Justin Fields

While he didn’t produce much as a passer last year, Fields was a superstar as a runner with 1,143 yards on the ground.However, the Bears have invested plenty into bringing in weapons (namely WR D.J. Moore) for their passing attack this offseason. Whatever improvements Fields can make as a passer on top of his rushing will once again make him an impact QB1.

What We Learned Last YearFields ascended to QB6 in fantasy points per game.He produced 10 top-12 weekly finishes among 15 games. The Ohio State product stayed mostly healthy, although he had an A/C joint separation in his right shoulder.Fields missed one game with that injury and sat out Week 18 with a hip strain.Passing was not a strong suit. He completed 192 throws on 319 attempts with 2,242 passing yards, 17 TDs, and 11 INTs. Fields ranked dead-last in PFF passing grade among 25 QBs who recorded 400+ dropbacks.The Bears ran an absurdly run-heavy offense, ranking first in team rushing yards per game and 31st in pass rate. They notched the league’s lowest pass rate over expectation since 2016 (-14.1%).Fields recorded the second-most rushing yards (1,143) and third-most carries (160) ever among QBs. He accounted for 30% of the Bears’ team rushing attempts.It’s worth mentioning that Pro Football Focus counts 70 of Fields’ 160 carries (43.75%) as scrambles out of the pocket. The only multi-game starter who faced a higher pressure rate than Fields’ 45.7% was Miami’s Skylar Thompson (two starts). Some of that is on Fields, but there’s clearly room for the Bears’ O-line to improve. If it does, we might see less scrambling going forward.
What to Expect in 2023The Bears figure to remain one of the league’s run-heavier offenses, but expect the rate to come down from last year’s 56.2% – perhaps by a lot.The Bears acquired WR D.J. Moore in a trade that sent the No. 1 pick to Carolina. That came less than six months after the team traded a second-round pick for WR Chase Claypool.It’s pretty evident the team wants to get Fields some weapons and build up that aerial attack.

Fields is entering his third NFL season after an up-and-down 2022 campaign that included some major highs (top-seven fantasy scorer in eight straight games) and some concerning lows (60% completion rate, as well as an NFL-high 55 sacks and 16 fumbles in 15 games). Fields was unsurprisingly a major factor as a rusher, as he led all QBs in rushing yards (1,143), yards per carry (7.1) and scrambles (67) to go along with eight rush TDs. Fields is still on the ascent at age 24 and his supporting cast will be much better this season with DJ Moore joining Chase Claypool, Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet. Fields' legs make him a solid QB1 target, but he's a candidate for a full-on breakout.