Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has been a big producer so far this season, far outpacing his 43rd-place ranking among wide receivers in ESPN’s preseason fantasy rankings. Monday night, Jeffery looks to continue his strong performance despite likely being without his starting quarterback as the Bears take on the Green Bay Packers.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 9: Alshon Jeffery
The Bears wide receiver has topped 100 yards in three of his last four games. Can he make it a fourth one Monday against the Packers? We break down the fantasy implications.
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Jeffery only had 104 receiving yards through his first three games of the season, but has at least 105 in three of the four games since, including a 218-yard explosion in the team’s Week 5 loss to the New Orleans Saints. He has scored two touchdowns as well on the season.
The Bears will play with backup quarterback Josh McCown Monday, as normal starter Jay Cutler was injured in the team’s last game two weeks ago.
Fantasy impact: The primary argument against using Jeffery this week would be the fact that the team’s starting quarterback is out, and a backup quarterback is always a dicey proposition. That said, McCown is a higher-end backup quarterback than most teams have, and head coach Marc Trestman -- already good at working with quarterbacks -- has had extra time to get McCown ready, since the Bears just had their bye week.
Jeffery has a small bit of hidden value, as well -- he already has 88 rushing yards this season, putting him on pace for more than 200 on the season, which would be the highest total by a wide receiver in the last two seasons. Jeffery’s rushing yards aren’t something fantasy owners can count on, but it’s always a nice perk.
Jeffery might see a slight negative impact with the backup quarterback, but overall, he’s a perfectly fine WR2/flex play this week.
• Week 9 fantasy football rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
• Week 9 fantasy football waiver wire: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
