Week 13 Lions vs. Bears prediction and fantasy outlook feat. Caleb Williams

Modified Nov 28, 2024 06:13 GMT

NFL: Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears - Source: Imagn — Week 13 Lions vs. Bears prediction and fantasy outlook feat. Caleb Williams - Source: Imagn

The Bears visit the Lions to get us started in Week 13 in the first game on Thanksgiving Day. However, the teams will approach the festivities in different frames of mind.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 4-7 record and are bottom of the NFC North. This is their third straight game against a divisional rivals and the last two have not gone well for them. They lost to the Packers a couple of weeks ago with a blocked field goal and then fell in overtime to the Vikings the last time they were on the field. If it's any consolation, their losses have been narrow and Caleb Williams has looked the part in both defeats.

Detroit, meanwhile, has no such lingering issues to overcome. Along with the Kansas City Chiefs, they have the best record in the league and are sitting atop the NFC standings. They must be considered Super Bowl favorites. In their last two games, they have allowed just 12 points and scored 76 points. They are at home and would like to maintain that upbeat mood at their home stadium before digging into the Thanksgiving turkey.

Lions vs Bears prediction

With two teams on opposite sides of the division, one could mistake this to be a foregone conclusion. However, there are no easy games in the NFC North and this could turn into a banana skin for the Lions. The Vikings and the Packers also had winning records going into their matchups against the Bears and barely scraped through.

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Detroit is scoring 394.3 yards per game, which is second behind the Baltimore Ravens. They get 243.5 yards on average through the air with more than 150 yards coming on the ground. They have threats everywhere and their 32.7 points per match average is the highest in the league.

The Chicago defense, meanwhile, allows 339.1 yards per match, which is in the middle of the pack but the 19.7 points they allow on average is in the top half of the league. Therefore, their red zone defense could become vital against a free-flowing Detroit offense.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Bears are accumulating 300.6 yards per game on average. It puts them in the bottom half of the league, as does their 20.1 points per match. Caleb Williams, however, had 340 passing yards and two touchdowns in his last game, indicating that those averages might be going up.

It came against a Vikings team that ranks in the bottom half of passing defenses and relies more on stopping the run and red zone throws. The Detroit defense is similar because they give up 227.2 passing yards, 94.9 rushing yards, and 16.6 points per game. Therefore, Caleb Williams could have a similar performance to last week.

However, it is a game that the Bears still lost and, therefore, we expect the Lions to get a victory on Thanksgiving Day at home and go 11-1 after Week 13. But we expect it to be a close game.

Prediction - Lions 27 - 20 Bears

Lions vs Bears fantasy outlook

Given the respective makeup of their offenses and defenses, any Detroit offensive player might be a safe bet as they are expected to pick up yards both on the ground and through the air. Quarterback Jared Goff is a good pick as is running back Jahmyr Gibbs, with David Montgomery questionable. Sam LaPorta could also see action with Amon-Ra St. Brown also a doubt for the match.

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With the Lions having a good run defense, expect Caleb Williams to throw more, and fantasy football managers should definitely consider him. Keenan Allen had 86 yards and a touchdown against Minnesota and could be worth a shot against a similar Detroit defense.