In his first start since 2010, Chicago Bears quarterback Jimmy Clausen kept the team in the game but fell short in a comeback attempt as the Bears lost to the Detroit Lions, 20-14. Replacing longtime starter Jay Cutler under center, Clausen threw a pair of touchdowns and mostly avoided the turnover issues that plagued his predecessor.
Fantasy football waiver wire, Week 17: Jimmy Clausen puts up numbers
There wasn’t a lot of yardage for the Chicago quarterback, but he put up two touchdowns. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Clausen completed 23 of 39 passes Sunday for 181 yards. He threw for two touchdowns and an interception, and added 9 rushing yards. In 16 career games now, Clausen has yet to throw for even 200 yards in a game, and Sunday was his first with more than one touchdown.
Fantasy impact: With the weapons the Bears have -- Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett, even Marquess Wilson -- any quarterback who is even mildly competent should be able to put up some numbers for Chicago. And that's basically what Clausen did Sunday -- he had only 13 fantasy points, but two touchdowns for a guy making his first start in four years is nothing bad.
The Bears close their season next week at the Vikings. If you had previously started Cutler and resorted to Clausen in a last-ditch effort Sunday, he did enough that it just might have worked for you. If so, there's no reason to think Week 17 will be significantly different.
