Will Bears RB D’Andre Swift play in Week 14 vs. 49ers?

Game day update: D’Andre Swift is expected to play in Week 14, per Ian Rapoport.

The Chicago Bears have not had the season they expected when they started 4-2 through the first six games. They have lost six consecutive games since the infamous Jayden Daniels Hail Mary and fired their head coach. Another team that has also been in a spiral this season is the San Francisco 49ers and the two will go head-to-head in Week 14. A key piece of the Bears offense this season has been running back D’Andre Swift and they will hope to have him available on Sunday.

According to The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov the Bears have listed running back D’Andre Swift as questionable with a quad injury for Sunday’s game against the 49ers. Swift did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday. However, the Bears running back did participate on Friday, but in a limited capacity. Interim head coach Thomas Brown did say that Swift looked good but that the team will monitor him over the next few days. Swift will be a player to monitor on Sunday as the Bears take on the 49ers in the later window at 4:25 p.m. ET.

At times this season, running back D’Andre Swift has felt like the key piece of the Bears offense. Swift hasn’t been as active in the game plan over the last two weeks, but a lot of that is because the Bears have been playing catchup in the fourth quarter. Swift has shown this season that he is capable of big fantasy performances.

While Swift is the RB19 in PPR leagues this season, he has more games with 20 or more points than Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs who is the RB5. The difference between the two players is the consistency outside of those games.

With that said, Swift has shown when he has a favorable matchup, he is capable of taking advantage and finding good fantasy production. He’ll have one of those matchups on deck this week against the 49ers who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs this season. If the Bears can keep this game close unlike the past two weeks, Swift could see another RB1 caliber week.

If Swift can’t play, things get interesting for the Bears. Backup running back Roschon Johnson has already been listed as out for Sunday. That leaves Travis Homer as the player who would likely become the primary ball carrier in the run game. Additionally, Darrynton Evans will be a candidate to be elevated from the practice squad on Sunday.

If Swift plays, he’s someone that should be in fantasy lineups given his upside, especially against a vulnerable opponent. It’s more difficult to make that same case for Homer or Evans, but if in need of a running back due to the final bye week of the season, the matchup is favorable.