NFL Week 17 Fantasy Football Recap: Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears

Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions running back D'Andre Swift (32) runs the ball against the Chicago Bears in the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

D’Andre Swift: 11 carries, 78 yards, 1 touchdown, 4 receptions, 39 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown

Jamaal Williams: 22 carries, 144 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 reception, 13 receiving yards


Jump to another recap:

ARZ@ATL | MIA@NE | NO@PHI | IND@NYGCAR@TB
DEN@KC | CHI@DET | CLE@WSH | JAX@HOU
SF@LVR | 
NYJ@SEA | MIN@GB | LAR@LAC | PIT@BAL


D’Andre Swift increases fantasy value without an increased role: Any fantasy manager who took a chance on Swift was thrilled with the results, but his role in the offense was the same as it’s been in recent months.

  • Swift ran the ball 11 times, which is more than usual, but that’s only because Detroit was able to spend the game running more than passing while protecting a sizable lead.
  • He scored two touchdowns without having the goal-line role. His rushing touchdown occurred on a 17-yard play, while his receiving touchdown was for 21 yards.
  • Justin Jackson was inactive after showing up on Friday’s injury report with a hip ailment. He had been serving as the third-down back in recent weeks.
  • Craig Reynolds missed most of the past two months with an injury, but he was active in Jackson’s place. 
  • Reynolds played just as much as Swift on early downs and even took a goal-line snap in the first quarter.
  • Both Jamaal Williams and Jackson are unrestricted free agents. Swift could be the clear top back by next season, or he could be in a worse committee than this year, depending on what Detroit wants to do in free agency and the draft.

Chase Claypool returns: Claypool missed the past month of action with a knee injury but was able to return on a limited basis against the Lions.

  • Chicago hasn’t had stability at wide receiver on its depth chart all season, and that was more clear than ever in this game.
  • The Bears used six different wide receivers. All of them received at least one target, but no one had more than 20 receiving yards.
  • Only three completions went to wide receivers in the game.
  • There were times this season when Equanimeous St. Brown was a clear starter, or when Dante Pettis was the clear slot receiver, but neither was true for this game.
  • Darnell Mooney will be a starter if healthy next season, and Claypool will likely be a starter after how much Chicago invested in him.
  • The Bears should invest heavily in another wide receiver to help the offense this offseason.


Table Notes

Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.

Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.

Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.

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