Commanders vs Bears Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Carson Wentz, David Montgomery, Curtis Samuel, Darnell Mooney, Brian Robinson Jr.

Things I’d rather watch over Thursday Night's game in Week 5: wet paint, dry paint, Sharknado 3D, Thor: The Dark World, and Nathan Peterman vs. Josh Rosen playing Beer Pong. Outside of that, I can pull a Gordon Ramsey on Russell Wilson’s cooking, but there’s no need to beat a dead horse (Broncos pun intended).

The one good thing about last week is that it’s gotten me more excited than I should be for the Commanders to take on the Bears. Carson Wentz is currently second in the league in pass attempts, and Justin Fields is last among all starters in attempts. Despite this, Washington has been pretty shut down against running backs, but very vulnerable in the air – something has to give.

Heading into Week 6, the NFL season is well underway. I wish all of you the best with your fantasy seasons so far. Now, let’s get into your RotoBaller Thursday Night Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em preview.

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Washington Commanders @ Chicago Bears - 8:20 pm ET

Notable Injuries:

• Jahan Dotson (WR, WAS) - Hamstring - Out
• Logan Thomas (TE, WAS) - Calf - Out

Must-Starts for Fantasy Football Lineups

Terry McLaurin (WR, WAS)

I’m not sure if McLaurin is actually a “must start,” however, he’s the closest thing to it in this matchup. Especially if Jahan Dotson misses again this week, Wentz has been providing solid volume to the veteran WR. This week, he faces a Bears team that is allowing the 10th-fewest fantasy points to the WR position and is tied for the fourth-fewest passing touchdowns per game. In the end, I think McLaurin is a mid-WR2 option this week and would play him over players like Brandin Cooks and DeVonta Smith.

David Montgomery (RB, CHI)

In almost any other matchup, I think Montgomery is a firm Must Start. However, this Washington team is only good at one thing on defense, and that’s stopping the run. The good news for Montgomery's managers is that he came back and told Khalil Herbert to hold his beer as he took all the starting work. 

Much like last year, despite Herbert performing admirably in Montgomery’s absence, DMont returned to a full workload. Last week, Herbert managed only four rushes for 11 yards, while Montgomery had 82 total yards and a touchdown. Despite being strong against the run, the Commanders are 20th in fantasy points allowed to the position. In his three full games this year, he is averaging around 12.5 fantasy points, making him a strong play in this matchup.

Solid Starts for Fantasy Football Lineups

Curtis Samuel (WR, WAS)

As I mentioned previously, the Bears have been solid against opposing passing games. As a result, in his resurgent 2022 campaign, Curtis Samuel is a solid, volume PPR play this week. It surprised me to find out he is tied with A.J. Brown at 11th at the position in targets. Then again, with no fewer than seven targets per game this season, it would make sense. As a result, he does not have a huge upside but he is a very safe play this week.

Darnell Mooney (WR, CHI)

A surprising addition to this section is Mooney. I’ll be honest, I was really hoping Mooney was in line for a breakout season being the only target in town; however, Justin Fields' eight completions per game have ruined that. Thankfully, Fields has managed over 170 passing yards in each of his last two weeks corresponding to Mooney's 146 yards over those weeks. Mooney makes this section based on the matchup, and if you aren’t going to be able to start him this week, I don’t think you should be rostering him any longer. 

Flex Considerations for Fantasy Football Lineups

Carson Wentz (QB, WAS)

What to do with Carson Wentz. Is he officially the least clutch player in the league? Maybe. Is he also second in the league in pass attempts and QB9 on the season? Somehow, yes. 

After conducting a respectable final drive of the game to give their team a chance to win the game against Tennessee, Wentz remembered why he is on his third team in three years. That’s right, after McLaurin drew a pass interference penalty that placed them on the Titans' two-yard line, Wentz threw one of his infamous interceptions to end the game.

What’s more important, is that this Commanders defense allows points, and Wentz has yet to be gun-shy all season. I expect him to continue to let the rock fly, making him a risky play, but you could do worse in deep Superflex leagues.

Justin Fields (QB, CHI)

Speaking of doing worse, Fields follows Carson Wentz in this section. Much like the entire Bears offense, Fields is at the helm of this ship of disappointment. Truly, if it wasn’t for their 2-3 record, starting a Bear is like boarding the Titanic fully knowing it was going to hit that iceberg on the way. 

Thankfully, Fields is starting to pick up his passing game and has 10 and 15 points over the last two weeks, respectively. If you are stuck, Fields’ rushing ability paired with this porous defense makes him a potential super flex option.

Brian Robinson Jr. (RB, WAS)

What a return the young rookie had. Although it might not have come through on the stat sheet, he had one of the coldest walkouts in NFL history (if you haven’t seen it, here is the video). 

Although it may not be as impressive as starting an NFL game six weeks after being shot in the leg, managing to lead the team in rushing attempts in his debut is nothing short of remarkable. This solidified all the buzz over the offseason of him supplanting veterans J.D. McKissic and Antonio Gibson as the lead back for this team. Rushing nine times for 22 yards may not be great, but it’s a statement that Gibson was the only other running back to run the ball and only had three attempts.

It might be a little bold to see 2.4 yards per carry and jump off the deep end, but I think we clearly saw this team changing the guard at the position. Chicago is allowing the second-most rushing yards per game, giving BRob an excellent opportunity in Week 6. It’s risky, but I’m calling for the young back to open the Pie Shop for the first time in his career.

*Pie Shop: An Australian term (often used in Rugby League) to describe who will score a Try (or in this case touchdown) this week. (Season Calls: 2-2)

J.D. McKissic (RB, WAS)

Although I like BRob more, if you are in a full PPR, McKissic is always playable. Averaging six targets per game, he does not have a lot of upside but he is one of the safer options in PPR formats. I would only play McKissic if I was projected to be a heavy favorite and only needed a bye-week filler.

Consider Sitting for Fantasy Football Lineups

Bears Pass Catchers

I’m grouping Equanimeous St. Brown, Velus Jones Jr., Ihmir Smith-Marsette, and Cole Kmet all together in this section. The quick analysis is that with the limited amount of receiving yards to go around, I would rather look elsewhere than any of these options.

Khalil Herbert (RB, CHI)

Well, it was fun while it lasted. Herbert was very solid in Montgomery’s absence; however, the Bears clearly view him as Montgomery’s backup. Although there was some talk that he earned himself a larger role in this offense once DMont returned, there were no signs of it last week. I know some people absolutely love Herbert out there (shout out to my friend Zac) but the reality is unless Montgomery is not on the team, he is no more than an injury-reliant backup who takes advantage of great matchups when the opportunity comes.

Antonio Gibson (RB, WAS)

The first four weeks of the season might have been Gibson’s last ride for fantasy managers. With BRob taking 75% of the RB rushes last week, and McKissic being the receiving back, you can’t play Gibson. That is unless your league gets points for return yards or we see that he is in more of a split with BRob than we think. Either way, we need to see more before he is considered a fantasy option again.

Ellis’ Picks

CHI -1.0 (3-2), Over 37.5 (2-3)

Career Thursday Night record: Spread (25-16), Over/Under (23-18)

Last week, we finally bounced back with our Over/Under pick, however, missed on the spread. Considering how anomalous last week’s game was, 1-1 was not so bad. This week, we have another tricky matchup with two teams that are prone to disappearing. Having said that, with a line of -1.0 we truly have a pick’em on our hands. As a result, I am inclined to lean toward the team that seems to play gross football but manages to stay in games. As for the over/under, neither of these defenses is spectacular, and I think this might be one of those games where there are a sneaky amount of points scored. 

That’s it for this week, be sure to catch me in Week 7 when I break down the Saints traveling to the desert to take on the Arizona Cardinals!

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