Justin Fields is entering his third season as the signal caller for the Chicago Bears and is one of the most polarizing players in the fantasy football landscape. The star quarterback set new records when it came to rushing yards in 2022. The biggest questions going into the 2023 season are whether he continue to rush like in 2022, will his passing improve, and where will he land in the final rankings at the end of the fantasy season.
2023 Fantasy Football Profile: Justin Fields
The Year 2 Leap
The 24-year-old quarterback out of Ohio State turned a lot of heads last season when he almost tripled his rushing yard total in his sophomore season. As a rookie in 2021, Justin Fields rushed for 420 yards in 12 games (35 yards per game). Last season, Fields rushed for 1,143 yards over 15 games played (76.2 yards per game). Fields set the single-game rushing record for a quarterback by running all over the Miami Dolphins in their Week 9 matchup. The star quarterback racked up 178 rushing yards, topping Michael Vick’s previous record of 173 yards set in 2002.
Justin Fields' Week 9 performance was the highest-scoring @NFLFantasy week by a QB last season.
Did he carry you to a win in your matchup? pic.twitter.com/fSzJSL0sTD
— NFL (@NFL) June 28, 2023
Justin Fields became the third quarterback in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season, joining Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson, putting him in pretty elite company.
From Weeks 5-10, Fields set the record for most rushing yards (568) by a quarterback over a five-game span. Fields became the only quarterback with multiple rushing touchdowns of 60-plus yards in the Super Bowl Era, and the only player with two passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, and 100-plus rushing yards in a single game.
Fields also improved in every area of his passing game. From a 58.9% completion rate in 2021 to 60.4% on 48 more attempts in 2022. In 2021 Fields threw for 1,870 yards and in 2022 that number jumped to 2,242. His yards per attempt improved from 6.9 to 7.1. He went from seven touchdown passes to 17, in addition to the eight rushing touchdowns.
Justin Fields 2023 Fantasy Football Outlook
With all of those statistics thrown out there, how is this going to translate to Fields 2023 fantasy football value? First off, let’s take a look at the Bears’ offseason moves. The Bears lost reliable running back David Montgomery. Khalil Herbert returns, along with the addition of free agent D’Onta Foreman and rookie Roschon Johnson. This leaves some question marks as to who the featured back will be and may allow for even more rushing production for Fields.
When the Bears’ traded the number one overall pick, that alone was the biggest clue for how this team feels about Justin Fields and his future in Chicago. That trade also included the Bears adding wide receiver D.J. Moore. A true #1 target for Fields, something the young quarterback hasn’t had in his first two seasons. Cole Kmet got the bag this offseason as the tight end signed a four-year, $50 million extension. Kmet was the leading receiver for the team in 2022, catching 50 passes for 544 yards and seven receiving touchdowns. Veteran Robert Tonyan also joined the team as a free agent.
The offensive line is one of the most important positions when it comes to your fantasy quarterback. The Bears drafted 6’-6”, 335-pound tackle Darnell Wright out of the University of Tennessee, and according to reports from camp “Wright looks the part.” the Bears also added Nate Davis, a guard who has started 54 of the 55 games he’s appeared in and also has five career postseason starts.
Currently going as the sixth quarterback off the board at pick 45 overall (3.7 round pick in a 12-team league). Fields could be the steal of the draft. The sky is the limit if Fields can take half the step forward as a passer that Jalen Hurts did last year, in addition to his insane rushing ability. In my personal opinion, Fields has a good shot to be the number one fantasy quarterback at season’s end. I have been and will continue to take Justin Fields in every league I can get him.
Main Photo: David Banks – USA Today Sports
