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Fantasy Football: Chicago Bears Season Preview

By Bruce Matson

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Chicago Bears Season Preview

The Chicago Bears finished last season with a 5-11 record. Even with a dismal season last year, the Bears were able to provide a lot of assets in fantasy football. Matt Forte finished the season ranked 3rd at running back, Alshon Jeffery finished the season ranked 10th at wide receiver, and Martellus Bennett finished the season ranked 3rd at tight end. The Bears have a lot of talent at the skilled positions, and they look to be very productive again this year in fantasy.

Quarterback

Jay Cutler

Cutler finished last season ranked 14th among quarterbacks with 369.20 fantasy points on the year. Cutler averaged 24.61 fantasy points a game. Cutler didn’t have a game where he scored less than 10 fantasy points, and he scored more than 20 fantasy points 11 times last season. Cutler is going to go late in your drafts this year. Cutler had his best fantasy production while playing under head coach Marc Trestman. Trestman is gone now, and Cutler is going to play under a new system under new head coach John Fox. Cutler is on a short leash with the team for being inefficient last year by throwing 18 INTs last season while finishing the season with a 5-10 record. He still has the potential to be a low end QB1 with the likelihood of becoming middling QB2.

Running Back

Matt Forte

Forte finished last season ranked 3rd among RBs in fantasy production with 351.10 fantasy points on the year, while averaging 21.94 fantasy points per game. Forte had 14 games where he scored 10 fantasy points or more and he had 10 games where he scored 20 fantasy points or more. The odds of Forte finishing in the top 3 again are highly unlikely. Even with Forte’s stellar fantasy production, he showed signs of age by being less efficient than what he has been in previous years by averaging 3.9 yards per carry. This doesn’t mean he’s going to be a bust this year, but it is a red flag and could be a sign that Forte is slowing down. Forte is going to be selected in the first round in a lot of fantasy drafts this season. Forte is very talented, and he’s a 3-down back, which is rare these days. Just keep in mind that he isn’t as bust proof as you would think he is.

Wide Receiver

Alshon Jeffery

Jeffery finished last season ranked 10th among wide receivers in fantasy production last season while scoring 263.10 fantasy points on the year. Jeffery had 12 games where he scored 10 or more fantasy points, and he had 3 games where he scored 20 or more fantasy points. Jeffery is a stud wide receiver, and there’s a good chance that you will get a shot to draft him in the 2nd round of your drafts this year. Jeffery is capable of finishing again in the top ten at the position again. Even with the new coaching staff and offensive system, Jeffery should receive a lot of targets. He is a safe player to draft, and the only reason he could be a bust in fantasy is if he gets hurt, and that’s something you can’t predict.

Kevin White

White was selected in the first round in this year’s draft by the Chicago Bears. I had him ranked as the 2nd best wide receiver in the draft behind Oakland’s Amari Cooper. White is a big, fast, explosive wide receiver, which could pay dividends for your fantasy team. He is going to fall in the mid-late rounds in drafts, and if he hits he could be that piece that takes your fantasy team to a championship. He has the tools and athleticism, the question is, can he put it together fast enough to produce top fantasy numbers as a rookie?

Tight End

Martellus Bennett

Bennett finished last season 3rd among tight ends in fantasy production, while scoring 223.10 fantasy points on the year. Bennett averaged 13.94 fantasy points per game last year. Bennett had 9 games where he scored 10 fantasy points or more, and he had 5 games were he scored 20 points or more. The odds of Bennett finishing next season in the top 3 in fantasy production is very slim. He is in a different offensive system, and he was absent in some games last season. Was Bennett just a benefactor of Marc Trestman’s system last season, or is he going to carry this production into this season? My guess is that he’s going to have a few big games, but not going to be the impact tight end that he was last season.

Defense/Special Teams

The Bears DST finished the season ranked 26th in the league in fantasy production scoring 74 fantasy points during the season. They had 5 games where they scored 10 points or more, but they had 5 games where they scored in the negatives. What this tells us is that the Bears are a bad defense, but they can be a decent stream when facing the appropriate matchups. Don’t draft the Bears DST this season, but keep them on your watch list as a streaming option when they are facing a favorable matchup.

Need help making roster decisions? Need help on who to pick off the waiver wire? Need an opinion on that trade offer that’s in your inbox? I’m your guy, follow me on Twitter @bmatz08, and I’ll give you the guidance you need to make the best choice for your fantasy team.

Next: Detroit Lions Season Preview

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