Monangai averaged 8.6 PPR points per game as a rookie in 2025, but that doesn't tell the full story of his impressive debut season. In the two games where he received a full workload (more than 15 carries), Monangai finished as the RB3 and RB5, respectively. One of those games came against a top-ranked Eagles defense. Although he is blocked by D'Andre Swift, Monangai could earn more of a 1B role in 2026 and provide back-end flex appeal on a weekly basis. However, he's one of the single-best handcuff running backs to draft because if Swift were to get hurt, Monangai provides top-five RB upside on a weekly basis. Overall, he's more valuable in deep leagues and best-ball formats than standard redraft leagues.
Bears' Kyle Monangai: Diagnosed with hyperextended knee
Rotowire
Monangai hyperextended his right knee at Sunday's practice, and he's expected to be sidelined multiple weeks, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Monangai was able to walk off the practice field under his own power Sunday after he was tackled from behind by Bears defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported afterward that Monangai's knee was structurally sound, but an MRI has revealed the extent of the issue. With almost five weeks remaining before the Bears open the regular season at Carolina on Sunday, Sept. 13, he seemingly will have enough time to get healthy for that contest. In the meantime, Monangai will focus on rehab with Week 1 in mind.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Believed to be 'fine' after exiting practice
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Monangai is believed to be "fine" after exiting Sunday's practice with a right-knee injury, and he will undergo an MRI, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Monangai walked off the practice field under his own power after he was tackled from behind by defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Schefter added that initial tests showed that his knee was structurally sound, but the team will confirm the severity of the injury with a subsequent MRI. When healthy, Monangai should combine with starting running back D'Andre Swift to form one of the NFL's best rushing duos for the second year in a row.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Exits practice with apparent injury
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Monangai left Sunday's practice due to an apparent right-knee injury, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Monangai went down after being tackled from behind by defensive tackle Grady Jarrett in a non-padded session Sunday. The second-year running back walked off under his own power, albeit very gingerly, while departing with a trainer, according to Adam Hoge of AllCHGO.com. Monangai will likely undergo further testing to evaluate the severity of this apparent injury. The 2025 seventh-round pick popped during his rookie season, tallying 169 carries for 783 yards and five touchdowns while playing behind veteran D'Andre Swift.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Sits out preseason opener
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Monangai did not play in the Bears' 34-10 preseason win over the Browns on Saturday.
Both Monangai and D'Andre Swift observed Saturday's game from the sidelines while 2023 fourth-rounder Roschon Johnson led all Bears running backs with 22 snaps on offense. Monangai, a seventh-round selection of Chicago in the 2025 NFL Draft, is coming off a productive rookie campaign in which he logged 169 carries for 783 yards (4.6 YPC) and five touchdowns while adding 18 catches (on 30 targets) for 164 yards across 17 regular-season games, two of which he rushed for 130-plus yards. The Rutgers product is expected to serve in a complementary role behind Swift for the upcoming season.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Back at practice Monday
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Monangai (undisclosed) was in full uniform for Monday's practice, Chris Emma of 670TheScore.com reports.
Per Adam Hoge of AllCHGO.com, head coach Ben Johnson acknowledged earlier Monday that Monangai missed time during the start of training camp last week due to a soft-tissue injury that's believed to be related to his hamstring. Johnson indicated that Monangai's absence would be "on the shorter side," and the second-year running back supported his coach's claim by getting back on the practice field. The Bears could still ease up on Monangai's reps early in camp, but he looks like he'll have a realistic shot at being available for the Aug. 15 preseason opener versus the Browns.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Dealing with soft-tissue injury
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Bears head coach Ben Johnson said Monday that Monangai is dealing with a soft-tissue injury, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Per Adam Jahns of AllCHGO.com, Johnson indicated that Monangai's injury absence should be on the "shorter side," though the running back already missed three practices last week. In Monangai's absence, added reps will be available for Roschon Johnson, Brittain Brown and Salvon Ahmed.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Unavailable Friday
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Monangai was absent from Friday's practice due to an undisclosed reason, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Monangai also wasn't spotted during Thursday's practice, making this his second consecutive absence. The Bears haven't provided details on the issue, so Monangai should be considered day-to-day until more information surfaces. He remains in line for a complementary role behind D'Andre Swift, but missed camp reps could pile up if his absence continues. Roschon Johnson, Brittain Brown and Salvon Ahmed will benefit from increased reps as long as Monangai is unavailable.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Slated to combine with Swift again
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Monangai remains positioned for a key complementary role behind D'Andre Swift as training camp approaches, Mike Moraitis of SI.com reports.
Monangai impressed out of the gate as a rookie seventh-round pick in 2025, beating out Roschon Johnson for the No. 2 running back role and carving out a steady workload alongside Swift. He finished with 783 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 169 carries while adding 18 catches for 164 yards across 17 regular-season games. Though he lacks Swift's explosiveness and receiving ability, Monangai is a natural runner who fits Ben Johnson's scheme well. He would inherit a valuable workload if Swift were to miss any time in 2026.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Inefficient with 13 carries Sunday
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Monangai rushed 13 times for 36 yards while hauling in all four of his targets for 36 yards in Sunday's 20-17 overtime loss to the Rams in the divisional round.
Monangai struggled to gain traction in Sunday's snowy playoff loss (2.8 YPC), but his solid effort as a receiver helped buoy his fantasy score. D'Andre Swift (19-76-0) had the superior day on the ground, but neither back was able to hit pay dirt as Chicago's 2025 campaign comes to a close. The seventh-round rookie broke onto the scene as a change-of-pace back behind Swift to begin the year, carving out a significant role on offense while finishing the regular season with a 169-783-5 rushing line across 17 appearances. Swift and Monangai should continue working in tandem out of the gates in 2026, with the latter possessing tantalizing upside in fantasy for his upcoming sophomore season.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Moderate production in win
Rotowire
Monangai rushed eight times for 27 yards while adding a 22-yard reception on three targets in the Bears' 31-27 wild-card win over the Packers on Saturday.
Although Monangai has played 40 to 45 percent of the snaps in each of Chicago's last six games, he handled single-digit carries for the fourth straight contest. After being a solid fantasy producer in Weeks 9-13, the running back has 57 or fewer scrimmage yards with no touchdowns over the last six games. Monangai will likely continue to be the clear second option in the Bears' backfield during next week's divisional-round clash.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Sleeper RBs
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I like D'Andre Swift as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues, but Monangai is worth using as a flex. He hasn't scored a touchdown in four games in a row, so he's due, and the Lions have allowed seven rushing touchdowns and eight total scores to running backs in the past five games. Monangai has at least 11 total touches in seven games in a row, including consecutive outings with three catches, and he should be a nice complement to Swift in this matchup at home.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Sleeper RBs
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Monangai had a solid game in Week 16 against Green Bay with nine carries for 50 yards and three catches for 43 yards on four targets, and he scored 12.3 PPR points. He has now scored at least 10.7 PPR points in four of his past six games, with three touchdowns over that span, and he's worth using as a high-end flex option in all leagues. D'Andre Swift should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all formats, and the 49ers have allowed a running back to score at least 11.4 PPR points in six games in a row.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Totals 93 yards
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Monangai rushed the ball nine times for 50 yards in Saturday's 22-16 overtime win over the Packers. He added three receptions on four targets for 43 yards.
Monangai was modestly out-touched by D'Andre Swift, but the rookie was the more productive in Saturday's comeback win. Monangai delivered a few particularly impactful plays, highlighted by a 34-yard catch and run on a screen pass to set up a field goal for the Bears. His longest rushes went for 13 and 11 yards, the latter of which converted a third down and set up Caleb Williams' game-winning throw. Monangai has double-digit touches in six consecutive games while splitting the backfield with Swift, and the former has reached 90 yards from scrimmage twice in that span.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Held quiet on 11 carries
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Monangai rushed the ball 11 times for 33 yards in Sunday's 31-3 win over the Browns. He wasn't able to catch either of his two targets.
Monangai split carries evenly with D'Andre Swift throughout the first half, accounting for eight of his 11 carries. However, Swift saw nine carries in the final two quarters as opposed to only three for Monangai. While he's still seen double-digit carries in five consecutive games, it appears clear that Swift remains the lead back in Chicago, meaning Monangai will be reliant on finding the end zone and rushing efficiency to put up viable fantasy performances. He didn't do either in Sunday's blowout win, leading to a disappointing stat line.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Handles 14 carries
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Monangai rushed the ball 14 times for 57 yards in Sunday's 28-21 loss to the Packers. He added one reception on two targets for zero yards.
Monangai worked as the traditional lead back for Chicago during the first half, though his touches ultimately evened out with D'Andre Swift throughout the final two quarters. Monangai couldn't find much running room in the tough matchup, logging a long gain of only nine yards while averaging 4.1 yards per carry. While it wasn't his best showing, Monangai has clearly established a major role in the Chicago offense, having logged at least 12 carries in four consecutive contests.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Cleared from injury report
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Monangai (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at Green Bay.
Monangai made it back to full participation Friday after missing Wednesday's practice and being limited Thursday. He should be fine for his usual role as the 1B to D'Andre Swift's 1A, but a matchup with the Packers could make it difficult to pile up rushing volume the way the Bears did in some of their recent games.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Sleeper RBs
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Monangai comes to Week 14 at Green Bay having scored a touchdown in four games in a row, and he has at least 10.7 PPR points in three consecutive outings. In Week 13 at Philadelphia, Monangai was dominant with 22 carries for 130 yards and a touchdown, and all of this production has come in tandem with D'Andre Swift. The Bears have given Monangai at least 12 carries in three games in a row, and that should continue against the Packers, who will be without defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (ankle) for the remainder of the year. Six running backs have scored at least 11.6 PPR points against Green Bay in the past five games, including a pair of teammates for the Giants in Week 11 (Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary) and the Lions in Week 13 (Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery), which bodes well for Swift and Monangai. I like both running backs in this matchup in Week 14.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Listed as DNP on Wednesday
Rotowire
Monangai was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's practice estimate due to an ankle injury.
Monangai was listed with an ankle injury ahead of the Bears' Week 10 matchup against the Giants, but his listed lack of activity to begin Week 14 prep is somewhat worrisome as the team prepares for Sunday's road showdown with the Packers. His status thus will be monitored closely as the week continues to see if he practices Thursday and/or Friday, after which the Bears may tag him with a designation. D'Andre Swift would take on most of the backfield reps this weekend if Monangai is inhibited or sidelined.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Big numbers with elevated workload
Rotowire
Monangai rushed 22 times for 130 yards and a touchdown and failed to bring in his only target in the Bears' 24-15 win over the Eagles on Friday.
Monangai surprisingly returned to a starter-level workload despite D'Andre Swift being active and gaining 125 rushing yards of his own while also punching in a score. Monangai outpaced his veteran backfield mate by four carries and recorded his fifth rush TD of the season on a four-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Monangai had topped out at 12 carries in terms of a single-game tally in the last three contests, so the boost in volume Friday was significant and surprising. Nevertheless, the division of labor in the backfield is likely to continue fluctuating game to game moving forward, and Friday's usage for both backs was largely the result of a favorable game script and clear matchup advantage.
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Bears' Kyle Monangai: Gets seven touches to Swift's 18
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Monangai rushed seven times for 28 yards and a touchdown while failing to catch his only target in Sunday's 24-20 win over the Giants.
Monangai broke out for 198 scrimmage yards against the Bengals in Week 9 but was outplayed by D'Andre Swift (groin) in Swift's return from a one-game absence in Week 10. The rookie seventh-round pick out of Rutgers opened the scoring with an eight-yard touchdown run in the first quarter but was out-touched, 18-7, by Swift. Head coach Ben Johnson may be attempting to replicate the backfield formula he used as the Lions' offensive coordinator the previous couple seasons, with the 5-foot-8, 207-pound Monangai providing power inside a la David Montgomery while Swift's used in a more versatile role like Jahmyr Gibbs. Swift is still the top option for the Bears, but Monangai should remain involved in Week 11 against the Vikings.
