Bears at Texans: 5 best fantasy options

2. WR Alshon Jeffery, Chicago Bears

So which version of the former Pro Bowl wide receiver will we see this fall?

It wasn’t that long ago that Alshon Jeffery was opening some eyes in the Windy City thanks to a stellar season playing second banana to superstar Brandon Marshall. But all of that changed a year ago when the veteran wideout was traded to the New York Jets. Add in the fact that 2015 first-round wideout Kevin White never took the field during his rookie year and the problems began to add up for Chicago’s receiving corps.

Let’s not also forget that Jeffery had problems getting on the field this past year. He played in only nine games and started just eight contests in 2015. Amazingly, he still managed to lead the Bears with 54 catches and 807 receiving yards (14.9 average) while hauling in four touchdown passes. Those numbers are more of an indictment of the team and not the four-year wideout.

This year, you can expect to see more of the player that put up big numbers in back-to-back seasons from 2013-14. Jeffery was targeted 140-plus times in each campaign and caught 85-plus passes both years. It added up to 2,554 yards and 17 touchdowns in 32 tilts, extremely respectable numbers to say the least.

This week, much will depend on how elusive quarterback Jay Cutler will be against J.J. Watt and the Houston pass rush. But given the pro’s arm and Jeffery’s big-play ability, there will be more than one occasion in which the Bears test the Texans deep. And that could add up to some serious production by the big-play receiver.

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