Chicago Bears Fantasy Focus Part 4: Greg Olsen
With training camp set to open this week, it means that Fantasy Football is right around the corner. Most seasons, the Chicago Bears were a Fantasy Football afterthought aside from maybe the Defense and Special Teams. That will not be the case in 2009. In this series, we’ll take a look at the Bears you should target for your fantasy football squad.
Greg Olsen
“News flash – Greg Olsen is set to have a breakout season!” I’ve been hearing that so much in recent weeks, it almost makes me a little nervous. No doubt the Bears receiving corp leaves a lot to be desired and the former 1st rounder is set to take his game to the next level with new QB Jay Cutler.
Overall Rank: 114
Position Rank: 7
2008 Stats: 574 yards/5 TD’s Receiving
Projected Stats: 802 yards and 6 TD’s Receiving
Upside: Olsen has a chance to move into the upper echelon of tight ends. He and Cutler click and he stretches the seams, providing Cutler with a security blanket. He has the size, speed, experience and now a QB that can bring it.
Downside: Not much downside except how he’s used in the Bears system. What always frustrated me about Olsen the last two seasons was when he was making catches where he settled in a hole in the coverage. With his size and speed, he needs to catch the ball while running vertically up the field.
My take: Olsen will blow up this year and join the likes of Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, and Jason Witten as an elite pass catching tight end. He’s a #1 tight end for sure and I think he far and away exceeds the Projected stats to lead the Bears in receptions. The mock draft databases I’ve been studying have him going between the 5th and 8th round.
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