The Week 4 matchup between the Oakland Raiders and the Chicago Bears features one team realizing its potential while the other is facing quite the uphill battle the rest of the season. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 4: Raiders-Bears featuring Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and Matt Forte
We break down the Week 4 matchup between the Oakland Raiders and the Chicago Bears.
Oakland Raiders
For the first time in a long time, the Raiders are fielding a team that could be competing for a playoff spot as the regular season winds down. Quarterback Derek Carr is a big reason for that. He surpassed 300 yards passing for the second week in a row last week and has five touchdowns on the year to go with just one interception. Carr should be all over the Bears on Sunday who are one of the league’s worst all-around teams this season. It would be wise to consider investing in Carr in deep leagues. He’s really beginning to prove himself.
So is wide receiver Amari Cooper. He has 15 catches for 243 yards and a touchdown in the last two weeks. That’s not bad at all considering he’s just three weeks into his NFL career. Cooper should be able to scorch the Bears on Sunday, especially because their defense will likely be on the field for most of the afternoon. Much like Carr, Cooper is a young up-and-comer with plenty of potential and he seems to be realizing it relatively quickly. The sky is the limit for this guy.
Chicago Bears
With veteran quarterback Jay Cutler still recovering from a hamstring injury, Jimmy Clausen will draw the start for the Bears on Sunday for the second week in a row. He completed just nine passes against the Seattle Seahawks last week, so any fantasy owners hoping the cash in on a pure gamble crashed and burned miserably. There’s no reason to touch Clausen this week, and the rest of the team’s offensive is in jeopardy until Cutler gets back.
That means running back Matt Forte will likely be the only player on the Bears worthy of being in fantasy lineups against the Raiders. Forte had 20 carries for 74 yards against the Seahawks last week. His low numbers obviously weren’t Forte’s fault given that Seattle could just game plan to stop the run all day long. He’s normally an elite option in PPR leagues, but until Cutler comes back, Forte’s numbers will be steady yet uninspiring at the same time.
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SB Nation presents: Who to start and sit on your fantasy team in Week 4
