Chicago Bears WR DJ Moore enjoyed the best quarterback play of his career last season, and it showed. Coming off the best season of his career, should fantasy football managers make Moore a priority early in Best Ball drafts?
DJ Moore’s 2024 Fantasy Outlook
For the first five years of his career, Moore has mostly been an incredibly frustrating fantasy asset. After following up a strong rookie season with a breakout sophomore season, the dynamic wideout seemed destined for greatness. Instead, he toiled away in mediocrity for the next three seasons.
Justin Fields drops a DIME to DJ Moore in the snow ❄️
The #Bears take the early lead!
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 31, 2023
Each year, without fail, there would be a subset of fantasy managers who thought “this was the year” for Moore. The 2022 season did a number on his supporters with his 11.7 fantasy points per game season. It started to feel like the WR1 year would never happen.
Despite playing in all 17 games, he only managed 63 catches for 888 yards. If not for a career-high seven touchdowns, his season would’ve been even worse.
For fantasy managers to get back in on Moore, something had to change. There was no longer a reason to keep thinking it would happen in Carolina. Fortunately, we got that change.
Moore was traded to Chicago ahead of the 2023 season. I will admit I was skeptical that QB Justin Fields on one of the most run-heavy offenses in the league was going to be the key to unlocking Moore. In the end, talent won out.
The start of Moore’s career coincided with the tail end of Cam Newton’s. After Newton, Moore dealt with the likes of Kyle Allen, Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield. Not exactly an all-star lineup. Fields was easily the best QB Moore ever played with, which — apparently — was enough.
Moore set career highs in just about everything. He caught 96 passes for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 16.9 fantasy points per game. His season was great, but it’s still important to have the proper context. He wasn’t exactly the most reliable weekly option.
Moore’s average was boosted by a couple of massive games, most notably his 49-point explosion against the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football. He also posted single-digit fantasy points five times and fewer than 13.5 fantasy points on another five occasions.
Should You Draft Moore in 2024 Best Ball Leagues?
If you look back at Moore’s career, this past season is the outlier. But it’s also the most recent one and the one in which he found himself in the best situation.
There’s reason to believe Moore can sustain this level of production. I do believe Moore to be a true WR1. While he saw a top-10 target share at 28.9%, that amounted to just 136 targets.
If Chicago ever switched up its offensive philosophy, imagine what Moore could do with 170 targets?! That’s never happening with Fields under center. But what if Moore gets USC QB Caleb Williams this season?
The Bears are heavily rumored to be trading Fields and drafting Williams. While no quarterback is a sure thing, Williams looks like one of the best incoming prospects since QB Andrew Luck.
Williams can scramble when needed, but he’s nowhere near the runner Fields is. If Chicago does opt for Williams, we could see as many as 100 more pass attempts for the offense. If he’s as good as advertised, Moore’s ceiling may be even higher than what we saw in 2023.
Right now, Best Ball drafters need to make a call on Moore. If you take him at his WR10 ADP, you’re drafting him at his absolute ceiling under the current circumstances.
KEEP READING: Best Ball Stacking Strategy
If the Bears don’t draft Williams, Moore is likely to be cheaper in a couple of months, making him a bad value. But if they do draft Williams, he could even tick up a few spots.
