Khalil Herbert Injury Fantasy Football Impact: Roschon Johnson, D’Onta Foreman, Justin Fields, D.J. Moore, Darnell Mooney, Cole Kmet and More
The Chicago Bears have some positive momentum built up after their week 5 win over the Washington Commanders. The team did receive some bad news with starting running back Khalil Herbert regarding an ankle injury he suffered in the Thursday game.
What does that mean for the Bears’ backfield and the team’s other offensive skill players? Let’s discuss.
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Roschon Johnson, D'Onta Foreman, Travis Homer, Darrynton Evans Fantasy Outlook
With Herbert out, the next player up on the depth chart is Johnson, followed by Foreman and Homer. As Tom Pelissero’s post points out, Johnson is dealing with a concussion, while Homer has a hamstring injury, so that leaves just Foreman as a fully healthy body in the running back room.
Before we get into the three backs, let’s first discuss what they need to replace.
Herbert has been solid so far this season, averaging 5.3 yards a carry. He’s totaled 272 rushing yards on 51 carries, but has not scored a touchdown. Herbert has caught 10 of the 18 passes thrown his way for 83 yards and one score.
Herbert’s two best games came across the past two weeks, when the Bears’ offense finally started to make some noise. He had 122 total yards and his touchdown in week 4 before going for 76 total yards on 10 touches in week 5 before going down with his injury.
Johnson has played the next most snaps, but is nearly 100 snaps behind Herbert for the season. The rookie has 36 touches for 180 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in the first five weeks.
Players who have suffered concussions this season have typically missed the next game. Johnson does have a couple extra days to try to recover after the Bears played on Thursday in week 5.
Foreman is next on the depth chart, but hasn’t played since week 1. He totaled 24 yards on seven touches in that contest.
Foreman has had some productive seasons in the past, with his best being last season, when he rushed for 914 yards with the Carolina Panthers. Considering he’s been in the building all season, I like Foreman’s chances to snag the lead role if Herbert and Johnson are both out.
If Homer would be able to play, I’d expect him to serve as the backup to Foreman. He’s played just two offensive snaps through five weeks, and has not gotten a touch.
Another back the Bears added to the team for the time being was Evans. He was with Chicago last year and was just claimed off the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad. Evans played in six games after Herbert was hurt a year ago, rushing for 64 yards on 14 carries.
The Bears’ backfield is a mess right now and we probably won’t have a clear idea on what to expect in the weeks to come until later in the week. We likely know that a player other than Herbert will be leading the way.
At this point, my guess is that Foreman is the No. 1 back for the team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings in week 6. Instead of looking down the line like I typically can do in stories revolving around an injury, the fact that there’s several injuries truly makes this a week-to-week ordeal.
While the Vikings haven’t been a great team overall to start the season, their run defense has been pretty stout, only allowing 16 fantasy points to opposing running backs. With that in mind and seeing the current state of the Chicago backfield, I’d avoid starting any of them in week 6. If I was going to add anyone, Foreman would be the guy.
What the Herbert Injury Means for Other Skill Players
If the backfield isn’t one you can trust in week 6, that must mean the other skill players are trustable, right? My answer in most cases would be yes.
D.J. Moore is coming off a monster game and is now up to 531 yards and five touchdowns on 27 receptions and 34 targets. Given how he’s played the last couple weeks and with the running back room banged up, Moore fantasy owners have to be thrilled about Moore’s fantasy outlook for the foreseeable future, especially in week 6.
Darnell Mooney is the team’s No. 2 wideout, but hasn’t produced much yet. He’s at just 104 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight grabs and 16 targets. His usage should increase this week, but he isn’t a must start guy. I like Mooney to enjoy a bit of a breakout week against Minnesota, but I’d be much more comfortable starting a fantasy player who has been consistent this season.
Tight end Cole Kmet is the only other pass catcher that’s really done much of anything through five weeks. He’s up to 231 yards and three touchdowns on 23 catches and 29 targets. At a position lacking for talent and with Kmet being in an offense without many other pass catchers, he’s probably a must start, unless you have one of the top tight ends in the league.
Lastly, we’ll discuss the quarterback, Justin Fields. The much-maligned quarterback has finally delivered the past couple weeks after any ugly three-game stretch to start the season. He’s creeping back up toward the top of the list of fantasy quarterbacks, and given his favorable matchup, he’s also a great start candidate for week 6. I expect Chicago to have Fields run a bit more than he has to make up for missing Herbert and potentially Johnson and Homer.
Final Thoughts
The Bears’ backfield is a tricky one to figure out for the long run, so we’ll instead take things week-by-week.
For the upcoming week, I don’t trust any Chicago running back, but feel pretty confident about the team’s other potential starters - Fields, Moore, Mooney and Kmet. I expect Fields to make up some of the running game, but the Bears to mostly try and carry over the success of the past couple games and pass all over the Vikings’ defense.
