Evan Silva’s Matchups: Seahawks at Bears

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Thursday Night Football

Seattle @ Chicago

Team Totals: Seahawks 23.5, Bears 20

Geno Smith squares off in Week 17 with a Bears defense permitting the NFL’s second-most yards per pass attempt (7.9) and fourth-most 20+ yard completions (53). Geno ranks top 10 in the league in 20+ yard completions (45) and 13th among QBs in fantasy scoring. Assuming the Solder Field weather cooperates, this is a get-right spot for the Seahawks’ aggressive downfield-challenging signal-caller. … Kenneth Walker resumed Seahawks lead-back duties in Week 16’s loss to Minnesota but suffered an ankle injury on top of his preexisting calf strain and appears unlikely to face Chicago. No longer listed with the oblique injury that limited him last Sunday, Zach Charbonnet looks like a Thursday night smash against a Bears defense enemy running backs have carved for 4.8 yards per carry and 152.4 total yards per game. Charbonnet’s touch counts in his four 2024 starts are 19, 21, 29, and 9. Charbonnet offers RB1 bellcow potential in the event Walker indeed sits.

Geno’s 2024 targets: Jaxon Smith-Njigba 122; DK Metcalf 99; Tyler Lockett 66; Walker 53; Noah Fant 49; Charbonnet 46. … Geno and Smith-Njigba have developed a tight bond; over their last six games, Geno is 43-of-51 passing (87%) for 521 yards (10.2 YPT) and three TDs when targeting JSN. … An underachiever and subpar ball winner, Metcalf has exceeded 70 receiving yards once since Week 4. I’m still siding with Metcalf as an upside WR2 play against a Bears defense that’s hemorrhaging deep pass completions as mentioned above. … Lockett has drawn four targets or fewer in eight straight games. … Fant warrants TE1 streamer attention; Chicago has conceded the NFL’s sixth-most yards to tight ends (909).

Caleb Williams will face Seattle missing LT Braxton Jones (broken ankle) and probably LG Teven Jenkins (calf) in an otherwise positive draw after Sam Darnold (QB9), Jordan Love (QB12), and Kyler Murray (QB10) registered favorable FF results against the Seahawks in Weeks 14-16. I’m approaching Williams as a fringe QB1/2 here. … The Seahawks present a middling matchup for running backs, while Bears lead RB D’Andre Swift has gone eight straight games without netting 100 total yards and is now missing nearly half of his O-Line.

Keenan Allen looks like an old man on the field but is fantasy’s overall WR6 since Week 12. Thriving on instincts and volume, Allen has drawn eight-plus targets in six of his last eight appearances. He’s a WR2 starter versus Seattle. … D.J. Moore topped 100 receiving yards five times last season. This year, he’s done so twice. Deemed a team captain, Moore’s body language has been rough, and his on-field production inconsistent. As the Seahawks have allowed the NFL’s 13th-most fantasy wide receiver points, Moore still warrants WR2/3 valuation. … Rome Odunze has cleared 80 yards in two of 15 games. He’s a WR3/flex option here. … Cole Kmet has drawn four targets or fewer in eight of his last nine appearances.

Score Prediction: Seahawks 24, Bears 23