Bears Blitz

Can Matt Forte Rebound for NFL Fantasy Football Owners In 2010?

Published by Eric Stashin on August 19, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Matt Forte burst onto the scene in 2008, rushing for 1,238 yards and 8 touchdowns. He was also an asset in the passing game, with 63 receptions for 477 yards and 4 touchdowns.

In his sophomore season he remained a solid receiver, though the touchdowns disappeared. He had 57 receptions for 471 yards, but didn’t score a touchdown. That regression was also prevalent in the running game, where he rushed for just 929 yards and scored 4 touchdowns.

Part of the change could have been based on philosophy, as his number of carries fell from 2008 to 2009:

2008 – 316 carries
2009 – 258 carries

The acquisition of Jay Cutler easily could have factored into that. In 2009 the Bears attempted 563 passes. In 2008, with Kyle Orton leading the offense, they attempted 528 passes.

A more pass-heavy offense certainly leads to fewer carries and hurts a runner’s ability to make an impact. Heading into 2010, with Mike Martz now in place as the offensive coordinator, you have to wonder if the number of carries will fall a little bit further.

It’s not like Forte has been overly impressive when he gets the carries, anyways. Even in his big season of 2008, he averaged less than four yards a carry. Last season he was at just 3.6 yards per carry.

Fumbles also became a major issue for him. He fumbled the ball just once in his rookie year, but coughed it up six times last year (and lost three of them). That was among the worst in the league and if it continues, will certainly cut into his playing time.

With Chester Taylor brought in from the Minnesota Vikings, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see that happen. Taylor has spent the last few seasons playing understudy to Adrian Peterson, but is just a few years removed from a 1,216 yard campaign as a starter.

Neither back had much success in the first preseason game, with Taylor rushing for 10 yards and Forte rushing for 7 yards. I wouldn’t read too much into that, however.

Playing in Chicago, the weather is going to be an issue, especially late in the season. Even with the new Martz/Cutler marriage in place, it’s impossible to think that the team is just going to pass the ball all day long in December games. They have home games against the Jets and Patriots, as well as a road game in Green Bay. That means opportunity for Forte, but there are a ton of concerns surrounding him.

I’d consider him a low-end RB2, or a very good RB3 at this point, but nothing more. What about you? How good do you think Forte will be? Where would you draft him?

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