The Chicago Bears are fresh off a bye week and return to action against the Washington Commanders.
The pregame narrative: Washington is facing some injury concerns ahead of this Week 6 contest, but is still the 4.5-point favourite to improve to 4-2 on the year. The Bears are 2-2 and could use a win to stay in the race in the loaded NFC North.
Check out my Bears vs. Commanders picks for the Monday Night Football matchup on Oct. 13, featuring prop predictions on DJ Moore and Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
Bears vs. Commanders picks
Best Bet: Moore over 3.5 receptions (-143)
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With Rome Odunze emerging as the WR1 in this offence, opposing defences are going to start game planning to stop the sophomore.
That should open up more looks for Moore, who’s still very good.
- After grabbing three receptions in Week 1, Moore has caught 4+ passes in the three games since.
- He averages seven targets a game, which is plenty of volume to cash this wager.
Caleb Williams is taking a big step in his second season, which allows room for multiple receivers to cook.
The quarterback is averaging 32.5 pass attempts per game, so there are plenty of targets up for grabs.
So truthfully, it doesn’t matter how good Odunze plays — there’s always room for Moore to clear this modest line.
Key stat: Moore is 17-4 against this wager in Williams’ 21 career starts.
Monday Night Football prop pick
Croskey-Merritt over 66.5 rushing yards (-113): Croskey-Merritt exploded in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
He ran for 111 yards on 14 carries, adding two touchdowns. It was the first time the rookie surpassed this number since his 82-yard performance in Week 1.
The running back has yet to play more than 50% of the snaps on offence. He’s also been given fewer than 10 carries in three of five weeks. But Croskey-Merritt certainly has earned a bigger share of this backfield.
L.A. has been getting exposed in the running game, so it opened up a perfect opportunity for Croskey-Merritt to take over the game.
And I expect that to be the case once again against the Bears.
Chicago has allowed a running back to clear this mark in all four games. The defence allows the second-most rushing yards per game (164.5) and most recently got lit up by Ashton Jeanty for 138 yards on 21 carries.
I don’t expect Croskey-Merritt to get as many touches as his fellow rookie did, but he’s the best between-the-tackles runner on the Commanders.
There’s also the chance that Dan Quinn unleashes the explosive back after his breakout performance last weekend.
Bears vs. Commanders picks made at 3:01 p.m. ET 10/11/2025.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.