Matt Forte Injury: Updates on Bears RB’s Week 16 Status and Fantasy Value
Published by Richard Langford on December 19, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Fantasy owners and Bears fans desperately want to hear that Matt Forte is ready to take the field, but it is not looking good. Forte suffered what ESPNChicago.com reported as a Grade 2 MCL sprain early in the Bears’ Week 13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He has not played since, and the Bears offense has been terrible.
Including that game with the Chiefs, Chicago has scored just 27 combined points in the three games since Forte was injured.
UPDATE: Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 9:55 a.m. ET by Eric Bowman
Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune, and he recently wrote a story on the updated news about Cutler. Here’s what head coach Lovie Smith told him.
“[Cutler and Matt Forte] are getting better…whenever a player is healthy and ready to play, you play them. It’s as simple as that. That is what we said from the start.
That is what we said with all of our players. Just not going to sit a player if they are healthy and ready to go. Neither one of those players is healthy right now.”
Chicago knew there would be hard times when Cutler went down, but once Forte was injured too, all hope was lost.
Forte plans to take his time before returning, and nobody can blame him for that. Since the Bears have lost four games in a row now, the chances of them making the playoffs are very slim, especially since they have to win their final two games of the season.
Beating the Minnesota Vikings shouldn’t be too difficult, but taking down the mighty Green Bay Packers without your two best offensive stars is near impossible.
Don’t expect Forte to play this week against Green Bay, which means he should sit out the final game of the year as well considering it won’t mean anything.
UPDATE:
Forte is in a contract year. He wanted the Bears to sign him to an extension prior to the season, but he opted to play rather than hold out when they did not.
Given that, it is not surprising that he is not going to rush back.
No one should expect him to risk further injury and jeopardize his earning power to help a team that did not commit to him.
Despite Forte’s proclamation, Bears coach Lovie Smith is holding out hope that he will have his prized running back back at some point.
Given that the Bears only have two games left, that doesn’t leave a lot of time for Smith’s hopes to come true.
Chicago finishes at Green Bay and at Minnesota.
Fantasy Value
Don’t expect Forte back on the field this season. Feel free to cut him if you can find anyone worth while on the waiver wire.
*Be sure to check this page as we will update it with any pertinent Forte injury developments over the course of the week.
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