By Blake Genraich, FantasyFanatics.com
From Super Bowl to bust is the tale for the Chicago Bears this past season and the fantasy scene doesn’t get any brighter for them. This was a team that was close to “Death Valley” for fantasy football fans.
There wasn’t a single player at a major offensive position that rated greater than a C+ and worse, there are very few signs that the club will provide major fantasy gains in the upcoming 2008 season. Of course, if special teams are considered in your fantasy league, there is one exception.
QUARTERBACK
Finding positives at the quarterback position is challenging. We grew accustomed to the idea that Rex Grossman was the quarterback for Lovie Smith until finally even Mr. Conservative had to accept change. Despite the many question marks about his fantasy value after a Super Bowl to forget in 2007, many fantasy managers still had the former Gator ranked as a quality late-round offering and a decent backup fantasy QB. What Grossman provided was a train wreck.
He started only seven games and spent the rest of the season either injured or benched. He threw for 1,411 yards in eight games, with an abysmal four TDs alongside seven INTs. Backup Brian Griese was called upon to step in, and Griese actually put up some effective fantasy totals. In six starts he threw for 1,803 yards, 10 TDs and 12 INTs. In spot duty, third stringer Kyle Orton chipped in with 478 yards, three TDs and two INTs. It seems like this position has been just as wasteland fantasy-wise for over two decades with almost no interruption. 2007 was no different.
RUNNING BACK
Cedric Benson was supposed to step in this year and prove to everyone that he was worthy of being a top-five pick a few years ago, and that trading away dependable Thomas Jones was a necessary move to provide Benson his chance to shine. The former Long Horn rewarded anyone that selected him in their draft with a season best described as miserable, and adding salt to the wound for Benson owners was an injury which ended his season five weeks early. His numbers, compiled over 11 games played, were 674 yards rushing and four TDs, with another 123 yards receiving and no TDs. Only in Week 2 did he rack up 100 yards; otherwise he averaged 65 yards per game.
The Bears backup running back was sixth-year veteran Adrian Peterson. The man whose name often had to be followed by "no, not that one, the other Adrian Peterson" stepped up and gave any of his owners who picked him up late in the season a nice boost. He compiled 510 yards rushing in five games started plus spot backup duty. He will be most remembered for his last two games, when he rushed for almost 200 yards and one TD. Also noteworthy was that Peterson was second on the Bears with 51 receptions for 420 yards. Benson needs to show fantasy GMs he’s capable of being a workhorse, so this is a pivotal off-season for him to get healthy and into prime shape. It is doubtful anyone will risk any early picks on him though.
WIDE RECEIVER
Similar to the Carolina WR mess, the Bears WRs found themselves the victims of a poor situation at QB, but several players still managed to contribute and have meaningful fantasy seasons. The club was led by Bernard Berrian, who was the team’s go-to receiver and prime deep threat. He caught 71 balls for 951 yards and five TDs. Watch for him to sign elsewhere as a UFA this spring. To give fantasy owners an idea how poor this position is for the Bears, the No. 2, 3 and 5 players in terms of receptions were either TEs or a RB. Only Muhsin Muhammad was able to crack the top five, with 40 catches, 570 yards and three TDs. The real story though may end up being Devin Hester. Hester set the NFL on fire with one of the best seasons ever produced by a kick/punt returner. He had a whopping six TDs, and it was a shocker to see any team even bother kicking to him. He chipped in with two more TDs as a WR. Expect the club to take advantage of his world-class speed and nose for the end zone and work him into the offence more next year.
TIGHT END
This position was the one fantasy strength the club had. TEs Desmond Clark and rookie Greg Olsen both chipped in with solid seasons, and became major facets of the offence that struggled to find its vertical passing game, opting for a lot of nickel and diming. Clark had 44 catches for 545 yards and five TDs, while Olsen added 39 receptions for 391 yards and two TDs. Expect the club to work in Olsen more as a primary target next season, with Clark likely to lose out a bit stats-wise. I would rank Olsen ahead of Clark heading into fantasy drafts next year.
PLACE KICKING
One of the more unusual traits in fantasy football is that the worse an offence bogs down, the likelihood increases that the team’s kicker is a better fantasy option. In Chicago’s case, this certainly rings true. Robbie Gould had a terrific season, with 31 FGs made out of 36 attempts, an excellent 86.1 per cent success ratio. He was a perfect 33-of-33 on PATs. Overall, Gould wound up eighth in the NFL with 126 points, seventh among kickers. He should remain a higher-rated kicker for next year, especially if the club doesn’t plug its holes on offence.
OVERALL
The Bears are a team in search of an identity fantasy-wise. Long known as a run-first team, the club had to view Benson’s struggles as a major disappointment after trading away Thomas Jones to the Jets. With the club also in a state of flux at QB, the team needs to decide quickly what they want to do with Grossman. If they decide to move on without him, they need to commit quickly and decide on either Griese or perhaps drafting someone new. With their top WR also slated for free agency and considered a serious threat to bolt, the team really lacks any tangible fantasy stars, with only their TEs rating as decent options. It’ll also be interesting to see how they work Hester into the offence.
