Equanimeous

St. Brown

Saints cut/released S Johnathan Abram, S Ugo Amadi, OG Tremayne Anchrum, OT Jesse Davis, LB Andrew Dowell, LB Khaleke Hudson, OL Shane Lemieux, WR Stanley Morgan,RB James Robinson, WR Equanimeous St. Brown, S Roderic Teamer, CB Joejuan Williams, WR Kevin Austin, S Millard Bradford, WR Shaq Davis, OL Mark Evans, OT Josiah Ezirim, TE Mason Fairchild, P Lou Hedley, DT Jack Heflin, OG Kyle Hergel, TE Michael Jacobson, DB Shemar Jean-Charles, S Lawrence Johnson, RB Jacob Kibodi, DE Niko Lalos, CB Mac McCain, WR Samson Nacua, LB Monty Rice, LB Mike Rose, K Charlie Smyth, and CB Rejzohn Wright.

Rattler likely slithered into the No. 2 role with a stunning performance that included four big-time throws and one missed tackle forced. He threaded the needle beautifully on a 21-yard touchdown pass to WR Equanimeous St. Brown. Rattler should be safely stashed on benches in dynasty formats.

St. Brown faded into irrelevancy in the Bears offense, dealing with injury and playing in seven games during the 2023 season. Rookie Tyler Scott took some of St. Brown’s opportunities and St. Brown was often relegated to blocking duty. He finishes the season with five receptions for 62 yards and no touchdowns. St. Brown enters free agency in the offseason, but will not be on the fantasy radar regardless of landing spot.

It’s a quiet list for a healthy team that is nevertheless in play to earn the No. 1 overall pick outright.

Here we go. Herbert was injured in the Bears’ Week 5 win over the Commanders and placed on injured reserve shortly after. The third-year back was off to a hot start before going down, totaling 355 yards from scrimmage on 61 touches while averaging 5.8 yards per touch. Herbert will presumably step into his RB1 role once fully healthy, and could have an outside shot at playing on Thursday night against the Panthers. With his 21 day window now open, the Bears don’t have to play Herbert on Thursday if he’s not yet ready to go. It’s possible they opt to sideline him until Week 11 when they take on the Lions. In addition to Herbert, the Bears also opened the 21 day window for WR Equanimeous St. Brown and DB Josh Blackwell.

The Bears also placed wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown on injured reserve. Nathan Peterman was signed to the active roster. Earlier in the week, CBS Sports’s Josina Anderson reported Herbert suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 5. We haven’t seen a confirming report yet, but Herbert landing on injured reserve likely means Anderson was right. D’Onta Foreman will start in Week 6 with Roschon Johnson out because of a concussion. Johnson should take on the starting gig in Week 7 if he is able to return.

St. Brown was set to be a free agent at the end of the season, but will now remain a member of the Bears for their 2023 campaign. Though he didn’t post notable fantasy numbers, St. Brown stepped into a larger role down the stretch with Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney suffering injuries. He has also contributed on special teams in the past, though that wasn’t asked of him this year. The extension gives St. Brown a well-earned payday while securing some extra depth for the Bears’ receiver room.

EQSB was upgraded to a full practice on Friday before being cleared from the injury report. He was serving as the Bears’ top receiving option before going down with the concussion. If Chase Claypool returns to the lineup this week, EQSB won’t be a viable fantasy option in Week 17.

This does not necessarily mean that St. Brown has cleared protocol, as we’ve seen players practice without clearing. But it is a step in the right direction and provides at least a little hope that he’ll be active on Sunday against the Lions. St. Brown will need to either clear protocol or have another step forward on Friday to be more than questionable.

St. Brown left Week 15 with a concussion and was also forced to miss the following week, His inability to practice on Wednesday suggests he may miss another game because of the head injury. If he can’t suit up, Byron Pringle and Dante Pettis will likely serve as the Bears’ starting receivers.