Justin Fields injury update: Latest on Bears QB for Fantasy Football Week 10

Justin Fields enjoyed a breakout fantasy football season last year with the Chicago Bears, finishing as the overall QB7. He also recorded the second-most rushing yards in a single season by any quarterback in NFL history. This made him one of the most popular targets in fantasy drafts this year as rushing quarterbacks are extremely valuable.

After a bit of a slow start to the season, Fields got things rolling with two consecutive weekly finishes among the top three quarterbacks. A thumb injury on his throwing hand stopped his hot streak short and forced him to miss each of the Bears' past three games. Now that Week 10 has arrived, he appears closer than ever to returning to the football field.

Justin Fields injury update

Justin Fields

The Chicago Bears reported that Justin Fields returned to the practice field in a limited capacity ahead of their Week 9 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. While he was still ruled out for the game, this is an encouraging development. He has been unable to practice since suffering a thumb injury in Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings.

According to head coach Matt Eberflus during a press conference, via Pro Football Network:

“He’s progressing day-to-day now, so it’s good to see him take that next step in that progression.”

Fields' next opportunity to get back into game action will come in Week 10 in a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Carolina Panthers. While this will serve as a short week for the Bears, the fact that Fields returned to practice on Saturday is an optimistic sign of his potential availability.

What happened to Justin Fields?

During the first half of the Bears' Week 6 game against the Vikings, Fields went to the sideline with what appeared to be some kind of injury to his right arm. He was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the contest after being evaluated by the medical staff and being diagnosed with a thumb injury on his right hand.

Any injury dealing with a quarterback's throwing arm is always alarming, but Fields was luckily able to avoid a trip to the injured reserve list. This gives legitimate reason to be optimistic about his potential availability for Week 10 after missing the past three games. Still, fantasy football managers will want to closely monitor his progress this week before plugging him into any lineups.

When will Justin Fields return?

It seems likely that Fields will be ready to make his return to the Bears' lineup when they face off against the Panthers on Thursday Night Football in Week 10. By not placing him on the injured reserve list, the Bears presumably believed that he would miss less than the four-game minimum if they did so. It has already been three missed games, so now may be the time to activate him again.

Further suggesting that Fields may be getting ready to play this week is the fact that he participated in their final Week 9 practice on Saturday prior to their game against the Saints. If he does make his return, rookie Tyler Bagent will be removed from the starting lineup and placed into a backup role.