Darnell Mooney Struggles With Justin Fields at Quarterback

NFL Week 2 is nearly in the books. If you are a Darnell Mooney fantasy football owner and you had him in your starting lineup, hopefully you found strong performances elsewhere. Of course, if you read our Week 2 Start 'em Sit 'em, then you may have sat Mooney this week.

Regardless, Darnell Mooney fantasy football owners want to know what to do with the Chicago Bears wide receiver. He now has two receptions for four yards on the season, with Mooney finishing with negative yardage on Sunday night. While things can only go up from that performance, the bad news is that it may not go up much.

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Darnell Mooney Fantasy Football Value Poor With Justin Fields

Many fantasy football analysts and fans were predicting a breakout year from Darnell Mooney. This is his third year in the NFL, and he also got rid of Matt Nagy as the head coach/play-caller. However, it's clear he hasn't gotten off to a good start. After totaling a 1,000-yard season in 2021, why is he struggling now?

Well, the Darnell Mooney fantasy football value has been poor, or at the very least inconsistent, when Justin Fields has been the starter.

Rookie Struggles From Justin Fields Affected Darnell Mooney

Justin Fields' rookie season did not go well. To begin the season, the coaching staff kept Fields on the sideline due to poor offensive line play. Outside pressure and an injury forced the Bears to put Fields in, and it played out as anyone who knows football expected it to. In 10 starts, Fields threw for 1,800 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. Of course, he was sacked 34 times as well.

But this article is about the Darnell Mooney fantasy value with Fields under center. In the 10 games Fields started, Mooney caught 36-of-72 targets for 561 yards and three touchdowns. Grabbing 3.6 passes for 56.1 yards per game is already disappointing, but the fact that 246 of his 561 yards came in two games makes matters more concerning.

Of the 10 games with Fields as a starter, Mooney totaled under 40 yards in four games, showing he has produced a dud more often than not.

Darnell Mooney Fantasy Football Value Going Forward

Is this a product of the offensive line, Justin Fields' talent or the game plan? The answer is D, all of the above. Obviously, Darnell Mooney fantasy owners are frustrated, since he has totaled only two receptions for four yards this season.

Will things get better? Yes, the only direction to go is up. However, is Darnell Mooney going to have a breakout year or become a week-to-week WR2? No, he isn't.

If you are a Darnell Mooney fantasy football owner, don't cut him and don't sell low. If you can convince someone there are great times ahead and he will become a WR2, go ahead and sell, but don't do it for pennies. On the other side, if the Darnell Mooney owner in your league is frustrated and struggling, show him the stats of Mooney with Fields, then look to buy-low. Mooney should settle around the WR3 or WR4 area this season. If that type of performance could be an asset to your fantasy team, win the mental battle and win the trade for the talented Chicago Bears WR.