Alshon Jeffery’s Updated 2014 Fantasy Outlook Heading into Week 3
Published by Scott Polacek on September 16, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Some slow starts are easily explainable in fantasy football, while others offer legitimate reason to panic.
The case of Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery is rather straightforward. He was off to a blistering start to the 2014 campaign with 71 receiving yards in the first half against the Buffalo Bills, but he missed the second half of that game with injury. There’s a fairly good chance his team would have won that contest too if he had stayed healthy.
Jeffery played in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers, but it was rather clear to anyone watching that he was far from 100 percent as he tallied 47 receiving yards and zero touchdowns. Rich Campbell and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune commented as much during the game:
Jeffery’s health going forward is by far the most important thing when it comes to his fantasy value and what he brings to the field for the Bears. There was some encouraging news from coach Marc Trestman along those lines, via Campbell:
While that is certainly great to hear, fantasy owners and Chicago supporters would like to see it on the field in Week 3 before getting too excited.
We know that Jeffery is an absolute fantasy stud when healthy, and there is no reason to change that designation going forward if he is on the field. He was one of the breakout players in the entire NFL during the 2013 campaign and finished with 89 catches for 1,421 yards and seven touchdowns.
Jeffery even had two games in 2013 where he had more than 200 receiving yards, including a 249-yard outburst against the Minnesota Vikings.
What’s more, he grew increasingly comfortable in the offense the more he was on the field, which is why there was so much optimism regarding his fantasy value this year. ESPN.com even ranked him as the No. 8 wide receiver in the whole league before the season began.
He is 6’3” and 215 pounds with elite athleticism and incredible leaping ability. Jeffery can blow past corners or go up and grab the ball at its highest point in the red zone, which makes him a lethal weapon in an already dangerous offense.
It is that offense that makes Jeffery so valuable in Week 3 and beyond for fantasy football owners.
There are so many weapons on the field at once for the Bears in the form of Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Jeffery, Martellus Bennett, Matt Forte and even former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes that it is nearly impossible for opposing defenses to hone in on one player.
Jeffery even suggested that he and Marshall are the two best receivers in the NFL during the offseason, via Rana L. Cash of Sporting News: “I’m not the type of person that brags a lot about anything, but I feel that last year, what we did, we were at the top of the list as the two best receivers. But that was last year. This year we have to set our goal and try our best to do the same thing we did last year, if not better.”
While there may be some concern in fantasy circles that such a diverse offense may take away from Jeffery’s targets, how many elite wide receivers are arguably the third option on their own team?
That means Jeffery should face the lesser of the two corners every week and have his way against overmatched opponents. Theoretically, it should lead to more touchdowns for Jeffery and more fantasy points for your team.
If we are looking ahead to Week 3, the Chicago Bears face off with the New York Jets on Monday night.
The Green Bay Packers proved in Week 2 that elite wide receivers are going to be a problem for the New York Jets when Jordy Nelson racked up 209 receiving yards and a touchdown and Randall Cobb hauled in two touchdown passes.
Fantasy owners should be thrilled at the prospects of Marshall and Jeffery being the second straight NFC North wide receiver duo to run all over New York’s defense. It may even help your team finish off a victory on Monday night.
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