NFC North (Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings)
Chicago Bears Fantasy Preview:
The Chicago Bears provided fantasy football owners and Chicago Bears fans with some colossal disappointments last season. From highly touted (and highly drafted) RB Cedric Benson (who was recently released, btw, just in case you were living under a rock) who was a huge fantasy football bust to QB Rex Grossman who temporarily lost his starting job to WR Bernard Berrian (who simply didn't have anyone to consistently get him the ball), there was plenty of disappointment to go around. Even K Robbie Gould had a down season compared to 2006. Only WR/KR Devin Hester and the Bears defense came through last year, and Should do so again this year. The QB situation is still a mess, with strong armed, but grossly (pun intended) inaccurate Rex Grossman the starter and Kyle Orton backing him up. Gone are WR Mushin Muhammad (back to Carolina), RB Cedric Benson (released because he couldn't stay off the sauce) and WR Bernard Berrian (Minnesota). New faces this season include WR Marty Booker (Miami) and WR Brandon Lloyd (Washington). Time will tell if these guys can gel with WR Mark Bradley and TE Greg Olsen. Newly drafted RB Matt Forte takes over for Benson along with RB Adrian Peterson (the other one) and possibly newly signed (but still on the mend) RB Kevin Jones (Detroit). Will any of these guys make this offense perform any better than last year? Again, time will tell. Are any of these guys draftable in this offense with this offensive line? Well, I wouldn't mortgage the farm for any of them, including Forte.
The Bears defense is the strength of this team, and if KR/WR Devin Hester's stats are part of the defense in your league, this should still be a highly sought after unit. The bears should get a healthy LB Brian Urlacher and LB Lance Briggs returning, although they lost S Adam Archuletta, DT Darin Walker and LB Brendon Ayanbadejo. Even with these defections, this is still a top 5 defense, and should be drafted accordingly.
This draft may make or break the Bears, as 2nd rd pick RB Matt Forte has been handed the starting job. As Forte goes, the Bears offense may go, considering this is a run-oriented offense. Forte was a beast at Tulane last year (2,127 yards rushing), and could really spark this offense to great things. However, if the offensive line doesn't open some holes for him, he might as well be Cedric Benson (ok. not really). 3rd Rd pick Earl Bennett (Vanderbilt) has a chance to grab some playing time on this team with the players in front of him, but I think he's still a year or two away from fantasy respectability. Snag Forte in the mid to later rounds of your draft if he's available, but leave Bennett on the waiver wire.
Fantasy Surprise for 2008: Rex Grossman, QB
I'm going out on a limb here, and even though I don't like him very much, I think this might be the year that Rex Grossman gets his act together. The coaching staff has been working on his decision making this offseason, and he has some good (not great, but good) targets that can get open and catch the ball. If these guys come together and Grossman takes just a decent step forward, he will be worthy of at least a bench spot. Since I don't expect much from this offense, that would be a surprise to me!
Fantasy Disappointment for 2008: Matt Forte, RB
Don't get me wrong. I like Forte. I think he has the tools to be a good one. However, I don't like the fact that he's being forced to take the starting role in this offense. It doesn't look much like a recipe for success, and until Rex Grossman proves he can keep defenses honest, it just doesn't bode well for the rookie. I think Forte will be decent to good this season, but I think a good #2 RB is probably his ceiling for this year. Draft him, just don't over draft him because he's now the starter on this team.
Best Fantasy Draft Value for 2008: Bears Defense
On this team, about the only one you can reasonably rely on to produce is the Bears defense, and I'm just not comfortable picking anyone else to produce on this team until I see something. If you're spending a precious draft pick on a Chicago Bear, make sure its the defense. Anyone else will be a crap-shoot at best, and you should proceed with caution. The Bear's defense should again be one of the league's best and a great option for your fantasy team.
Next Up: Green Bay Packers
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