Five Biggest Questions
1. Can Mike Glennon or Mitchell Trubisky be fantasy relevant?
2. Is Jordan Howard a near-elite RB?
3. Will Cameron Meredith be a WR3+?
4. Will Kevin White stay healthy enough to be a WR4+?
5. Is Zach Miller draftable?
The 34-year-old Jay Cutler has conceivably retired, as no NFL team—not even the Jets—wanted anything to do with the often-maligned veteran. Chicago is now pinning its hopes on the overrated Mike Glennon and rookie Mitchell Trubisky—acquired at the #2 spot of the draft in exchange for the Bears’ 3rd, 67th, and 111th picks. Dumb? Chicago fans, feel free to jump in. My take is that this team—which tied for the third fewest points in the league last season—won’t be any better. While Glennon's the favorite to open the season under center, Chicago might get so frustrated after a 2-7 start (look at their schedule—this degree of futility is entirely likely) that they hand the ball to Trubisky, a guy who’s started only 13 games since graduating high school. Avoid both QBs on draft day, even in 10-team, two-QB leagues.
Jordan Howard is worth the investment at his current RB-9 ADP. That he scored seven times (fewer than any other top 12 fantasy RB) in such an anemic offense last season is fairly remarkable. As a rookie, he was the offensive centerpiece. Opposing defenses knew it, yet they couldn’t stop him. And he didn’t just rumble for big yardage in two games. Each month he averaged more than 5.0 YPC. Think about that. And there was no rookie wall: he netted 13+ standard-scoring fantasy points in each of the season’s final six games. Some are making the case that Benny Cunningham and rookie Tarik Cohen will cut into Howard's production. But I wouldn't be concerned; Howard is the most talented and complete back on the team and is a locked-in RB1.
This offseason, the Bears discovered the secret of success was signing a bunch of underperforming veterans. Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle, Kendall Wright, and Markus Wheaton will compete not for relevance, but for the chance to play in another NFL game. The winner will join Kevin White, who’s missed 28 of 32 games since getting drafted 7th overall in 2015, and Cameron Meredith, whose thumb injury might keep him sidelined until August. Meredith (WR-44 ADP) and/or White (WR-55 ADP) are undervalued; rare does a team’s top receiver not to finish among the top 40 WRs.
At first glance, Zach Miller was fantasy’s 20th highest scoring TE last season, which helps explain his absence from Fantasy Pros' list of the top 24 TEs getting drafted. But his career year was sidetracked by a broken foot with six games to go. As a veteran safety valve, Miller should achieve at least 500/5 totals, placing him inside the top 14-16 and making him a worthwhile large-league dart throw in the final round.