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Friday update: Bears head coach Matt Nagy told the media he does not expect Williams to play on Sunday, per Dan Wiederer. Khalil Herbert would move into the starting spot in Williams’ absence.
Thursday update: Williams was placed on the COVID-19 list due to a positive test, per Jason Lieser. This makes his chances for playing this week very slim at this point.
Damien Williams went on the reserve/COVID-19 list for a positive test, based on the league's personnel notice--not as a close contact. That means if he is vaccinated, he has to test negative twice (24 hrs apart) and if unvaccinated, he's going to be out a minimum of 10 days.
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) October 14, 2021
The Chicago Bears placed veteran running back Damien Williams on the COVID-19/Reserve list on Thursday, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. As of right now, we do not know if Williams himself tested positive or if there was a close contact.
Fantasy football implications
For the Chicago Bears, Williams being placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list this late into the week is not ideal. Chicago is already without starting RB David Montgomery, who suffered a knee injury earlier this month against the Detroit Lions.
With Montgomery being sidelined, the Bears gave the start to Williams last week against the Las Vegas Raiders. The veteran running back had 64 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown, along with two receptions (three targets) for 20 yards.
Along with Williams, the Bears also gave some snaps to rookie running back Khalil Herbert, who had 18 carries for 75 yards and played 53% of offensive snaps. Herbert will likely take over the lead back roll with Ryan Nall as his backup and is very much worth picking up if he’s a free agent in your fantasy league.