Chicago Bears Preview

Despite Super Bowl disappointment, Bears are loaded with fantasy options
by Matt Olsen 

The sting from losing to the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI may or may not have worn off for most Chicago Bears fans. The entire city is knee deep in disappointing sports franchises at the moment, none of which have helped to erase the bad memories of the beat down in Miami. But the 2007 NFL season is on its way, and it’s time for Bears fans to get ready for the upcoming fantasy football season with a preview of what they can expect from the Monsters of the Midway. We’ll break down the team for you position by position and hopefully give you an edge heading into your league’s fantasy draft.

Quarterback:

Rexy, Rexy, Rexy. What are we going to do with you? Last year Grossman was the definition of a fantasy football nightmare due to his up-and-down performances over the season. He started off smoking hot with eight touchdowns in the first five games, while posting a quarterback rating of 100-plus in three of those contests. After that, he had five games with at least three interceptions and looked absolutely lost most of the time.

From a fantasy perspective, Grossman has all the tools in front of him to be a very good option for your team at QB in 2007. With the addition of speedster Devin Hester to an already deep wide receiver corps, Grossman will have plenty of opportunities to stretch the field and put some big points on the scoreboard. Rookie tight end Greg Olsen will add a new element to the Bears passing game and is the first Bears tight end since Mike Ditka that will be a legitimate offensive threat defenses will have to account for. If he can take advantage of the most, high- powered offense the Bears have had in, well, forever, Grossman should be worth a ninth to tenth round selection that could turn into the steal of the draft.

Backup QB Brian Griese shouldn’t really be considered by anyone during draft day. Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith stuck with Grossman through even the ugliest of games and things really shouldn’t change much this year. Unless he is injured or the team loses six out of its first eight games, “Rex Grossman is our quarterback”.

Please, please tell me the name Kyle Orton never even entered your mind when thinking about fantasy football. He will never see the field and we should all be thankful because that means both Grossman and Griese are hurt. Unless you want the infamous neck-beard on your bench as a mascot, don’t ever mention this name again.

Running Back:

This is the year that Cedric Benson will get the chance prove himself worthy of the high expectations placed upon him by the organization, as well as the $35 million contract he signed in 2005. The Bears cleared the way for Benson to take over the starting job by trading Thomas Jones to the New York Jets in the off-season, a move widely criticized by fans and media alike. It’s going to be tough to duplicate Jones’ 1,200 yard season from a year ago, but Benson needs to come close if the Bears have any chance of a return trip to the Super Bowl. At times last year he looked unstoppable with a hard-nosed style of running that punishes defenders to the point where he should be able to rack up yards in the fourth quarter. What prevents Benson from being included in the list of elite fantasy football running backs is the lack of touchdown production in the Bears running game. The Bears backfield totaled only 14 TDs last year, well short of what guys like the Kansas City Chiefs’ Larry Johnson (19) and the St. Louis Rams’ Steven Jackson (16) had a year ago individually.

Overall, I truly feel that Cedric Benson is going to have a breakout year for the Bears this season. He will be among the NFC leaders in total rushing yards when it’s all said and done, but the downside is that TDs may be few and far between. The running back position is the most crucial element in building a successful fantasy football franchise, and this is a guy you should look at if you have the chance. He’s definitely worthy of a third or fourth round pick and could possibly end up being one of the top backs in the NFC.

The Bears selected Garret Wolfe out of Northern Illinois University with their third round pick this year and for those who have never watched him play, you’re in for a real surprise. His body style looks more like Warrick Dunn than Walter Payton, but makes up for it with incredible speed and agility that can make defenders look stupid. However, the thing that makes him great is also his greatest downfall because already people are questioning whether or not this kid will be able to handle the beating running backs take in the NFL. I wouldn’t advise taking him in the draft, but I would tell you to keep an eye on him during the year and see what he does with the opportunities he will get behind Benson. But if you’re drafting Benson and are concerned about the possibility of him getting injured for the third year in a row, it might be wise to take Wolfe with a late, late round pick or snag him the waiver wire right away.

For the past two years, the Bears have been lucky enough to have one of the most dynamic players in the game that doesn’t get nearly the recognition he deserves. Adrian Peterson is a special teams dynamo and a steady back up running back that always leaves fans wondering why he doesn’t tote the rock more often. What fans don’t realize is that by the time Peterson enters the game, it’s typically out of reach and the third string defense is on the field, allowing him to run wild. Don’t get me wrong, I like Adrian Peterson enough to say that he deserves to start ahead of rookie Garret Wolfe. But I think the Bears view Wolfe as the true heir to the Bears backup running back role and hope to keep Peterson flying down the field on kick-offs making the big plays they have come to expect. I don’t think you should be keen on taking Peterson anywhere in the draft, but that could change if the Bears hand him the back up role. If they do, I would suggest following the same advice I gave regarding Wolfe.

Wide Receiver/Tight End:

The Bears took a giant step forward last year with their receiving corps. The younger guys took advantage of their opportunities and solidified spots in the lineup for the upcoming season. Muhsin Muhammad is still considered by the team to be Grossman’s number one target and is always looking for ways to get him the ball. ‘Moose’ is no longer the offensive weapon he was back in his Carolina Panther days, but can still fill up the stat sheet every once in awhile like he did earlier in his career. He failed to break the 1,000 yard receiving mark last year, and had 100 yards in a game only three times. He had five touchdowns and really didn’t fall into the top tier category of receivers last year with his overall production. Regardless, ‘Moose’ in entrenched as a starting wide receiver for the Bears and is dependable enough to consider him as a decent second receiver on your roster. If he’s your third best receiver you are going to be in great shape.

Bernard Berrian exploded onto the scene last year with the Bears and emerged as the Bears best downfield threat. He can beat almost any defender off of the line and is not afraid of taking a big hit. The Bears did not do a good job of mixing up plays for Berrian and defenses started to cheat deep downfield because of the team’s tendency to run the same routes. He would fit perfectly on your team as a third receiver because of his ability to score a 50-yard touchdown at any given moment. Wait for the late rounds to grab this guy, but if teams are snatching up wide receivers like crazy and you’re running out of options, you could do a lot worse than Bernard Berrian.

The offense got a serious jolt of talent this off-season with a much anticipated addition to the wide receivers. Rookie sensation Devin Hester did some of the most incredible things the NFL has ever seen last year while serving as the team’s punt and kick-off return man. He has unparalleled downfield vision and the breakaway speed offensive coordinators drool over. This will be his first year playing WR, so you’re going to have to expect some growing pains. We’ll wait and see what he looks like in training camp before we make any suggestions about where to draft Hester, but I have never seen a guy with a higher upside than him.

Those are the three players that I would seriously take a look at in the draft as far as the wide receiver position is concerned. If you are in a deep league that is running dry on WR, the only other option you might want to consider is Rashied Davis. He only had two TDs last year so you won’t be getting much. But I would put him ahead of Mark Bradley because he is the more consistent option.

The Bears got a great talent in Greg Olsen with their first round draft pick this year. Standing over six and a half feet tall and weighing in at 254lbs, Olsen is going to be the offensive weapon Bears fans have been screaming for the past ten years. Reports out of mini camp are sounding like Grossman is already building a strong relationship with the rookie and will definitely look to find Olsen whenever possible. I am going to go out on a limb and say that you should definitely consider drafting him as your starting tight end this year. In fantasy football, it doesn’t make sense to waste a high pick on a tight end unless he’s Antonio Gates (Chargers) or Tony Gonzalez (Chiefs). Olsen is going to have a solid year for the Bears and you can depend on him to produce anywhere from average, to slightly above average numbers for a tight end.

Now that the Bears have a legitimate pass catching TE in Olsen, the value of Desmond Clark and John Gilmore has plummeted. The only knock on Olsen is that he is not an effective blocker. Clark and Gilmore will be depended upon to clear lanes for Benson and protect Grossman’s backside, not to catch passes.

Defense/Special Teams:

I’m not really even sure that I have to go into this one with you, so I’ll just give you the things you should know. The Bears will be without Tank Johnson for the first eight games of the season. Nobody knows what is going to happen to Pro-Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs and whether or not he is going to suit up for the Bears this year. They added safety Adam Archuleta via trade from the Washington Redskins. The Bears may have a couple new faces on defense, but with Brian Urlacher and a healthy Tommie Harris they should continue to be one of the top five fantasy defenses in the NFL.

At the beginning of the 2006 season, nobody knew who Robbie Gould was. By the end, he was the best kicker in fantasy football. The fortunes of kickers change from year to year. Just ask Mike Vanderjagt. I would draft Gould with confidence towards the end of the draft when you start to fill up roster spots. But for the love of everything that is fantasy football, do not waste anything higher than a tenth or eleventh round pick on him.