Caleb Williams Sits Again and Both Bears Running Backs Missed Practice Before Green Bay

Caleb Williams did not practice Wednesday and will miss a third straight game with his hamstring injury, leaving Tyson Bagent to make his second consecutive start when the Chicago Bears (3-1) visit the Green Bay Packers (2-2) on Sunday. The bigger fantasy surprise on Chicago's first Week 5 injury report was in the backfield: D'Andre Swift (hip, knee) and Kyle Monangai (thumb, toe) both missed practice too.

Head coach Ben Johnson had already said Monday on ESPN 1000 that Bagent would start and that Williams would not practice this week, while still classifying the quarterback as week to week rather than day to day. Kickoff at Lambeau Field was moved up to 1 p.m. ET on FOX.

The Wednesday report

Seven Bears did not practice Wednesday, and three of them were starting offensive linemen. That matters as much for the run game as the running backs' own statuses do.

Johnson said Wednesday that Monangai's thumb is not a concern and that the back was mostly sore after a 30-carry game. The toe listing is new this week. Swift's knee had already been on the report before Week 4, while the hip designation is new. Local reporting suggests neither back is in serious danger of missing Sunday, but Thursday and Friday participation will settle it.

How Chicago got here at quarterback

Williams suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain in the Week 2 loss to Minnesota, with an initial three-to-four week recovery estimate. Case Keenum started and won in Week 3 against Philadelphia on Monday night, and Bagent took over in Week 4, completing 25 of 34 passes for 268 yards with an interception in a 23-12 win over the Jets. It was his first NFL start since his rookie season in 2023. Keenum is the backup this week.

Johnson has said there have been no setbacks in Williams' rehab, but the team is moving cautiously. Week 6 against Atlanta is the earliest realistic return, and Bleacher Nation reported that a return to practice before then is possible. Chicago is 2-0 without its starter, which explains why the staff is in no hurry.

The backfield: Monangai is the back to own

Week 4 rewrote the pecking order. Swift opened as the lead back but lost a fumble in the third quarter and did not get another carry, finishing with 15 carries for 58 yards. Monangai took over and finished with a career-high 30 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns, his second 100-yard game of the season. Johnson attributed Swift's reduced role to the fumble rather than to injury.

If both backs play, Monangai should be treated as the lead runner and an RB2 with upside. Swift becomes a flex with some passing-down value, since Johnson has shown he will ride a hot hand. The danger case is if one is ruled out: the other would see a near-bell-cow workload, with Roschon Johnson, who reportedly closed out the Jets game after Monangai was hurt, as the only other experienced option.

The matchup supports the run. Green Bay lost linebacker Edgerrin Cooper to a season-ending torn Achilles on Sunday, and Micah Parsons remains sidelined and is not expected back before November, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The counterweight is Chicago's own line: if Thuney and Wright miss Sunday, the Bears would be running behind a patched interior of their own.

Fantasy fallout for the passing game

With DJ Moore traded to Buffalo in March, the Bears' targets run through three young players, and Bagent spread the ball evenly in Week 4.

Rome Odunze had his best game of the season, his first time over 52 receiving yards, including a 37-yard catch on third down. He is a WR3 this week with real upside against a Green Bay defense that just lost its best linebacker in coverage. Colston Loveland has climbed each week (0, 3, 31 and 57 yards) and drew nine targets from Bagent; that target share makes him a weekly starter at a thin position, especially with the Packers missing Cooper over the middle. Luther Burden III is a flex in deeper formats; his role is steady, but his volume has trailed the other two.

Bagent himself is a two-quarterback league start only. He was efficient against the Jets, but the offense leaned on the run and will likely do so again in a road divisional game.

What to do in your league

If you roster Monangai, start him unless he is ruled out Friday. If you roster Swift, hold him and use him as a flex; he has the clearer path to a big game only if Monangai sits. Roschon Johnson is a speculative add in deeper leagues as insurance for whichever back you start. Odunze and Loveland are starts, Burden is a flex, and Williams should stay on your bench or injured reserve slot until he practices.

The betting angle is about Chicago's offensive line more than its quarterback. The Bears have won with Bagent by running the ball, so Friday's statuses for Thuney, Wright and the two backs are what to watch before weighing any Bears total or rushing prop. Verdexed's game-by-game call is on the NFL predictions page (/nfl/predictions), and the full Week 5 slate is at /blog/nfl-week-5-picks-2026.

What's next

Thursday's practice report is the first checkpoint for Swift and Monangai; any participation, even limited, would point toward both playing. Friday brings game designations. On the quarterback side, the next milestone is Williams returning to the practice field, which would put Week 6 against Atlanta in play. Until then, Bagent's job is the same as it was against the Jets: protect the ball and hand it to the hot back.