When the Chicago Bears brought Ben Johnson in to take over as head coach, many people expected the Bears' offense to finally thrive. Even though there have been ups and downs this season, fantasy football managers who invested in running back D'Andre Swift have been thrilled.
Through the seven games Swift has played, he has averaged just under 16 PPR points per game. That has Swift as a borderline RB1 in most fantasy leagues, and great value for his ADP (average draft position).
But in Week 9, Swift missed the game with a groin injury. In his place, Kyle Monangai went bonkers, rushing for 176 yards on 26 carries. He also caught three of five targets for an additional 22 yards.
Despite Swift returning to practice in a full capacity on Thursday, Johnson's comments on Friday ought to frighten Swift owners, as captured by ESPN's Courtney Cronin.
“I believe in a guy having the hot hand,” Johnson said. “One guy, if he's feeling it and giving us a spark, we might lean on that a little bit longer.” That does not bode well for Swift regaining his alpha status in the Bears' backfield.
It is hard to blame Johnson, though. Bell cow backs are hard to come by these days, and Johnson has the pedigree of utilizing multiple tailbacks, with tons of success.
In his previous stop, Johnson was the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions.
The Lions boast the league's most feared 1-2 punch at running back, with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. But that offense is so explosive, both backs could be started in fantasy football lineups every week.
It remains to be seen whether that is the case in Chicago. But if Johnson plans to go with a “hot hand” approach, and Monangai just posted 198 yards, it stands to reason that Swift is about to lose a lot of work.
He can still be started for the Bears' Week 10 matchup against the New York Giants, but expectations should be peeled back a bit.
