5 Daily Fantasy Football Matchups to Exploit in Week 6
Chicago Bears Passing Offense
Does this seem dumb? It probably is. But you know what? Don't caaaaaare. Unleash the King of DGAF.
Jay Cutler gets a bad rap, and he has never been a metric darling, but he really hasn't been terrible this year. He's 16th in Passing NEP per play out of 36 quarterbacks with at least 50 drop backs. Now, 16th isn't great, but you also must consider that he has done that with Alshon Jeffery being on the field for less than one fourth of those drop backs. It could be a lot worse.
Speaking of Jeffery, he is the deciding factor here. He was able to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday, which could mean he's nearing a return. That said, he has gotten in limited practices in several times since sustaining his injury, and the Bears have their bye next week. Track his status, and if he's good to go, I'd invest in the Bears' passing game.
This selection of the Bears is less about what Cutler has done and more about what the Detroit Lions have done. That would be letting opposing quarterbacks completely impose their will on their defense. They currently sit 27th in Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play, which is sub-optimal.
Last week, the Arizona Cardinals' passing offense was in this column. Now, in that game, Carson Palmer attempted a grand total of 14 passes. He still ended up as the 11th-ranked quarterback of the week because he was so crazy efficient. You can take it to the bank that the Bears will pass more than 14 times, and that could be beneficial for those who invest.
Outside of Jeffery, you really have to love Martellus Bennett. He has seen 24.56 percent of the Bears' targets this season, including totals of 13 and 11 the past two weeks respectively. His price reflects that at $5,800 on FanDuel and $4,800 on DraftKings, but I really see no problem with rostering him at that price.
Now, I'm out on Cutler if Jeffery is out again, but that doesn't make me divest in the entire offense. I'd very much be into Marquess Wilson then. Cutler can likely still move the ball on this defense without Jeffery, and a bunch of the targets would then end up going to Bennett and Wilson. Wilson has been targeted 17 times over the past two weeks, so at $5,400 on FanDuel and $4,000 on DraftKings, he'd be a great pick again if Jeffery can't go.
