Bears Blitz

Published by Scott Polacek on December 13, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

It is now essentially a lost season for the Chicago Bears after they dropped heartbreakers at home to the San Francisco 49ers and Washington the last two weeks on Robbie Gould missed field goals in the waning minutes. Instead of having the chance to be 7-6, Chicago is 5-8 and on the way to a favorable draft pick. 

While that is unfortunate news for Bears fans, those relying on the team’s offensive playmakers for fantasy purposes had a more enjoyable Week 14. Quarterback Jay Cutler, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and tight end Zach Miller all put up impressive numbers against Washington and provided critical boosts heading into the fantasy playoffs.

Here is a look at the final Sunday tallies and some reaction for each.   

The passing yardage is typically there for Cutler. In fact, he surpassed 3,000 yards on the season Sunday for the seventh time of his career since he was drafted in 2006.

What often cripples fantasy owners and Cutler’s own team is the signal-caller’s costly interceptions. However, that has not been the case this year, which is why he has been one of the most underrated fantasy players in the league.

Cutler only has seven interceptions in 2015, which would mark a career low if his rookie campaign (five picks in only five games) and the 2011 season (seven picks in only 10 games) are not considered. Cutler tossed double-digit interceptions the other seven years of his career, including an abysmal 26 in 2009.

The Vanderbilt product also topped 200 passing yards every game but one this season, and that was during a contest against the Arizona Cardinals, when he left after throwing only nine passes. 

The only real downside with Cutler this year is his lack of touchdowns, with 16 passing scores and one rushing score in 12 games. That keeps him out of any top-notch quarterback discussions, but he has been a solid fantasy option all season.

There is only one question with Jeffery, and that is his health. As long as the Bears’ top receiver is on the field, he should be in your lineup.

He proved why that is the case again Sunday with more targets than anyone else on the roster and his fourth game in eight tries with more than 100 receiving yards. He topped 75 receiving yards in every game but one all year and has seen double-digit target totals six of eight times on the field. 

The fact he has only played eight games is the concerning part of his 2015 resume, but he appeared healthy Sunday and burned Washington’s secondary. At 6’3” with impressive speed and a game-breaking ability to high-point a ball in the red zone and as a deep-ball threat, a healthy Jeffery is fantasy gold for the stretch run.

Miller caught Cutler’s other touchdown pass Sunday and has quickly become a dangerous tight end at an injury-plagued position.

Many consider Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham and Tyler Eifert the top three options at tight end, but all have dealt with various injuries this season. What’s more, Chicago’s Martellus Bennett is out for the year, which opened the door for Miller to become a No. 1.

He has responded with five touchdowns in his last six games, including a multi-score effort against the St. Louis Rams before Bennett was out for the year.

There may not be a sky-high ceiling on Miller like there is with a healthy Gronkowski (Sunday was only Miller’s second time all year going over 50 yards), but he has quickly become a scoring machine in the stretch run and earned at least six targets for the third time in four games.

Difference-makers at tight end are hard to find this season. Miller is one heading into the fantasy playoffs.

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