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Alshon Jeffery Injury: Who Gets a Fantasy Boost?

By Joel Childers

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The Chicago Bears are struggling at wide receiver. 7th overall draft pick Kevin White may miss the entire season after suffering a stress fracture in his shin, and now the team’s top receiving option Alshon Jeffery is questionable for Sunday’s season opener against Green Bay. Many fantasy football owners drafted Jeffery with the expectation that he would have a huge impact on their fantasy team, but they may have to look elsewhere for production this week. However, Jeffery’s injury could be a boon for owners of any of Chicago’s other weapons.

SEE ALSO: Week 1 Fantasy Wide Receiver Rankings

There is a decent chance that Alshon Jeffery is still able to suit up for Sunday’s game, and his coaches seem to be somewhat optimistic about his health:

"“He looks pretty functional and he looks pretty good,” Bears head coach John Fox said on Thursday (via ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson). “We’re just taking it one day at a time and we’ll see where that brings us. I think everything was on target and we’ll evaluate him and see what he can do tomorrow”"

However, he is officially questionable for his team’s matchup with the Packers, and the Bears likely won’t update that until Sunday morning, meaning many fantasy owners may be forced to set their lineups without knowing for sure if Jeffery will play. Even if he does play, he may be severely limited or re-injure his calf, so fantasy owners must be conservative with their expectations for what Jeffery will produce.

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The player who would seem to benefit the most from Jeffery missing Sunday’s game would be receiver Eddie Royal. However, Royal is also listed as questionable for the game with a hip injury. He was limited in practice this week (per ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson) but seems to be more likely to play this week than Jeffery.

If Jeffery sits and Royal plays, then Royal could potentially be a top-20 fantasy receiver this week. However, we must keep our expectations in check as Royal has only four 100 yard receiving games in his career, and only 2 in the last six seasons. He has a rapport with Bears quarterback Jay Cutler from the time they both played in Denver, but expecting Royal to win you a fantasy matchup may be wishful thinking.

The next man up if neither Royal or Jeffery can make it on the field would be wide receiver Marquess Wilson, but he too is listed as questionable. He is the most likely of the three to suit up on Sunday, and may actually be a better fantasy play than Royal would be. at 6’3″ 195lbs, Wilson has the size needed to be a dominant downfield playmaker.

He was excellent in college, and though he hasn’t had much of a chance to shine yet in the NFL, this could be a breakout week for him. He could also be a total flop, but has a much higher upside than Eddie Royal. If none of these top three receivers manages to play Sunday, there’s little chance any other receivers on the team are worth an add in fantasy football.

Tight End Martellus Bennett is certainly going to receive a boost on Sunday, even if his team’s other stars are able to play. Bennett is one of Jay Cutler’s top targets anyway, and if his teammates are injured or limited, Cutler will look to his tight end even more.

Jay Cutler himself will certainly suffer in the fantasy department because of these injuries. It’s tough to complete passes if all of your receivers are sitting on the sideline. Most fantasy owners aren’t relying on Cutler anyway, but if Cutler was going to be your starter this week, consider looking elsewhere.

The player who will probably benefit the most from Jeffery’s injury will be Chicago running back Matt Forte. He should get plenty of carries as the team will likely rely on the run game a bit more than usual because of all these injuries. He’s also an excellent receiving option averaging 6 receptions for 50 yards last season, even with Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall on the field.

Overall, unless you own Martellus Bennett or Matt Forte, this may be the week to stay away from the Chicago Bears for fantasy football purposes. Likely if Alshon Jeffery is playing you will be starting him anyway because you won’t have a better option, but limit your expectations for Week 1. If you’re desperate or in deeper leagues, Eddie Royal may be an option, and Marquess Wilson may be a high-upside sleeper. Hopefully these Bears receivers can get healthy so the fantasy picture in Chicago will be a little clearer, but keep an eye on the injury report as the weekend progresses.

Next: DeAngelo Williams Could Hurt Le'Veon Bell's Fantasy Value

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