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Chicago Bears Week 14 Fantasy Outlook

December 4, 2007 @ 14:36:30

By Herija C. Green
Edited by Cory J. Bonini

Note: All statistics appearing in this article are from Weeks 10-13, unless otherwise noted.

Quarterbacks

Player	Team	Gm	Pass Yds/G	Pass TD/G	INT/G	Rush Yards/G	Rush TD/G
Rex Grossman	Chicago Bears	4	224.2	0.75	0.25	3.5	0.00

Grossman - Grossman threw for a season-best 296 yards last Sunday, but he completed only 54.3 percent of his passes and threw just one touchdown. Accuracy was an issue before he lost his job, and it has been an issue again since reclaiming the role, completing more than 60 percent of his passes just once in seven games (six starts) this season. He has a good matchup and can be played as low-end No. 1 quarterback or bench option with a strong play against the Washington Redskins this Thursday.

Running Backs

Player	Team	Gm	Util (%)/G	RZ (%) Plays/G	Rush Yds/G	Rush TD/G	Rec/G	Rec Yards/G	Rec TD/G
Adrian N. Peterson	Chicago Bears	4	16.25 (24.10)	4.50 (41.99)	32.2	0.50	4.00	35.5	0.00

Peterson - Making just his second career start, Peterson struggled to make things happen on the ground (67 yards on 22 carries). However, he contributed heavily through the air by pacing the club in receptions and yards to finish with 149 total yards. Against a Redskins defense that ranks in the lower third in receiving yards per game allowed to the position (42), Peterson is a marginal No. 2 fantasy back.

Wide Receivers

Player	Team	Gm	Util (%)/G	RZ (%) Plays/G	Rec/G	Rec Yards/G	Rec TD/G
Bernard Berrian	Chicago Bears	4	9.00 (13.35)	1.00 (9.33)	4.75	68.5	0.50
Muhsin Muhammad	Chicago Bears	4	5.75 (8.53)	0.75 (7.00)	3.00	59.0	0.00

Berrian - The speedster hauled in a 50-yard bomb in the first half but managed to add just two catches for nine yards during the rest of the game to finish with three catches for 59 yards. It was his second straight sub-par outing, though he made fantasy owners happy by adding a touchdown to his three-catch, 24-yard performance in Week 12. It's a disturbing trend, nonetheless, and lowers Berrian's value to that of a No. 2 or No. 3 receiver this week.

Muhammad - Muhammad nearly matched Berrian yard for yard in Week 13, catching three balls of his own for 52 yards. The veteran has been highly dependent on the long ball over the past five games, and he has now logged five consecutive games with four or fewer receptions and no touchdowns. His value is really bottoming out, and he should be played as no better than a weak No. 3 or injury replacement in Week 14.

Tight Ends

Player	Team	Gm	Util (%)/G	RZ (%) Plays/G	Rec/G	Rec Yards/G	Rec TD/G
Desmond Clark	Chicago Bears	4	3.50 (5.19)	0.50 (4.67)	2.50	42.0	0.25
Greg Olsen	Chicago Bears	4	4.00 (5.93)	0.75 (7.00)	2.50	15.0	0.00

Clark - After doing almost nothing for more than a month, Clark has rebounded in a big way with back-to-back quality performances. The ninth-year veteran caught five balls for a season-high 76 yards this past Sunday and was on the receiving end of Grossman's lone touchdown strike. Despite his renewed success, Clark should remain benched this week against Washington.

Olsen - Clark's gain appears to be Olsen's loss as the rookie has done almost nothing in the last two weeks. In fact, if you throw out his seven-catch outing in Week 11 he would have just three receptions for 17 yards combined in the past month. He needs to stay on your bench for the time being.

Place Kickers

Player	Team	Gm	XP/G	XPA/G	FG/G	FGA/G	Kick Pnts/G
Robbie Gould	Chicago Bears	4	2.25	2.25	2.50	2.75	9.8

Gould - The third-year kicker has missed just one of his last 11 field goal attempts, including converting three field goals without a miss in each of his last three games. He's on a definite role right now, and he is one of our top ranked kickers this week with a strong play against a Washington defense that has allowed 8.8 points per game to opposing kickers over the past month.

Defensive Teams

Team	Gm	Off Pnts Allw/G	INT/G	Sacks/G	FR/G	DEF/ST TD/G
Chicago Bears	4	22.8	1.00	2.2	1.50	0.5

Bears - Chicago did a nice job of rattling Giants quarterback Eli Manning for most of their Week 13 meeting, forcing a pair of interceptions to go along with two sacks and a fumble recovery (they added a second fumble recovery during the game). However, they wilted down the stretch and allowed the G-Men to pull out a victory. This week, against the Redskins on the road, they are a modest No. 1 or bench option.