Chicago Bears Notes: Where is DJ Moore Going in Your Fantasy Draft? (2024)

Today would’ve been my mother’s 62nd birthday. I miss her lots. For obvious reasons. And for some less-than-obvious reasons. She wasn’t a big football fan, but she’d watch the Bears with me. I think she would’ve been intrigued by Caleb Williams. She would’ve suggested he check out our nail tech. It would’ve been a hoot.

There are 78 days until the Chicago Bears kick off their regular season slate of games with a Week 1 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. The No. 78 was best worn in Chicago by offensive tackle Keith Van Horne. A first-round pick (11th overall) by the Bears in 1981, Van Horne was the primary starter at right tackle from his rookie season through 1992. He might be one of the most underrated Bears from that 1980s heyday.

Remembering Van Horne has me thinking about the state of Chicago’s current collection of offensive linemen. I thought that this was an interesting conversation on the David Kaplan and Jonathan Hood show on ESPN 1000:

The @chicagobears are at their wits end with Nate Davis
full convo: https://t.co/tTBJpbgJ8b @thekapman @xjhoodespn @sheanorling @nakithebeatman pic.twitter.com/5XjgNYE6uY— ESPN 1000 (@ESPN1000) June 21, 2024

I can speak only for myself, but I am not at my wit’s end with Nate Davis. Do I feel uneasy about how things are looking right now? A little. But at least the Bears are more prepared to handle an extended absence of any lineman based on the depth they’ve built throughout the offseason. Plus, if things continue to go down an unsavory path with Davis, Chicago can cut bait next offseason and create $9.5 million in cap space (at the cost of a $2 million dead money hit). But we can cross that bridge when we get to it (if we get to it).

The offensive linemen who are new to the Bears include: Kiran Amegadjie, Matt Pryor, Ryan Bates, and Coleman Shelton.

My gut answer to this question is yes…

Are you drafting DJ Moore this season? 👀 pic.twitter.com/PCzhraiqHF
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) June 22, 2024

… but my honest answer is I hope so. Bears wide receiver DJ Moore is starting to get his flowers. Snagging top-10 recognition in these receiver rankings was refreshing to read. However, that figures to boost his fantasy profile significantly going into the 2024 season. ESPN’s fantasy projections for Moore: 123 targets, 77 catches, 1,047 receiving yards, 7 touchdowns. That’s a solid season for fantasy (and reality) purposes. But the fantasy forecast would put Moore as a fantasy WR20 — which is still a very valuable player to have on your roster. Just don’t go over-draft him because he is a Bears player.

Are we going to get drama between neighboring states? Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is going to try and lure the Kansas City’s big-league ball clubs (the Chiefs and Royals) out of Missouri by promising to help pay for new stadiums. I don’t love the idea of the Chiefs and Royals leaving Kansas City. But billion-dollar entities don’t seem to like paying for their own parks, so I wonder if this is something that could actually happen. Stay tuned. (ESPN)

Chicago Bears Notes: Where is DJ Moore Going in Your Fantasy Draft? (3)

LOL: ESPN’s Adam Schefter got caught working the phones in the middle of a ceremony honoring “Adam Schefter Appreciation Day” in Nassau County, New York. I don’t know how that guy gets anything done that doesn’t involve breaking NFL news. (Awful Announcing)

Sending out best wishes and good vibes to Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders:

.@Lions @NFL @NFLPA @ProFootballHOF @HeismanTrophy @okstate pic.twitter.com/1fGb790PlK
— Barry Sanders (@BarrySanders) June 21, 2024