
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Monangai is poised to lead the Bears backfield Sunday at Cincinnati in the wake of D'Andre Swift (groin) being ruled out, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.
Both Swift and Roschon Johnson (back) were unable to practice this week due to their respective injuries, and Chicago ruled out both players on Friday's practice report. Swift's health concern in particular has been lingering for weeks, so perhaps the Bears are giving him the week off with the long term in mind. In any case, Monangai will be the primary beneficiary Sunday, and the rookie seventh-round pick's average of 4.4 yards per carry so far as a pro indicates a fruitful performance is very possible against the Bengals' league-worst run defense (151.9 yards per game).
