For those of you who have been with BGO for a while, you know that I am a fantasy football junkie and I provide my insights for you each and every week during the football season. Before I get to a league-wide post, I thought I would write a short piece about some of our very own Chicago Bears who you may be able to “buy low” on for your upcoming fantasy football draft. Let’s face it, injuries aside, fantasy football leagues are won in the rounds 4 and on and you have to take some gambles that other teams aren’t willing to take. For those of you who play in leagues that don’t have a majority of Bears fans in them, you may be able to get a real leg up with some of these players who likely will be overlooked in the early rounds.
Jay Cutler – Let’s start at the top, because the fortunes of the Beloved are firmly tied to the right arm of our QB. JC will likely go overlooked in many fantasy drafts primarily due to his proclivity to throw the ball to the wrong team and because he is learning the ultracomplicated Martzian offense behind an offensive line that had a lot of problems keeping him upright last season. Personally, I have high hopes for JC and I think he will end up somewhere in the 30-35 TD pass range and have a chance at 4,000 yds passing. Stats like these would merit a 3rd or 4th round selection in most PPR leagues and maybe even higher, but we know JC will not be considered that high in most leagues, so you have a chance to wait on him if you think I am right. I will not comment on INTs, because frankly if you lose a point or 2 for INTs, that won’t kill you on a week to week basis, provided JC can avoid the 3+ INT games, which is where the risk comes in. I think it is a risk worth taking.
Matt Forte – Following an outstanding rookie campaign, Forte broke many owners’ hearts last season, including mine, with a subpar (I am being nice) sophomore season. Forte’s play last year probably wouldn’t warrant consideration until the 3rd or 4th round, but I believe he will bounce back and give you solid 2nd round production. I think Forte is good for 1,000+ yds rushing and 8-10 TDs. The wildcard with Forte is how he will be utilized in the passing game, which could greatly increase his value.
More after the jump…
WRs – Can Devin Hester, Johnny Knox and Devin Aromashodu become Issac Bruce, Torry Holt and Az Hakim in the Martzian offense? Many of the pundits would have you believe they can’t, but I say, why the hell not? Certainly, I am not predicting the Bears offense will resemble The Greatest Show on Turf, mostly because they play half their games on the worst surface in the NFL, but I think you could find worse receivers. Unless you play in a league with all Bears fans, I would think these guys would hold on until the 6th or 7th round at the earliest and that could prove to be great value. Especially in leagues where you get points for individual players for special teams TDs, Hester and Knox could prove especially valuable given their responsibilities in the return game. It is tough to predict stats for these three, because all we know at this point is JC will probably heave the ball a lot in this offense. That said, I would probably rank Hester #1, Knox #2 and DA #3.
Greg Olsen – Will Martz utilize Olsen as more than just a blocker? I sure as hell hope so, because he is a rare talent at the TE position and could be money in the red zone (provided JC finds him and not someone in the wrong color jersey). Olsen will probably be knocked down in his average draft position because Martz has never proven to be fond of the TE position, but I think that could make him a steal, especially in leagues where you are required to start a TE. If I were Martz, in the red zone, I would spread the field with 5 wide, which would create a mismatch for sure on Olsen and let JC find him every time for six. I think Olsen should be good for 6-8 TDs this year if he is used properly.
Defense – Are the Monster of the Midway back??? Lovie Smith and Rod Marinelli seem to think so and with Julius Peppers in the fold and a healthy Brian Urlacher and Tommie Harris, I think it is safe to get excited about the Bears D. Clearly they will be undervalued in most leagues, but you have to start a defense every week and if your defensive scoring includes special teams, I thin the Bears D can socre big for you this season. If you draft individual defensive players in your league, Peppers should be double digits in sacks this year, so he would be a good get.
Others – Chester Taylor is a good handcuff for Forte and could be startable some weeks depending on how the Martzian scheme plays out. Robbie Gould is as good as it gets in terms of accuracy, so if the Bears O can put some points up, so will Robbie.
Am I suggesting to load up on Bears for your fantasy team? Absolutely not. Diversification is a big key in fantasy football, but I just wanted to highlight while the Bears aren’t being picked to do much in the NFL this year, picking these Bears for your fantasy teams, could help you succeed and score some cash!!!
CAN I GET AN AMEN!?!?!?!?
The DeCon has spoken, so let it be written, so let it be done!!!
Hit me with your comments or send me an e-mail at beargoggles.decon@gmail.com or at Twitter @decon76.
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