NFL futures, 2 Chicago Bears bets: Excitement and hope for a change

Moore joins Darnell Mooney to form an extremely solid 1-2 punch at wide receiver, and the Bears will hope they can get more out of Chase Claypool in 2023 to round out the group. 

Running backs Khalil Herbert, D'Onta Foreman and rookie Roschon Johnson form a solid trio of runners that complement each other well, and the presence of a running QB like Fields tends to open up opportunities for the team's backs.

The offensive line has their question marks and could stall development, but the Bears will hope that rookie Darnell Wright can help stabilize things. 

The defense might still be a problem here. The team added TJ Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds at linebacker, with the hope that they can help fix some of the issues the team had stopping the ground game in 2022.

Two futures bets to make on the Chicago Bears

To make the playoffs (+160 DK)

Found under 'Team Futures'
I am extremely high on the Chicago Bears heading into the 2023 season. I've previously dissected the worst-to-first market that's offered, concluding that Chicago seemed like the most viable option to make the jump.

An alternative bet to this could be which team is most improved compared to their 2022 record, with the Bears as the current +230 favorite there. I'll instead opt for them to make the playoffs in what is a wide-open NFC beyond the top few teams.

I thought Justin Fields was absolutely electric last season. We'll touch on him more with our next bet, but the success of Chicago of course starts there at quarterback. I believe Fields is the real deal, and he figures to benefit greatly from the addition of DJ Moore at wide receiver.

Moore is a stud, going over 1,100 yards in three out of his last four seasons, hauling in seven touchdowns last year.

I'm a sucker for a team that brings in a bonafide top wide receiver to pair with their ascending young quarterback. Stefon Diggs to Buffalo and AJ Brown to Philadelphia are the two examples that come to mind, with both the Bills and Eagles reaching at least their conference's championship game in that first season.

Now, you need a full team to make it that far, and I'm not saying the Bears are a Super Bowl contender, but I am saying they're good enough to make the playoffs with a much stronger offense.

The schedule is quite soft. They have winnable games against the Bucs, Broncos, Commanders, Raiders, Panthers, Falcons and Cardinals, and the Vikings and Packers figure to be a bit softer opponents in 2023 than year's past. There's a path here to nine wins, which could be enough to slip into one of the Wild Card spots.

The Eagles, 49ers, Cowboys, Seahawks and Lions seem widely regarded as the NFC's best heading into 2023, but I'd argue it's pretty wide open after that. Big year loading for Chicago.

Justin Fields to win Offensive Player of the Year (+2200 FD)

Found under 'Season Awards'
We double-down here on a big season for the Bears by sprinkling on their quarterback winning Offensive Player of the Year. I prefer this market to MVP, as the NFL has such a strong crop of QBs on elite teams that have yet to win this award, it's hard to imagine Fields jumping them all here in this third season.

Fields threw for 2,242 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushed for 1,143 yards and eight more scores. If he can maintain 1,000+ yards on the ground and get those passing numbers improved (and cut down on the interceptions) he's an extremely viable candidate for this award.

Turn on some highlights of Fields last year and you start to see just magnificent runs. He had a stretch there in November-December where he was breaking off multiple massive runs every game. 

With stronger passing metrics, hopefully aided by the addition of Moore, I see Fields becoming one of the favorites for this award as the season starts to settle in.