The Chicago Bears’ backfield presents one of the most intriguing fantasy football storylines heading into 2025, with new head coach Ben Johnson bringing his explosive offensive system from Detroit to the Windy City. D’Andre Swift enters as the presumptive lead back with significant upside potential, while Roschon Johnson lurks as a valuable handcuff and goal-line threat in what should be a vastly improved offensive environment.
After enduring one of the NFL’s most anemic offenses last season, both running backs stand to benefit from upgraded offensive line play, superior play-calling, and increased scoring opportunities. Fantasy football managers looking for value picks should closely examine this transformed Bears rushing attack, where both players offer compelling cases at their current draft positions.
D’Andre Swift Fantasy Outlook
Swift could prove to be one of the values of the 2025 fantasy season, as the likely lead back in Ben Johnson’s new-look Bears offense. The former Lions back saw a career-high 253 carries in 2024, although he posted a career-low 3.79 yards per attempt.
Regardless, the Bears have done very little during the offseason to indicate that Swift will lose his starting job, but they have made significant improvements around him. Despite playing in Shane Waldron’s hapless offense, Swift outperformed his current RB21 ADP last season, finishing as the RB19.
.@DAndreSwift breaks free for a 36 yd TD!
📺: #LARvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/GneMI2LP2i
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 29, 2024
With four new offensive linemen potentially starting for Chicago this coming year, and with a much-improved play-caller, Swift is a dark horse for a top-12 RB finish in 2025.
Despite the clear talent gap, it’s too easy to compare Swift and teammate Johnson to Lions duo Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. While there will undoubtedly be similarities, Chicago’s offense will unlikely mirror the Lions completely.
That being said, Swift is the obvious pass-catching back in Chicago, while Johnson still has a lot to prove if he is to threaten his teammate’s rushing volume. Better blocking, better play-calling, and more scoring opportunities should see Swift thrive in 2025.
— Cameron Sheath, Fantasy Football Analyst
Roschon Johnson Fantasy Outlook
Hope is high in Chicago after the team underwent an impressive offseason transformation. Ben Johnson should be able to inject life into the Bears’ offense, which scored the fifth-fewest points in the NFL last year.
Unsurprisingly, the Bears also ran the fifth-fewest plays from a leading position in 2024 (207), and the third-most plays from a trailing position (741). Johnson tallied just 55 rush attempts in 2024, which should increase if the Bears can be more competitive.
The third-year back will be less valuable in PPR leagues, where receiving work will be dominated by Swift. Rookie receiver Luther Burden III could also poach some work on sweeps and screens, making Johnson redundant as a pass catcher.
Still, Ben Johnson’s arrival makes comparisons to Detroit RB David Montgomery inevitable, but the former Texas Longhorn has done little in two years to warrant that. He could dominate goal-line work and may have weekly touchdown upside, but it will be impossible to forecast.
Johnson is being drafted as the RB62 in PPR leagues, despite finishing as the RB54 last season, having missed three games. The offseason improvements, which can’t be overstated, make Johnson an intriguing value in drafts, with weekly RB2 upside if Swift misses time.
— Cameron Sheath, Fantasy Football Analyst
