Vegas Projected Win Total - 7

Out with the old, and in with the new after the Bears missed the playoffs last year. John Fox steps in as head coach, replacing Marc Trestman after a disappointing 5-11 season in which the majority of entertainment the club provided was in the form of TMZ style coverage of offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer badmouthing quarterback Jay Cutler. The season couldn't have been much more disastrous than it was, and Fox joins the team after a successful run with the Denver Broncos. This win total projects things to be on the upswing, but this doesn't look like a team that should content for a playoff spot.

Impact Fantasy Players

Matt Forte - Contrary to what some have fretted about, the sky is not falling for Forte this year. Yes, Trestman had an affinity for using Forte in the passing game, but Adam Gase joins Fox in making the move from the Broncos to the Bears, and he'll serve in the same capacity on the coaching staff as the offensive coordinator for Fox in the Windy City. Gase utilized running backs heavily in the passing game in his two years as the offensive coordinator for the Broncos. Knowshon Moreno totaled 60 receptions for 548 yards receiving and three touchdown grabs with Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman adding another 32 receptions for 264 yards receiving in 2013. Last year, C.J. Anderson, Hillman and Ball totaled 64 receptions for 525 yards receiving and three touchdown grabs. Clearly Forte will continue to be an integral part of the passing attack, and he'll be one of the more heavily used backs in the game in general. Forte has five seasons of eclipsing 1,000 yards rushing and two more besting 900, look for him to best the 1,000 yard rushing threshold again this year. He'll be one of the top running backs in daily fantasy football again this year.

Alshon Jeffery - Brandon Marshall is a member of the New York Jets now, and Jeffery, who had already surpassed Marshall as the top receiver for the Bears, is easily the top wide out. Since a ho-hum rookie season in 2012, Jeffery has emerged as one of the best wide outs in the game totaling over 2,500 yards receiving on more than 170 receptions with 17 touchdowns the last two years combined. His yardage dropped from 1,421 receiving yards in 2013 to 1,133 receiving yards last year, but he upped his touchdown grab total from seven in 2013 to 10 last year. He's a matchup nightmare, towering over corner backs. Jeffery wasn't super efficient last year, but his 1.82 yards per route run (YPRR) ranked 28th out of 90 wide receivers who received 25% or more of their team's targets, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). He was even better in 2013 ranking eighth with 2.36 YPRR. He'll catch a ton of passes, find the end zone with regularity and pile up yardage. Jeffery is a bonafide stud.

Impact Fantasy Rookies

Kevin White - White transferred from a JUCO school and played two seasons with West Virginia. His first year wasn't overly impressive, but he went nuts last year totaling 109 receptions for 1,447 yards receiving and 10 touchdown grabs. He's a physical freak standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 215 pounds while running a blistering 4.35 40-yard dash at the NFL Draft Combine. His ability to stretch the field will make him an instant big game candidate, but with just two years of experience at a major college program, he's likely to endure some hiccups during his rookie season. When the matchup is right, White will make for a fun boom-or-bust choice in daily games.

Storylines

Is Gase a product of Peyton Manning? Maybe that's not a fair question to ask, but he no longer has Manning operating under center. Jay Cutler is a much different quarterback than the former Colt. How will Gase change the offense to cater to different personal and no longer having a future Hall of Fame quarterback taking snaps? My best guess is a relatively balanced offensive run-pass split. With Manning operating at less than 100% down the stretch last season, Gase wasn't afraid to lean on C.J. Anderson heavily. Fox has long loved to lean on his running game and defense to win, but he loosened the reigns on the offense with Manning as his quarterback. There are too many talented pass catchers to go too run heavy, though, and Fox never had this type of offensive talent when he coached the Carolina Panthers. Again, this looks like a team that should have a balanced offensive attack.

Stock Watch

Up - Martellus Bennett

Bennett turned in a career year last season snagging 90 receptions for 916 yards receiving and six touchdown. His numbers have been on an upward path every year since he's been out of Dallas, and while I don't expect him to build on last year's success, he's a more highly thought of tight end at this point this year than last. Furthermore, Gase helped similarly athletic tight end Julius Thomas thrive with the Broncos. Bennett should be the second leading receiver on the Bears behind Jeffery, but slotted in front of the pass catching duo of White and Forte.

Down - Jay Cutler

Entering last year, seemingly everyone was in love with Cutler. I mean, if Trestman could get a monster partial season out of Josh McCown, imagine what will happen if Cutler stays healthy for a full year with that studly group of pass catchers! Whelp, Cutler sat down the stretch in favor of Jimmy Claussen, and that basically tells you all you need to know about where Cutler's stock is this year. He should turn in a better season that last, but don't expect the leash for him winging it to be all that long. While he's unlikely to be benched if he performs at a mediocre level, old ground chuck Fox could rear his ugly head and put Cutler in the position of handing the ball off a ton.

Projections

QB

Name Pass Attempts Passing Yards TD Yards Per Attempt Fantasy Points
Per Game
Jay Cutler 540 3900 28 7.22 17.94

RB

Name Rush
Attempts (#)
Rush
Attempts (%)
Rushing Yards TD Yards
Per Attempts
Passes
Caught (#)
Matt Forte 252 67.7 1082 9 4.29 65
Jacquizz Rodgers 47 12.6 177 0 3.77 12

WR/TE

Name Targets Receptions Yards
Per Reception
Receiving Yards TD Fantasy Points
Per Game
Alshon Jeffery 140 84 13.7 1151 9 16.11
Kevin White 97 54 13.42 725 6 9.9
Martellus Bennett 108 71 10.76 764 6 11.53

DEF

Sacks Interceptions Fumbles Recovered Def. TD Fantasy Points Per Game
38 13 9 3 96


Daily Fantasy Outlook

There are legitimate studs on this offense. Forte could make a claim to being the top back as a valuable pass catcher and talented runner. Jeffery isn't a far cry behind the top-five receivers and has the ceiling to outproduce all of his peers on any given week. Ditto for Bennett at tight end. They even have an exciting rookie in White. The West Virginia product is a burner who could quickly post some big games thanks to his blazing speed and size combination.





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