Chicago Bears rookie dubbed 2025 fantasy football sleeper whose stock will rise

The Bears entered draft weekend as one of the teams in the mix to select a running back in the first round, with visions of Ashton Jeanty darting across Soldier Field. Even Omarion Hampton was considered an option at No. 10, but when Chicago lost out on Jeanty and passed on Hampton, expectations shifted to the second round and the cluster of Day 2 running backs who ranked high on most teams' draft boards.

But the second (and third, fourth, fifth, and sixth) rounds came and went without a running back added to the depth chart. It wasn't until the final round -- Round 7 -- that GM Ryan Poles added competition for D'Andre Swift by way of Monangai, whose exceptional production in the Big 10 has his outlook much brighter than most final-round rookies.

Monangai finished the 2024 season with 256 carries for 1,279 yards and 13 touchdowns.

"Mongangai has unsurprisingly drawn comparisons to Isiah Pacheco, another Scarlet Knights seventh-rounder, but he’s a relatively unique prospect who could leverage his unusual style to carve out a role within a Bears rotation that was disappointing in 2024," Bleacher Report's Alex Kay wrote.

"While he may not completely usurp D’Andre Swift as the RB1 in the Windy City, Monangai could start cutting into the starter’s workload and push the underwhelming Roschon Johnson for backup duties during training camp."

Monangai shares several traits with Pacheco, namely his tough between-the-tackles running style and a mental approach to the position that coaches will fall in love with. And for as exciting as his college resume is, he does have a tough road ahead for significant carries in 2025.

Whatever you may think of Swift, he is an established NFL runner who fell just short of 1,000 rushing yards in an offense last season that was as disorganized and dysfunctional as any the Chicago Bears have fielded in many years. He's also getting paid $8 million per season, and with a fresh start under coach Ben Johnson and behind a revamped offensive line, he could prove to be one of the NFL's surprising success stories in 2025.

If Swift gets off to a hot start this season, Monangai's chances will be few, if any. But if he struggles like he did at times last year? The seventh-round rookie could quickly go from near-NFL draft afterthought to the centerpiece of the Bears' rushing game.

Kyle Monangai is a classic boom-or-bust pick in fantasy football this year.