By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
Follow @walterfootball for updates.
Each offseason brings change to NFL rosters, and those changes often have fantasy implications. Below, I lay out the changes at the skill positions and how those moves impact the fantasy status of the new roster.
2017
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QB: Mitchell Trubisky, Mike Glennon
RB: Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen
WR: Kendall Wright, Joshua Bellamy, Dontrelle Inman
TE: Zach Miller, Adam Shaheen, Dion Sims, Daniel Brown
2018
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QB: Mitchell Trubisky, Chase Daniel
RB: Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen,
WR: Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Kevin White, Taylor Gabriel, Javon Wims
TE: Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen, Dion Sims, Daniel Brown
Pre-Draft Offseason:
The Bears made some big pre-draft moves, both in coaches and players. They went out and got Matt Nagy from Kansas City, which was probably the biggest move in trying to change a culture of being boring and losing. Nagy showed an ability in Kansas City to call plays that the defense wasn’t waiting for every snap, which is more than you can say for John Fox.
But the signing of Allen Robinson was probably the biggest move for this offense. Last season, Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen showed well despite some iffy play-calling, whereas the team never really had a chance with its wide receiver corps. That will change with the addition of Robinson, as he is a true No. 1 receiver and should help Mitchell Trubisky in his second year.
Trubisky also received some help with the acquisitions of Trey Burton and Taylor Gabriel. Burton showed great signs in relief of Zach Ertz last season and should see a nice role in Nagy’s offense, which also was able to help push Travis Kelce into fantasy stardom in Kansas City.
Burton’s arrival kills Adam Shaheen’s fantasy value, which was looking strong before the Burton acquisition, but Shaheen is a good enough player to be helpful to Trubisky. As it is, the Bears are still looking for receiving depth even with Robinson and Burton coming aboard.
Chicago did also pick up Taylor Gabriel, who could be considered a Tyreek Hill type of player, but without the consistency. This offense will be better, but we are asking a lot of it to produce multiple fantasy players at each position. I’m already really excited for Tarik Cohen’s usage under Nagy, but Jordan Howard isn’t going away, and Robinson and Burton are going to gobble up targets as the No. 1’s at their respective positions. There’s room for cautious optimism here, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves just yet.
Post-Draft Update
The Bears had a strong draft, grabbing a top linebacker, beefing up their offensive line and adding a good wide receiver prospect in Anthony Miller. Miller is going to be a good NFL player and has the ability to push himself right into that WR2 role beside Allen Robinson. Unfortunately, the Bears have a new coach, new offense and a decent number of players to feed targets to. I don’t think we can count on Miller to put up big numbers just yet, but I like where this offense is going and want him on my dynasty teams.
The outcome of the 2018 NFL Draft should help Trubisky, as he now has strong receivers at every position and a better offensive line. He also rushed 41 times for 248 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games last season, which should help boost his fantasy numbers enough to get him into streaming consideration this season.
Miller ended up as Chicago’s only skill position pick who has a chance to put up numbers this season, but that make sense due to the fact the team has young talent at every position already. It will be interesting to see how quickly Matt Nagy can turn this offense around with a strong group.
2018 Fantasy Outlook:
Stud: None
Solid: Allen Robinson, Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen (PPR)
Sleeper: Mitch Trubisky, Trey Burton
For more recommendations, check out WalterFootball.com’s Fantasy Football Rankings.
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Fantasy Football Rankings
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings:
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks - 9/5 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings - 8/29 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs - 9/5 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings - 8/29 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 9/5 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings - 8/29 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends - 9/5 (Walt)
Chet Gresham's Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings - 8/29 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings: Kickers - 8/21 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defenses - 8/21 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Dynasty - 8/21 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings: Dynasty - 5/18 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts:
Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 9/1 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/30 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/27 (Walt)
Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft - 8/23 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/22 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/16 (Walt)
Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft - 8/9 (Walt)
Fantasy Football Mock Draft - 8/2 (Walt)
Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft - 8/1 (Chet)
Fantasy Football PPR Mock Draft - 7/26 (Walt)
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2018 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets:
2018 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 PPR - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 2-QB - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 250 Touchdown League - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Custom - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football: Dynasty Rankings - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Spreadsheets - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Articles:
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2018 Fantasy Football Sleepers - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Busts - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Mid-Round Values - 9/5 (Walt)
2018 NFL Preseason Game Recaps - 8/31 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Stock Report: Preseason Games - 8/31 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football Notes - 8/31 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Quarterback Preseason Targets Tracker - 8/30 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football D/ST Drafting - 8/28 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football ADP Values: Running Backs - 8/16 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Round-by-Round Strategy Guide - 8/15 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football ADP Values: Quarterbacks - 8/15 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Tight Ends to Target - 8/9 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football - PPR Draft Strategy: Rounds 1 and 2 - 7/27 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football: Doug Baldwin's Value - 7/25 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football: Chris Hogan's Value - 7/18 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football: Alvin Kamara's Value - 7/16 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule: Tight Ends - 7/11 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule: Wide Receivers - 7/6 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule: Running Backs - 7/5 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule: Quarterbacks - 7/4 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Tight Ends Better Than ADP - 6/29 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Wide Receivers Better Than ADP - 6/28 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Target Shares - 6/22 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Points Per Game - 6/13 (Chet)
2018 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator - 6/2
2018 Fantasy Football Value Players - 5/25 (Chet)
2017 Fantasy Football Quarterback Look-Back - 1/28 (Walt)
2018 Fantasy Football: Running Backs with the Most Carries - 1/28 (Walt)
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2025 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 13
NFL Power Rankings - Nov. 12
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