Any fantasy football manager who took Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in a draft this year knew what they were likely to get. There would be ups and downs as he got accustomed to Ben Johnson's offense, and there might be multi-week stretches in either direction.
After a game-script driven down game against the New Orleans Saints in Week 7, Week 8 against the Baltimore Ravens looked like a great spot for Williams. His fantasy line would've looked different if he had managed to connect on a touchdown pass or if he had scored on a quarterback sneak in what amounted to garbage time. But alas, he finished with just 12.8 fantasy points and as QB20 for the week.
Some of Williams' fantasy managers, alongside a segment of Bears fans, may be ready to jump ship. But fantasy football is a weekly game at its core, and the well of fantasy points for the young signal caller looks deep in Week 9.
Week 9 is an easy 'get right' spot for Caleb Williams
The Cincinnati Bengals enter Week 9 allowing the seventh-most fantasy points to quarterback (Yahoo! scoring). But as a defense they are allowing the most points in the league (31.6 per game), and as an easy corollary they are allowing a touchdown 70.3 percent of the time the opponent is in the red zone (third-worst in the league).
Looking to Week 9 of fantasy football, Yahoo!'s Joel Smyth led his 10 storylines with a "get right" spot for Williams.
"Since the Week 5 bye, Caleb Williams' fantasy PPG has dropped from 20.5 to 12.1, as he’s gone back-to-back games without a touchdown. Thankfully for him, giving up touchdowns is what the Bengals do best. Only the 2020 Lions defense has allowed more points per game than the Bengals this decade, as Cincinnati is allowing 31.6 points to opposing teams. Naturally, the Bengals are also one of the worst teams in the red zone, a place of struggle for the Bears lately."
"Williams’ yards per attempt have actually increased; the touchdowns have just dropped off dramatically. Ben Johnson’s offense is built around YAC and getting the ball to playmakers' hands in advantageous spots. As Williams continues to adjust to the offense, the Bengals defense is the perfect team to capitalize against. Cincinnati has allowed 1,232 yards after the catch this season, 167 more than the next-closest team. If Williams is able to balance working in the system while still utilizing his natural talents, the young quarterback will be able to carve up a struggling defense in order to get back on track."
The Bears started their practice week with some injury concerns at wide receiver, but the second practice of the week seemingly squashed any genuine concern about Williams' top targets being available against the Bengals.
Read more: Declan Doyle confirms what's abundantly obvious about Bears' red zone issues
It's wheels all the way up for Williams in fantasy this week in a great matchup, and a manager would have to have a clear-cut better option to bench him. A dud against the Bengals would change his rest of season outlook in a negative way, but maybe this week will be looked back on as his actual launch point to fantasy stud status from here on out.