I know this may sound like heresy to some, but it looks like Kyle Orton is becoming a viable fantasy option at QB (at least until the harsh winter weather settles over Soldier Field later this year). He threw the ball with authority and decisiveness against a very tough Philadelphia squad, and though his second half effort wasn’t outstanding, on the day Orton posted 18/34 for 199 yards, 3 TDs and 2 interceptions. That effort was good enough for a #9 ranking among all fantasy QBs last week.
What’s more, Orton is making the likes of Brandon Lloyd, Rashied Davis and Marty Booker resemble a legitimate stable of WRs - and he has two great pass catching options at TE in Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark.
Did I mention that the much-maligned OL has averaged 4.1 yards-per-carry in the run-blocking phase of the game (16th in the NFL), with 10 sacks allowed through 4 games (that’s in the middle of the NFL range from 2-19)? Matt Forte provides a credible threat to run the ball (92/347/1 rushing through 4 games) and is a good receiver out of the backfield, with 18/147/1 to his credit in that department - Forte is the #9 fantasy RB in the land after 4 weeks. Opposing defenses can’t just blanket the receivers and dare the Bears to run the ball anymore, or Forte will make them pay.
What we have here is an offense on the rise, folks - Chicago has good balance and competent personnel across the board, with Orton growing into a true leader as we watch this year. In brief - Orton and company seem to be jelling, as the game vs. Philadelphia demonstrated this week.
If you’ve been hit hard by the Carson Palmer, Tarvaris Jackson or Marc Bulger situations during recent weeks, you just might want to consider Orton as a replacement during October/November - heck, he might even be worth a look in the month of December, if he keeps up the solid play. Grab him off the waiver wire if you still can.
Week One was a banner day for a number of offensive rookies. We singled out the stellar play of WRs DeSean Jackson and Eddie Royal already, but now turn our attention to the rookie RBs; who had equally impressive debuts.
Here are the top 30 fantasy performances by rookie RBs in Week One (1995-2008)
| Rank |
First |
Last |
Year |
Opp |
Rush |
Yards |
TD |
Rec |
RecYd |
TD |
FPTs |
| 1 |
LaDainian |
Tomlinson |
2001 |
WAS |
36 |
113 |
2 |
1 |
12 |
0 |
24.5 |
| 2 |
Adrian |
Peterson |
2007 |
ATL |
19 |
103 |
0 |
1 |
60 |
1 |
22.3 |
| 3 |
Cadillac |
Williams |
2005 |
MIN |
27 |
148 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
20.8 |
| 4 |
Matt |
Forte |
2008 |
IND |
23 |
123 |
1 |
3 |
18 |
0 |
20.1 |
| 5 |
Chris |
Johnson |
2008 |
JAX |
15 |
93 |
0 |
3 |
34 |
1 |
18.7 |
| 6 |
Edgerrin |
James |
1999 |
BUF |
26 |
112 |
1 |
4 |
14 |
0 |
18.6 |
| 7 |
Tiki |
Barber |
1997 |
PHI |
20 |
88 |
1 |
3 |
32 |
0 |
18.0 |
| 8 |
Karim |
Abdul-Jabbar |
1996 |
NE |
26 |
115 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
17.7 |
| 9 |
Lawrence |
Phillips |
1996 |
CIN |
21 |
46 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
16.6 |
| 10 |
Ahman |
Green |
1998 |
PHI |
6 |
100 |
1 |
1 |
-1 |
0 |
15.9 |
| 11 |
Marshawn |
Lynch |
2007 |
DEN |
19 |
90 |
1 |
2 |
9 |
0 |
15.9 |
| 12 |
Mike |
Bell |
2006 |
STL |
10 |
58 |
1 |
4 |
30 |
0 |
14.8 |
| 13 |
Kevin |
Smith |
2008 |
ATL |
16 |
48 |
1 |
4 |
32 |
0 |
14.0 |
| 14 |
Ron |
Dayne |
2000 |
ARI |
23 |
78 |
1 |
1 |
-2 |
0 |
13.6 |
| 15 |
Felix |
Jones |
2008 |
CLE |
9 |
62 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
12.2 |
| 16 |
Reggie |
Bush |
2006 |
CLE |
15 |
67 |
0 |
7 |
52 |
0 |
11.9 |
| 17 |
Robert |
Edwards |
1998 |
DEN |
13 |
50 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
11.0 |
| 18 |
J.J. |
Johnson |
1999 |
DEN |
14 |
45 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10.5 |
| 19 |
Antowain |
Smith |
1997 |
MIN |
7 |
55 |
0 |
5 |
44 |
0 |
9.9 |
| 20 |
Brandon |
Jacobs |
2005 |
ARI |
6 |
39 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
9.9 |
| 21 |
ReShard |
Lee |
2004 |
MIN |
5 |
35 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
9.5 |
| 22 |
Tim |
Hightower |
2008 |
SF |
8 |
13 |
1 |
3 |
21 |
0 |
9.4 |
| 23 |
Rob |
Konrad |
1999 |
DEN |
2 |
7 |
0 |
3 |
26 |
1 |
9.3 |
| 24 |
Nick |
Goings |
2001 |
MIN |
25 |
86 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8.6 |
| 25 |
Laurence |
Maroney |
2006 |
BUF |
17 |
86 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8.6 |
| 26 |
Curtis |
Enis |
1998 |
JAX |
12 |
77 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
0 |
8.4 |
| 27 |
Ray |
Rice |
2008 |
CIN |
22 |
64 |
0 |
3 |
19 |
0 |
8.3 |
| 28 |
Stanley |
Pritchett |
1996 |
NE |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
77 |
0 |
7.7 |
| 29 |
Brandon |
Jackson |
2007 |
PHI |
15 |
40 |
0 |
4 |
35 |
0 |
7.5 |
| 30 |
Kevin |
Jones |
2004 |
CHI |
15 |
36 |
0 |
1 |
34 |
0 |
7.0 |
Six rookies cracked the top 3, including two top-5 finishes. That’s an impressive start, particularly when you consider Darren McFadden - arguably the top rookie in this class - failed to make the list.
Lovie Smith made his name as a defensive coach, and so it’s completely understandable that he would focus more on that side of the ball as head coach in Chicago. But is it possible that he’s not paying attention to the offense, at all? Sarcasm aside, it’s got to be tough for Bears fans to stomach what has gone with the offensive situation this offseason:
- Re-signing QBs Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton — Orton and Grossman have combined to throw for 8,254 yards with 43 TDs and 48 interceptions. Their collective completion rate (53.6%), yards per attempt (6.1) and passer rating (68.0) are horrible; and yet the Bears re-signed them both to compete for the starting job. Somehow the Jets landed Brett Favre, the Dolphins got Chad Pennington, J.T. O’Sullivan emerged out of nowhere in San Francisco and yet the Bears felt their only alternative was to go back to the well. Yikes.
- The release of Cedric Benson — The Bears drafted Matt Forte and signed Kevin Jones to bolster the ground game, but will either have anywhere to run?
- An already bad line got worse – The Bears 1st round draft choice, OT Chris Williams underwent surgery in August to repair a herniated disc in his back. He’s out indefinitely and could be done for the year. The Bears were counting on Williams to stabilize an erratic line and are now faced with the displeasure of John St. Clair at left tackle. Yikes, Part II.
Isn’t that enough pain for one group of fans? Unfortunately not because Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun Times is reporting that Devin Hester and Brandon Lloyd are the starting wide receivers for Week One against Indianapolis. While Hester’s explosiveness is undeniable, you can’t feel too good about going into the season with him and Lloyd as the top options.
- Brandon Lloyd — Lloyd was a starter in San Francisco and was a modest success. He started 15 games in 2005 and amassed career highs of 48 receptions and 733 yards (plus 5 TDs). Unfortunately Lloyd moved to Washington the next year and was to “compete” against Antwaan Randle El for a starting spot. Lloyd ended up with 23 catches in 2006 and failed to score a touchdown. As if that weren’t bad enough, he was persona non grata last year and caught just two passes (2 receptions for 14 yards). It would be one thing if Lloyd was stuck behind a proven group of stud receivers, but Santana Moss had a down year (3 TDs) and Randle El was largely ineffective (1 TD).
- Devin Hester — Hester caught 20 receptions for 299 yards and 2 TDs last year in limited offensive snaps. As we already noted, he’s clearly a dangerous option in the open field. But what we don’t know is whether Hester has the route discipline, the hands or the size to break press coverage and consistently grab passes with defenders blanketing him. I’m sure he’ll catch a few deep bombs for scores this year, but can he provide the consistency needed from a starter?
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