The Bears have been struggling to fill the role alongside Matt Forte for the last few seasons. Don’t look now, but new GM Phil Emery may have solved that riddle with backup running back Michael Bush. If Saturday’s 33-31 win over the Washington Redskins is any indication, Bush will have a key role on the Bears, especially in the red zone. For those of you who speak Fantasy, he’s what you might call a “touchdown vulture.”
Bush kicked off the Bears’ scoring with a 1-yard plunge after rookie wide received Alshon Jeffery was stopped just short of the goal line on the first drive of the night. Bush further showed his vulturiness when he juked his way into the endzone from 8-yards out. That’s 2 TD’s Bush, zero for Cutler, Marshall, Forte, Jeffery, et al.
Entering his fifth season, Bush, who spent his first four years in Oakland, has started 19 games while amassing 2600+ yards and 22 touchdowns. Bush is used to playing second fiddle, but he’s also just as comfortable taking top billing. Bush stepped in last season when Darren McFadden (that’s Run DMC to you fantasy nuts out there) went down with an injury to roll up 977 rushing yards and 7 TD’s in 16 games, playing top banana in 9 of those games.
The Bears tried Chester Taylor and Marion Barber in the past couple of years, but it turns out they were too broken down to still be effective. And for all that Matt Forte is both on the ground and through the air, he’s not a touchdown machine. In his four season, Forte has 21 rushing TD’s and 8 receiving TD’s, but it’s over 1000 touches and 223 catches; Bush racked up the same 21 rushing TD’s over just over 630 carries. That’s nearly twice the ratio for Bush.
When you’re considering Bears in Fantasy this season, don’t lose sight of Bush not only as a handcuff to Forte, but as a classic TD vulture who will steal TD’s not only from Forte, but also from Cutler and his new posse of wide receivers.