DJ Moore enjoyed a career year in his first season with the Chicago Bears courtesy of an elite target share with Justin Fields under center in 2023. Unfortunately, the additions of a rookie quarterback, a dynamic blue-chip receiver prospect, and an exceptionally productive veteran wideout cloud Moore’s fantasy outlook entering the 2024 NFL season.
Can fantasy football managers still expect Moore to be the highest-scoring fantasy WR in Chicago in 2024?
DJ Moore’s 2024 Fantasy Outlook
- Total Fantasy Points: 242.1
- Receptions: 84.4
- Receiving Yards: 1,138.0
- Receiving TDs: 6.3
These are PFN’s consensus projections, correct as of August 15. The most up-to-date projections can be found in our Who Should I Draft Tool.
Should You Draft Moore This Year?
Moore’s outstanding WR6 overall fantasy finish showcased the type of upside many managers believed he always possessed with his flashes of excellence during his time with the Carolina Panthers.
Moore set career-best marks in targets (136), receptions (96), receiving yards (1,364), and TDs (8) despite playing with the polarizing Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent under center. This has fantasy managers believing there could be more of the same this upcoming season.
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To give you some additional context, Moore’s advanced analytics also confirm he was far more than just a volume producer in 2023.
DJ Moore Advanced Stats (Positional Rank)
- Yards Per Route Run: 2.31 (17th)
- End Zone Targets: 14 (9th)
- Air Yards: 1,476 (14th)
- Yards After Catch: 539 (8th)
- Yards After Contact Per Reception: 1.7 (T-6th Amongst WRs with 60+ Receptions)
Additionally, Moore was one of the best man-coverage beaters in the NFL in 2023. He finished second behind only CeeDee Lamb with 113.8 fantasy points vs. man coverage last year. His route-running savvy and separation ability are underrated, and he is still amongst the most dangerous RAC threats in the game.
This all sounds outstanding, right? We should be excited about his fantasy outlook this year, right?
Well, this is where everything is about to get flipped on its head because of the complete roster overhaul that took place in Chicago this offseason.
The Bears added rookie QB Caleb Williams, explosive RB D’Andre Swift, route-running savant WR Keenan Allen, and dynamic WR prospect Rome Odunze to join Moore in 2024.
Last year, tight end Cole Kmet was Moore’s biggest target competition. That just changed in a dramatic way entering the upcoming season.
No matter how optimistic you are about Williams’ future as the franchise QB of the Bears offense, there is no way to know exactly how the rookie quarterback will perform — or who he will frequently target — this season with all of these dynamic playmakers in the passing game.
Did Moore prove he can be an elite fantasy producer in the NFL despite being in a passing offense that ranked 27th in the league last season? The answer is unequivocally, yes.
Yet, Allen showed absolutely no signs of slowing down last year and has been one of the most consistent target hogs in the league with his formation versatility, great hands, and outstanding separation ability. Additionally, Odunze is a great blue-chip WR prospect who arguably has a higher ceiling than both Moore and Allen.
Moore will undoubtedly have his big games, and he projects as the alpha in Chicago’s WR room entering the season, But the range of outcomes due to crucial unknown variables is wider than we might like to admit.
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Moore’s ADP at No. 31 overall in the third round as the WR22 off the board is pretty reasonable, considering his outstanding season in 2023. For some additional context, Moore is currently being drafted after Malik Nabers, DK Metcalf, and DeVonta Smith.
Moore’s fantasy projections are very doable if he does, in fact, see the most targets on the roster, and Williams provides average to above-average production under center.
My money is on Moore to finish the year as the highest-scoring fantasy WR on the Bears’ roster in 2024, which makes him a reasonably priced option in the middle of the third round.
