Since its bye week, Chicago’s defense has been less than optimal, leaving Mitchell Trubisky and the offense to contend in shoot-outs against the Dolphins and Patriots. While games like these hurt the team on the field, it means more points for fantasy owners with shares of the Bears’ offensive weapons.
This week the Bears take on the Jets in a must-win game after falling to 3-3 on the season. New York’s defense is in shambles and has given up almost 30 points per game over the last four weeks. Matt Nagy should have no issue creating opportunities for his offense in this game, so long as Trubisky continues to perform at a level high enough to win.
Mitchell Trubisky
Last week Trubisky made plays with his feet against the Patriots, accounting for 81 rushing yards and a score. His passing, however, was flawed as he completed less than 50 percent of his throws for 333 pass yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
It doesn’t help when he is forced to throw 50 times in a game.
Despite the nitpicking from his performance against New England, the Bears’ quarterback is still fantasy relevant this week. Over his last three weeks, he is averaging 34.07 points per game and shouldn’t slow down against the Jets. They’ve been gashed by quarterbacks all season, allowing 300 yards passing or more five times. The Jets have also allowed 10 passing touchdowns in their last four games.
If Trubisky plays well, I suspect he has another quality fantasy performance. He is worth starting this week, especially for his rushing upside.
Fantasy Prediction:
313 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
46 rushing yards
Trey Burton
This is my start of the week
Burton exploded against the Patriots coming away with nine catches, 126 receiving yards and a touchdown. That’s his third straight week with a score.
Due to Allen Robinson dealing with a groin injury, Burton should see a nice bump in targets. The Colts’ Eric Ebron was the featured receiver for Indianapolis against the Jets two weeks ago with TY Hilton injured. He four passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.
I think Burton will be the Bears’ second-most targeted player this week, leading to a TE1 performance.
Fantasy Prediction:
Six catches, 71 yards, 1 TD
Tarik Cohen
Since Week 4, Cohen has accounted for double-digit touches every week. In those games, he’s averaging just over 129 yards and one touchdown per game. While those numbers are skewed largely in part to his 184-yard performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I believe he keeps the fantasy train rolling this week against the Jets.
Matt Nagy is slowly fading Jordan Howard’s usage, leaving more opportunities for Cohen as an explosive weapon on the offense. The Jets have given up seven touchdowns to opposing running backs this season. Cohen’s play has been elevating the Bears’ offense this season and it will continue to do so against the Jets.
Fantasy Prediction:
38 rushing yards
Seven receptions, 63 yards, 1 TD
Jordan Howard
There’s not much more to say about Howard this season other than disappointing. After three straight 1000-yard seasons, Howard is on pace for only 830 rushing yards in 2018. At the beginning of the season, his improved pass-catching ability gave him a soft floor in PPR leagues, but the emergence of Cohen in this offense has been detrimental to his fantasy success.
The Jets haven’t yet given up a 100-yard rusher this season, but have allowed 4.2 yards per carry to opposing running backs this season. For Howard to have a good game, he’ll have to rely on big chunks of yards and red-zone opportunities. At this point in the season, he’s worth consideration as a touchdown-dependent FLEX option.
Fantasy prediction:
58 rushing yards, 1 TD
Allen Robinson
Robinson produced his worst game of the season last week against New England after catching only one pass for four yards. He’s obviously struggling with a lingering groin issue and he’ll have to overcome his injury to be fantasy relevant against the Jets.
With Burton becoming more involved in the offense as of late and Cohen leading the team in touches, there’s less reliance on Robinson to make plays while being hurt. His injury will hurt his production if he’s not at full strength and is worth avoiding this week.
Fantasy Prediction:
Three catches, 47 yards
Taylor Gabriel
Gabriel was only able to muster 26 yards off three receptions last week after back-to-back 100-yard performances. Seeing as Burton and Cohen are becoming consistent weapons for the offense, Gabriel’s weekly production is taking a hit.
The 5-foot-8 receiver is another boom-or-bust FLEX option this week against the Jets. Similar to Howard, he’ll be a touchdown-dependent receiver moving forward. Consistency will not be the name of Gabriel’s game in an offense that likes to spread the ball to a number of different receivers.
Fantasy Prediction:
Five catches, 68 yards
Bears D/ST
Despite being a very winnable game for Chicago, New York has shown glimpses of great quarterback play that could hurt the Bears if they are lulled to sleep by complacency. I think the team gets back on track this week, but won’t return to dominance until Mack is healthy again.Fantasy Prediction:
330 yards allowed, 17 points allowed, two takeaways
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