Is Justin Fields Playing or Injured in Week 11? Fantasy Football Injury Update

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (thumb) has not played since Week 6 after dislocating his thumb on his throwing hand. Fields first injured his right thumb in the Bears' 19-13 loss against the Minnesota Vikings, which caused him to miss the next four games. 

Fields was not placed on injured reserve following his injury, but he winded up missing Weeks 7-10 anyway. The lengthy absence for the Bears' quarterback has been due to his trouble with trying to grip the football and getting back his grip strength. 

Will Fields play in Week 11? Is he still injured? Let's dive in. 

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Is Justin Fields Playing in Week 11?

After a four-week absence, all signs point to Fields returning in Week 11 against the Detroit Lions, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The 24-year-old quarterback fully practiced with the team on Wednesday and appears to be on track to return to the field. 

It is interesting to note that Fields' thumb is not 100% healed yet, which could cause some poor throws or fumble issues against the Lions in his return. But the quarterback said his thumb "feels good." He also went on to say that "there's still a little of healing left, but it's stable." 

If Fields is ready to go in Week 11, he will re-assume QB1 duties in Chicago and force undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent back to the bench. Bagent threw for 776 yards, three touchdowns, and five interceptions in four starts for the Bears while filling in for Fields. 

Justin Fields Fantasy Football Injury Outlook

Fields' return is great news for fantasy managers who patiently waited for his comeback. Before the quarterback injured his thumb in Week 6 and left midway through the game, he finished as the QB1 and QB3 in the previous two contests. In those games, he threw for a combined 617 yards and eight touchdowns in Week 4 and Week 5, respectively. 

He will be a strong QB1 moving forward with a lot to prove in Chicago over the final seven weeks of the season. The matchup against the Lions in Week 11 is also a great one, considering Detroit has given up the ninth most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this year (18.5). 

However, there could be some growing pains with Fields' accuracy on Sunday. He hasn't thrown much over the past couple of weeks, and his thumb isn't fully healed. That could potentially correlate to more rushing work for a quarterback who ran for 1,100 yards in 2022. He's a solid start this week in fantasy. 

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