Will Kendall Wright put up enough numbers for a spot on your fantasy football roster?
Kendall Wright was one of the additions the Chicago Bears made to their wide receivers this past offseason. The Bears receivers will look significantly different this year with Eddie Royal and Alshon Jeffery gone, even a guy like Marquess Wilson is gone.
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Cameron Meredith and Kevin White will start on the outside for the Bears, but the slot position is open for competition between Kendall Wright, Markus Wheaton, Daniel Braverman, and even Tanner Gentry, the UDFA out of Wyoming.
Most analysts seem to think that Wheaton has the inside track to start at slot in Chicago, but my money is on Wright. Wright showed plenty of slot ability with the Tennessee Titans, and he also happens to be a favorite of offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains. Loggains was previously with the Titans in 2013 and when he was there, Wright tallied 94 catches for 1079 yards. Wright’s numbers have steadily declined in Tennessee since then, but he has a chance to bounce back with Chicago this season.
If Wright wins the starting slot position this year, he should get ample targets from Mike Glennon. I could see Wright becoming a favorite target of Glennon’s and become a bit of a security blanket for him. Also keep in mind that two of the Bears other key receiving targets, White and TE Zach Miller, have significant injury histories and if they go down, that’s only going to mean more opportunities for Wright.
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What does this mean for fantasy owners? As of right now, Wright is a wait-and-see talent. If he becomes the Bears key slot receiver, then he’s going to be worthy of a roster spot in deeper leagues. If White and Miller are banged up, Wright will also be a potentially mid-season add to your roster. But even if Wright improves his numbers from 2016, it’s hard to imagine him being a significant fantasy contributor when he will be no higher than the fourth most popular target for Glennon (behind Meredith, White, and Miller). Wright should remain a fantasy free agent in standard leagues but worth monitoring his targets to see if he’s worth a mid-season addition or a spot start on a random Sunday when you are struggling with byes and he has a favorable matchup.
Kendall Wright 2017 Projections- 51 catches, 571 yards, 11.2 YPC, 4 TDs