Vikings-Bears fantasy projections, Week 11: Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall, Jerick McKinnon among those to watch

The Week 11 matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears features one team coming off of a bye week and another that played last week like it was on one. We've got the fantasy projections for you courtesy of numberFire.

While the Vikings eagerly await word on the status of running back Adrian Peterson, they will be rolling with rookie Jerick McKinnon against the Bears at least for this week. The Bears defense has been in shambles for the last few games and while they will look to play the Vikings a lot tougher than they did the Green Bay Packers last week, the task may not be that difficult. Since rushing for over 100 yards in Week 7, McKinnon's production has gone down steadily. He will have a chance to rebound against Chicago, but one has to wonder if factors like Peterson returning this season and teammate Matt Asiata stealing the goal line work are having a negative effect on McKinnon's confidence.

Whether or not the weak Bears defense provides a boost in that department for McKinnon, the Vikings will also need veteran wide receiver Greg Jennings to make an impact on the game. All things considered, Jennings put in a solid effort against Washington in Week 9, catching six passes for 76 yards. A rookie quarterback notwithstanding, Jennings has been the most consistent receiver in the Vikings' offensive attack this year. He will no doubt be a busy man against Chicago, a team that gave up six touchdown passes in the first half last week against the Packers.

Quarterback Jay Cutler's poor performances of late have had some football experts clamoring that the offense should be going through running back Matt Forte. Forte was held to just 54 yards rushing against the Packers last week, but his fantasy line was more a result of the team playing from behind early and being forced to throw the ball down the field rather than the Packers' defense or Forte's play. Fortunately for Chicago, Minnesota doesn't have the potent offense that Aaron Rodgers leads in Green Bay, so although the Vikings have a solid defense, you can bet the coaching staff will find a way to get Forte the ball Sunday.

If there was one player in the Bears offense who did well last week, it was wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who managed just his second 100-yard receiving game against the Packers, finishing with 112 receiving yards and a touchdown. The score breaks a streak of four games without finding the end zone from Marshall, and although the Vikings' secondary unit has done a great job containing star receivers this season, Marshall is always a good bet to put together two solid games in a row and it's been a long time since he's done that, so his fantasy owners shouldn't be surprised if Week 11 does the trick.