Just a year ago Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte was the darling of the organization and a favorite selection in the first round at many fantasy football drafts. Why shouldn’t he of been regarded with such high regard after a great rookie season in a very average offense.
With the addition of quarterback Jay Cutler and upgrades (we thought at that time) on the offensive line, it looked like Forte was a shoe-in to repeat his rookie numbers in 2009.
Danger, Will Robinson
Instead of leading the Bears back to the playoffs Forte fell to mediocrity in ‘09 and failed to rush for 1,000 yards. Even worse Forte’s touchdown total took a nose dive from twelve to a mire four.
The offensive line that was supposed to help gave Forte no running room and Jay Cutler struggled as seemed to go color blind (26 interceptions on the year) from game to game. Forte himself suffered a knee injury early in the season and play through it. In January, he had to have surgery on the ailment.
With such a poor showing the Bears signed veteran Chester Taylor in free agency this past March.
Now, Forte is not only going to lose time on the field, but he will have to earn his starting job this offseason and prove that he is still a go to player.
Fantasy Outlook
It’s still too early to know what will happen in Chicago but with Mike Martz running the offense you can bet the passing game will come first. Both Forte and Taylor are good receivers out of the backfield, so they could both have solid production in that area.
If Forte is going to be a worthy starter in fantasy this year he will have to establish himself once again as the go to man in the red zone for touchdowns. The Bears will also need to turn their defensive production around and start playing up to the standards that fans and ownership have of them.
With the signing of Julius Peppers and the return of Brian Urlacher this defensive unit has a chance to have a comeback season. This will be key as any offense (including Martz’s offense) will lean on the running game in the fourth quarter with a good sized lead.
If Forte can establish himself as the go to man in the running game, he will reap the benefits of his teams new found success. Should the Bears perform in a fashion that looks much like 2009, Forte will be worthless this coming season and will probably be cut by many fantasy owners come November.
Look for Forte as a decent flex play option as his success hinges on a rebound performance during the season and a renewed success from his team overall. Oh, and of course, he has to win the starting job first.
NFL fantasy football player rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com
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