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Darnell Mooney 2022 Outlook: Breakout In Justin Fields' Hands
3 years agoChicago Bears third-year wide receiver Darnell Mooney is one of the hottest mid-round fantasy options at the position heading into 2022. The opportunity in front of him is as secure as anyone in his ADP range. It is simply a question of whether he capitalizes on it and whether quarterback Justin Fields can take a significant step forward in his second year. Mooney quietly had tremendous target volume last year, but shaky quarterback play limited his ceiling. He finished with 140 targets (11th-best among wide receivers) but only 81 catches for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns. This was still good enough for the WR23 in PPR scoring but left so much unrealized potential. He also had much of his performance come with the Bears' former bridge quarterback, Andy Dalton, behind center. Four of Mooney's six top fantasy games last year came with Dalton, and he only had double-digit points in three of Fields' 10 starts. Mooney could realistically crack the top five in target share, but a massive breakout that many are hoping for relies heavily on efficiency gains and improvement from Fields. His current ADP of 76 is fair value against his upside and risks.
