The Chicago Bears have spent their entire offseason building their offense around quarterback Caleb Williams. And now, the fantasy football community is starting to take notice.
Williams will likely be available late whenever your league drafts. For all the offseason hype he has received, the quarterback is coming off of a rocky rookie season. Fantasy managers want a sure thing at their quarterback position, and in 10-12 man leagues, there are much safer options.
However, those who wait to draft their quarterback on draft day could be looking Williams’ way. Jake Ciely of The Athletic thinks fantasy managers should consider it, as he called Williams a potential breakout candidate and rated him seven out of ten in terms of returning fantasy football QB1 success.
“We saw improvements in Williams when Thomas Brown took over after the Shane Waldron firing nine games into the 2024 campaign,” Ciely wrote. “Now Ben Johnson arrives from Detroit, bringing his offensive mind, offensive line improvements, plus weapons Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland were added in the draft. And let’s not forget, DJ Moore and Rome Odunze were already in the fold.”
“With Johnson as the offensive coordinator, the Lions were Top 8 in passing yards per game in 2022, then second in 2023 and 2024,” Ciely continued. “Williams’ 2022 season at USC was otherworldly, with 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns through the air, as well as 382 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. The ability, surrounding talent and coaching give Williams real Top 5 upside.”
Chicago Bears believe in Caleb Williams
The hiring of Ben Johnson was the first step to getting Williams on the right track. The Bears went through major coaching shifts during his rookie season, including firing head coach Matt Eberflus. It was the first time in franchise history Chicago fired a head coach midseason. With Johnson now in place, Williams has solid ground to build off of.
The Bears’ new look offensive line will certainly help in that regard. Chicago let up a league-high 68 sacks in 2024. To help remedy the issue, they traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson before signing center Drew Dalman in free agency. All three should give Williams ample time in the pocket.
When he looks down field to pass, the quarterback will have plenty of options to throw to. The Bears added Colston Loveland and Luther Burden in the pair, pairing them with an already sturdy core of DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet. It’ll be difficult for opposing defenses to stop all of Chicago’s options.
If all goes to Johnson’s plan, Williams and the Bears are in for a revolutionary offensive season. But Chicago will go as far as their quarterback does. If he shines, Williams will certainly become a quarterback to target in fantasy football.
Windy City gets murky
It isn’t all sunshine and rainbows when it comes to Williams. He may be one of the more hyped up breakout candidates now, but he still needs to prove himself on the gridiron. If he doesn’t live up to the expectations, or doesn’t adapt to Johnson’s system as quickly as possible, the Bears will be entrenched in the same song and dance their recent history is known for. Nobody is singing or dancing to that tune.
“As was the case in his final season in college, Williams ran around in the pocket (instead of upfield) and tried to force plays too often,” Ciely wrote. “That included a few ill-advised heaves downfield — those of which, often turned into interceptions (five of his six INTs were deep throws/trying to extend the play).”
“I made the argument that Williams had the best group of weapons for a rookie quarterback, and yet, he still struggled,” he continued. “While there were improvements after Waldron was let go, Williams regressed somewhat down the stretch. It’s common for quarterbacks to need a half to a full season before showing complete improvement with a new offense or coach.”
While his offensive line did him no favors, Williams must take some blame for Chicago’s sack problems of 2024. Oftentimes he would hold onto the ball too long while waiting for the play to develop downfield. When it didn’t, the defense had enough time to get into the backfield. While picks weren’t a major problem as a rookie, most of them came when trying to make the big play.
With Johnson now in tow, Williams has an actual gameplan in place. The roster has been stocked with talent, giving the quarterback the greatest chance to succeed. Now it’s just up to Williams, in both fantasy and real life football, to prove why he went No. 1 overall.
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