Fantasy Injury Updates: Is Mitchell Trubisky playing on Thanksgiving? (Updated)

Jacob Camenker

Fantasy Injury Updates: Is Mitchell Trubisky playing on Thanksgiving? (Updated) image

The Bears were already facing a tall task taking on the Lions in an early Thursday afternoon game after playing on Sunday night against the Vikings. Their path may get a bit harder. Starting QB Mitchell Trubisky, is dealing with a shoulder injury, and on a short week, that may make it difficult for him for him to suit up on Thanksgiving. As a result, Trubisky's owners may end up scrambling for a backup on the waiver wire if they're ill-prepared or if Trubisky was their backup to Jared Goff or Patrick Mahomes. This may create a start 'em, sit 'em dilemma, especially as owners await for an official update on Trubisky's active/inactive status.

As time goes on, we'll be posting updates about Trubisky's status right up to the release of the active/inactive report that drops roughly 90 minutes prior to the game. Check back for the latest news until then, and for more on Tre'Quan Smith's Thursday night status, go here.

Week 12 Rankings:
Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker

Is Mitchell Trubisky playing on Thanksgiving?

UPDATE: Trubisky is officially INACTIVE.

As of right now, the Bears are listing Trubisky as "doubtful" for the contest against the Lions, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Given the rapid turnaround Trubisky was facing to get on the field, this can't be classified as much of a surprise. As a result, he will likely sit out on Thanksgiving and target a Week 13 return.

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In Trubisky's stead, Chase Daniel will be the starter against the Lions. Daniel has only made two starts in his career, the last of which came in 2014 with the Chiefs. He does have familiarity with coach Matt Nagy's offense, having joined forces together during their time with the Chiefs. Still, it's clear that he is a downgrade from Trubisky, and Daniel isn't startable in almost any fantasy football format. 

With Daniel at the helm, the Bears passing weapons all receive a minor downgrade. Allen Robinson will be hurt the most, as he will face a difficult matchup with Darius Slay (who didn't play when these teams met in Week 10) while also getting a downgrade at QB. That makes him a prime bust option this week, so beware. Elsewhere, Anthony Miller, Tarik Cohen, and Trey Burton will all still have a chance to catch passes. They just may not get as many legitimate targets, especially if the Bears opt to use a ground-heavy attack against a weaker Lions run defense.

WEEK 12 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiverTight end

If you're a Trubisky owner looking for a solution at QB, you'll probably have to dip into the waiver wire to find a replacement. Baker Mayfield (@ Bengals), Jameis Winston (vs. 49ers) and Lamar Jackson (vs. Raiders) all qualify as solid sleeper options, and given that the latter two haven't been starting all season and Mayfield is coming off a bye, they could still be available in the majority of leagues. Thankfully, Trubisky is playing the earliest game of the week, so there are still plenty of options at the position to fill in for him.

Barring a drastic change, it seems that Trubisky will miss this week. That said, this should only be a one-week deal. Some fantasy owners in the thick of the playoff chase may end up sweating this out, but this is a short-term issue.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.