Fantasy football managers are constantly searching for the next breakout player who can provide a competitive edge. Week 2 presents several intriguing opportunities, particularly with players adjusting to new systems and roles. The Chicago Bears, under Ben Johnson’s offensive influence, offer multiple players worth monitoring closely. Here’s a breakdown of key start-sit decisions for potential breakout candidates.
Caleb Williams, QB
Week 1 was emblematic of what Caleb Williams is right now, no matter who is calling the shots.
Inconsistent.
The Caleb Williams film really isn’t as bad as you think.
The growth at the line of scrimmage is easy to see & he’s definitely Superman when needed…he’s controlling it.
20 min Caleb Williams breakdown on Patreon only:
🎥: https://t.co/ac0Fwy9RI2 pic.twitter.com/UyiIBIYHfB— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) September 11, 2025
His first quarter under Ben Johnson was the best of his career, but as the Vikings warmed up to him, he was again all over the place with his decision-making.
The decisions worked in his favor as a rookie in this matchup (five TDs and 590 passing yards), and I think there’s an interesting thread to pull. In those starts, Williams posted an 11.3-yard aDOT, well above his mark against the rest of the league (7.4).
Jared Goff’s aDOT regressed during his time with Ben Johnson, but it wasn’t uncommon to see him challenging more downfield early in the season.
Goff aDOT splits (2022-24):
- September: 7.4 yards
- October: 6.9 yards
- November: 6.6 yards
- December/January: 6.2 yards
Could we see an ultra-aggressive Williams this week? If you believe in that, some DFS exposure is a good idea. The wide range of outcomes has him sitting outside my top 15 this week, but I’ll be tracking him closely.
The versatility of Williams and the creativity of Johnson feel like a future cheat code, and I want to be ahead of it if possible.
D’Andre Swift, RB
D’Andre Swift was about as involved as we could have asked for on Monday night (20 touches), and I expect that to be sustained as Ben Johnson works his magic to build an efficient offense.
I worry that none of those touches gained more than 13 yards, and that we could well see that be a consistent issue as well.
Johnson’s quick strike attack is mathematically sound, but it’s logistically elite when paired with the talent in Detroit. Keep the system and change the pieces, and the results will change, right?
The Houston Rockets have based their offense on what worked for the peak Golden State Warriors, and while they have their moments, they lack Stephen Curry, so their ceiling isn’t the same.
The lead back in an offense that I think clears 20 points this week has a low-end RB2 floor in my ranks, and that is where I’ve penciled in Swift (along with Alvin Kamara and Javonte Williams as a point of reference). The Lions were gashed by the Packers last week, but they did cough up just 0.58 yards per carry before first contact to Josh Jacobs, and if they can do that to Swift, his final stat line could be underwhelming despite the safe volume.
DJ Moore, WR
The talk coming out of Monday night’s loss was more focused on Rome Odunze and less on DJ Moore, something that I don’t understand.
Moore saw a few deep targets, including a bad misfire from Caleb Williams that would have shifted entirely the Tuesday morning narrative, and was handed the ball three times.
Not those gadgety types of handoffs out of some exotic formation. Designed and directed handoffs. They were “we haven’t gotten you the ball enough, see what you can do with this” sort of plays.
That’s what we love to see.
Moore earned double-digit targets in both games against the Lions a year ago, and with the offensive genius now on his side, I don’t imagine we’ll see that regression in a significant way.
Odunze might well take the fantasy WR1 role from Moore in this offense by season’s end, but we aren’t there yet. I’ve moved seven spots higher in my positional Week 2 rankings and am comfortable starting him wherever I have him after watching the Packers dominate the Lions over the weekend.
Luther Burden III, WR
It’s a no for me, dawg.
I’m not in the business of overreacting, but if you need to move on from Luther Burden after one career game, I have no issue with that. Sure, I might be jumping the gun, but if you’re really interested in someone on waivers, I say go for it.
In his NFL debut, Burden caught his only target and lost three yards with it. This offense was humming early and, even though it stalled with time, has all the traits of a Ben Johnson scheme.
Prioritize completions and efficiency.
In doing so, we saw running backs and tight ends account for 12 targets. We also saw Rome Odunze’s average depth of target be scaled back in a significant way, propelling him to a six-catch performance on a team-best nine looks.
DJ Moore ended up leading the team in receiving yards (68) and was handed the ball on three occasions. This is going to be an exotic offense that could be a good fit for Burden in time, but not with the collection of players he has to vault over right now.
Against the Vikings, he ranked seventh on this team in routes (six ran over 20 routes while he checked in with nine), and that’s a tough sell, even if you like the prospect profile.
I’m holding in dynasty situations, though expectations need to be adjusted if you were hoping for Year 1 value.
Rome Odunze, WR
Ben Johnson left no doubt about the hierarchy of his receivers on Monday night: Odunze and Moore both cleared an 80% snap share while Luther Burden was present for just 27% of their offensive plays.
Breakout mode, activated.
Odunze finished as Chicago’s top player in targets and catches, but it’s more than that. Johnson schemed up a play with plenty of misdirection and ball handling from Williams to get him a touchdown in close.
“In close.”
In 2024, as a rookie, he was used as a vertical threat. That was his role, and while there were flashes of production, it’s hard for anyone to sustain value in that spot.
2024 splits:
- Odunze: 39.6% of targets came 15+ yards down the field
- Keenan Allen: 23.1% of targets came 15+ yards down the field
- Moore: 18.6% of targets came 15+ yards down the field
But on Monday, Odunze saw 22.2% of his targets come downfield while Moore saw 60%. That’s a tiny sample, and I doubt it sticks, but it was the type of proof I needed to see to verify that Johnson is willing to explore the skills of this budding star.
With that said, can we please get him running down the field this week?
Last season, albeit in two matchups sans Aidan Hutchinson, Williams posted an 11.3 aDOT against the Lions (7.4 against the rest of the NFL). This is a new offense, but I think a similar attack makes sense, and that puts Odunze in a position to again return viable flex numbers.
My order for these receivers remains unchanged. I still prefer the stability of Moore, but Odunze is trending in a positive direction, and I don’t mind buying early in the trade market if he’s still available for something close to his draft-day cost.
Cole Kmet, TE
Cole Kmet caught only one pass on Monday night, but the full extension, one-handed snag down the seam was a reminder of why he is on this team despite the drafting of Colston Loveland.
He finished the game with 22 more snaps than the rookie, but the Bears struggled to move the ball after the first eight minutes, and that was reflected in their cumulative stat line (the tandem combined for three catches and 43 yards).
Hoping to see a lot more Cole Kmet/Colston Loveland this upcoming week against DET.
When The #Bears threw either of their ways, there were nice gains, like here 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EFrLNKXOIl
— Just Another Year Chicago: Bears (@JAYChi_Bears) September 10, 2025
I’m not pivoting off my preseason evaluation of this situation: Kmet is going to be a significant factor, but not nearly valuable enough to warrant rostering.
Colston Loveland, TE
He spent the entire offseason wondering what Ben Johnson would do with Loveland. Yes, he’s a high-pedigree player with a promising future, but this is also an offense with a stable TE (Kmet) and three receivers that they hope to be dynamic.
Week 1 participation report:
- Kmet: 57 snaps, 30 routes, four targets
- Loveland: 35 snaps, 21 routes, two targets
Game script certainly played into the usage of these tight ends, so I caution against reading too much into it. Chicago led for much of the evening, and Kmet (asked to block on 47.4% of his snaps) was trusted in the run game more than Loveland (40%), as is to be expected.
I still favor Loveland over Kmet this season, but neither is a viable option this week, or may not be this month. Last season, Kmet ran 76 routes against the Lions as Chicago’s primary tight end and had just 35 yards to show for it.
I trust this offensive structure under Johnson, but I’ll need to see it before I consider it for my starting lineup.
