Bears Blitz

Published by kevin roberts on November 18, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Fantasy Football Versus: Decision-Maker gets an early start once again with the NFL’s Thursday night game, this time by the hands of the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins.

Is Forte a reliable play against Miami?

Trying to decide on which players are worth sticking in your fantasy football lineup for the first game of Week 11? Check out the matchups below to help you figure out which players facing off in the first battle of the week give you the best chance to win:

Quarterbacks

Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears) vs. Tyler Thigpen (Miami Dolphins)

Cutler is aiming for his third straight game with at least two touchdown passes, and while Miami’s defense has been solid all season, something tells us he’ll get it. He hasn’t been without flaws (two picks in Week 10), but he has five touchdowns in his last two games, and no matter which way you look at it, has to be considered the better play than Thigpen this week.

We like Thigpen’s potential, but we’d rather wait and make sure he even holds onto the starting gig before we give him the nod over a seemingly heating up Cutler.

Running Backs

Matt Forte (Chicago Bears) vs. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams (Miami Dolphins)

Forte got an uncharacteristic 21 carries last week, but wasn’t able to do a whole lot in terms of fantasy production, and failed to reach the end-zone for the third straight game. Brown and Williams are playing at home, but these guys split carries and are facing a Bears run defense that made Adrian Peterson look very pedestrian. On the other hand, Forte looks to continue having a quality role, while going up against a Miami defense that just got run over by Chris Johnson (117 yards).

On the flip side, if you’re battling it out between Brown and Williams, the nod goes to the starter: Brown. And if you’re contemplating Chester Taylor in any equation involving these backs, he loses from all angles.

Wide Receivers

Johnny Knox (Chicago Bears) vs. Davone Bess and Brian Hartline (Miami Dolphins)

Despite the Bears pass defense continuing it’s solid numbers, we still think Brandon Marshall has to be the hands down favorite to finish this contest as the top receiver. Even if the Dolphins are playing from behind, we get a feeling Cutler’s former stud receiver will want to put on a show for him.

However, Knox should do just fine in his own right. Miami isn’t amazing against the pass when facing a good offense, and while calling Chicago’s offense “good” isn’t heard all that often, Knox still has the speed and role to do some damage. It’s a close call due to Miami’s offense and use of Bess and Hartline, but still a reasonable one. Besides, Thigpen’s insertion under center may cause for a speed bump in his first start of the 2010 season.

If you’re going simply on Bess against Hartline, we’re actually biting on Hartline. He’s slightly more athletic and can make bigger plays, and that’s what Tyler Thigpen is all about. Bess will get his catches, but Hartline is also good for 4-5 grabs each week, and we expect some nice yardage to accompany his catches.

Tight Ends

Greg Olsen (Chicago Bears) vs. Anthony Fasano (Miami Dolphins)

Olsen and Fasano are very similar fantasy options, as both are under-utilized in their offenses, but both have the talent to be solid fantasy contributors. Both tight ends have at least three receptions in their last four games, as well as a touchdown in Week 10. Neither is a particularly great fantasy play, but Olsen does have the better matchup in this battle, and has more stability at the quarterback position. We’ll go with Olsen in Week 11.

For weekly fantasy football advice, head over to NFL Soup.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com