Fantasy Football: 5 Bold Predictions for 2019 – Quarterback Edition
4. Mitchell Trubisky will finish as a top-12 quarterback.
How this is bold:
Trubisky finished as the QB15 last season, throwing just 24 touchdowns to go along with 3,223 passing yards. Chicago also ranked just 21st in the NFL with 5,502 total offensive yards in 2018. Many experts have pegged Chicago for regression in 2019.
Why this will come true:
In Year 2 of Matt Nagy‘s West Coast offense, Bears’ QB Mitchell Trubisky is bound to make the proverbial leap. Last season should be viewed as Trubisky’s actual “rookie season,” as the prehistoric run-heavy offense that the North Carolina alum ran under John Fox did him no favors in helping him get over the NFL learning curve (threw just 7 TDs and 7 INTs).
Coming off a 2018 campaign where he was fantasy’s QB15, Trubisky should take a big step forward for several reasons, the first being his improved familiarity with both the playbook and his teammates. Now having two full offseasons to really digest Nagy’s playbook in a complex scheme, the 25-year-old will be able to just go out and play off instinct instead of thinking so much. Earlier this offseason, coach Nagy was pleased with the progress he’s seen in his young signal-caller.
"“Last year, I kept talking about ‘101.’ Now, without a doubt, I can say with pure conviction we’re in 202 right now,” said Nagy. “ I mean, he’s doing things in the last two days that last year at this time he wasn’t even close to. So that’s exciting.”"
He’ll also get the luxury of having ample time to build chemistry with his pass-catchers, many of which came to Chicago last offseason (Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller, etc.). Each of the Bears’ starters are back this year, something that could pay dividends for Trubisky.
One extremely underrated aspect of Trubisky’s game that could launch him into fantasy’s top-12 QBs in 2019 is his ability to move the chains with his legs. His 521 rushing yards (6.2 YPC), 5th-best amongst all QBs, provided owners a safe floor a season ago. Those numbers should only improve this year, making him a viable fantasy asset.