He carried the ball 139 times last year, racking up 784 yards and 10 TD. For comparison purposes, let’s take a look at Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts. I could see him getting to 600 or 700 this upcoming season, with a major uptick in TD. See how accurate your quarterback was throwing the ball downfield! /dqUqLysPJ4- Johnny Kinsley (2021-22 Deep Ball Project Out Now) March 4, 2022įields rushed for 420 yards and 2 TD in 2021, despite barely starting 50 percent of his team’s games. IT'S HERE: The 2021-22 Deep Ball Project is finally out. Their offensive line might be one of the worst in the league on paper, so if Fields is going to make a fantasy jump, it will be due to his burgeoning chemistry with Mooney, as well as his running ability. The Bears also added Byron Pringle, Velus Jones Jr., and N’Keal Harry, marginally upgrading the receiver position. The two should connect on plenty of deep balls throws on which the QB was sneaky accurate as a rookie. He is not Robinson (now with the Rams) in his prime, but he is clearly Fields’ go-to guy. The soon-to-be third-year pro topped 1,000 yards last year and possesses elite speed. Mooney will be back in 2022, and he is a legitimate talent at wide receiver. Again, these stats are not elite, but consider what he was working with - and up against. After not passing for more than 209 yards through his first six starts, Fields’ finished the 2021 season with games of 291-224-285. Especially considering Robinson was on autopilot or not playing at all, and the rest of his receivers were the Land Grant Holy Land staff (no offense). He also added 257 yards rushing and one additional TD during that time. Over his last four starts – excluding a Baltimore game in which he was injured – Fields completed 62.5 percent of his passes, with 5 TD and 4 INT. There is also a sample size near the end of his rookie season that should have you intrigued by the possibility that Fields was turning a corner in his development. And I would be surprised if his floor is not top-20 (AKA QB2/streaming option). He might not finish as a top-10 QB, but I believe that is his eventual ceiling. So why am I making all the excuses? Why am I defending Fields’ play, and telling you he might have value in fantasy football? Because I think he is too talented and too mentally tough to fail as a real football player. They stunk! So much so, that their offensive guru of a head coach gave up playcalling duties for good. The 2021 Bears offense was the antithesis of The Greatest Show on Turf, and that is probably being generous. As for Fields? His best receivers were Darnell Mooney – who we will get to shortly – and the ghost of Allen Robinson. Wilson played in an offense with Jamison Crowder, Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, etc. Lawrence was throwing to DJ Chark (for a minute), Marvin Jones, Laviska Shenault Jr., and others. And the former Buckeye finished with a line of 58.9/7/10 in 10 starts, with a 26.4 QBR. Wilson’s line was 55.6/9/11 in 13 games, with a 28.2 QBR. Lawrence completed 59.6% of his passes, with 12 TD and 7 INT (17 games played, 33.5 QBR). How many rookies have similar issues? Fields did not do himself a ton of favors, but I think it is unfair to place too much blame on the shoulders of a guy who was constantly running for his life.įields’ stats were also very similar to those of Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson - QB’s who each had the benefit of a better supporting cast. And as an NFL rookie, he occasionally struggled to identify blitzes and/or throw receivers open. He has always had a habit of holding onto the ball for too long. I am not a total homer, so I should acknowledge areas in which Fields needs to improve. We are not talking about Mike Leach’s Air Raid, artificially boosting stats. Not to mention: Ohio State ran/currently runs a fairly sophisticated, NFL-type offense. Sure, he had a rough game here or there as a Buckeye, but Fields was consistently dominant. He was arguably the top QB in his recruiting class, perceived as a potentially generational talent, and never really experienced a bump in the road as a football player. Fields has an opportunity to change the narrative around Ohio State quarterbacks Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Imagesįields, in my opinion, was not a product of his football environment. It unfortunately never came together for the late QB, but he represents a recent sample size of just one. But only Haskins played in a Ryan Day offense, and then the NFL. Those guys never excelled in the NFL, so there could be something to the “OSU QB curse”. That is serious production! Now, the same could be said about Troy Smith, Terrelle Pryor, J.T. He did so while only being picked off nine times, and adding 800+ yards and 15 TD on the ground. In 22 games at Ohio State, Fields threw for more than 4,300 yards and 63 touchdowns. Do the Chicago Bears hate Justin Fields? 2022 Buckeyes in the NFL Fantasy Football Preview: J.K.
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