The Bears had a pretty bad off season in my opinion, considering they addressed none of their offensive line issues.  It is hard to blame them for this too much as they were without any draft selections in the first two rounds as well as had some pressing needs on the defensive side of the ball.  They did make some big name moves getting Chester Taylor and Julius Peppers, but without an offensive line none of it matters.  They should still see some decent production from their playmakers and I expect a rebound year for just about all of the fantasy relevant Bears.  The popular choice for which receiver will have a breakout year is Aromashodu who has tremendous upside given the chemistry him and Cutler had at the end of last season.  While I do rank him slightly higher than Johnny Knox it is mostly due to Devin’s tremendous potential.  I think Knox is the safer pick and should remain the Bears best and most consistent deep threat.

Top Fantasy Players

Matt Forte – Last year’s biggest bust is bound to fall pretty far in drafts this coming year.  I think he will do ok and could even finish inside the top 20 by the end of the season in the Bears new Mike Martz offense, but without the offensive line issues resolved it won’t be easy.

Jay Cutler – If he is able to curtail the number of interceptions this season his fantasy points will be in the top 10.  It would take effort to throw as many interceptions as he did last year, so should definitely improve on his numbers.  Also, a Mike Martz offense will utilize the strengths of Cutler’s game better so expect to see more touchdowns and yardage too.

Devin Aromashodu – There are no polished pass catchers on this offense and this young guy is the closest thing they’ve got.  He was drafted as a raw physical talent with impressive physical attributes, so the only question was were they able to tame this beast and turn him into the receiver the offense desperately needs.  Personally I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Johnny Knox had the most fantasy points out of Chicago receivers.

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With the first weekend of free agency drawing to a close its time to look at how the moves that have been made so far impact next years Fantasy Football season.  Many big-names have changed teams during this week, and  will shake up next seasons pre-draft rankings quite a bit.  Here are the roster moves made so far during this free agency period that have an impact on fantasy football:

Anquan Boldin traded to Ravens – The biggest move of the free agency period was not a signing, but a trade.  With the addition of Anquan Boldin to the Ravens offense three different players all receive a bump in my rankings; Joe Flacco, Anquan Boldin (shocker!), and Ray Rice.  The biggest weakness of the Ravens last year was balance in the passing game.  They have been lacking a serious play-maker at the wide receiver position, and Flacco’s production was hurt the worst by it.  Mason is getting old and may not be back in a Ravens uniform next year, but with the addition of Stallworth and now Boldin the Ravens will finally have two polished receivers that can stretch the field AND get open over the middle.  The impact on Ray Rice will also be significant, with Boldin on the roster the Ravens will have a balanced offensive attack instead of the Ray Rice show that was last season.  Next year he wont be a surprise, people know what he can do now and without a balanced attack he would be vulnerable to being schemed against.  With game-breaking talent at wide-out defenses will need to respect the deep ball and Rice will remain a top tier back.

Antonio Cromartie traded to the Jets – Another trade tops my list of moves made during free agency week, and yes I know it was the day before but its so significant I’m sneaking it in!  This move will solidify the Jets as my #1 Defense for next season barring some unforeseen incident.  While Cromartie  is certainly no Revis, he is a very gifted player filling the area of biggest need for the Jets already number one ranked defense.  Oh, and the Jets were already first in the league in passing defense last year… 30 yards fewer per game than the number two Bills.

Bears sign Chester Taylor – I am really excited to see what Taylor can do outside the shadow of Adrian Peterson… but I do not think we will know his full potential until at least next year.  The Bears have no picks in the first two rounds, and have an offensive line that could use quite a bit of work.  Good news for the Bears however, this is a VERY deep draft class at offensive line and there is a real chance they could find a diamond in the rough.  Taylor is a very complete back and he will likely take over the primary role leaving Forte to handle third downs.

Lions sign Nate Burleson – Calvin Johnson finally has someone that could pull some double teams away from him… ok not quite. However,  Burleson has 7 years of experience and a fair few left in him.  His veteran leadership and experience at being on mediocre teams could go a long way to helping the Lions on the road to average.  And lets face it, with a tough and talented kid like Stafford at the helm they could get there pretty quick.  Burleson will likely see similar production as he had in his disappointing last season, but he could really help Megatron get open a couple more times per game… and that is certainly a good thing.

Bears sign Julius Peppers – The Bears make my list twice since they needed to use the limited free agent pool as their draft, and lets face it… you cant draft the best pass rushing defensive end and that is what the Bears got in Peppers.  The biggest weakness for the Bears defense last year was… well… their offense.  With Cutler throwing such a large number of interceptions as well as the Bears’ inability to extend drives and provide some rest for their defenders, just about every game the defense was worn out by the fourth quarter and unable to stop much of anything.  Hopefully Taylor and Manumaleuna help to extend drives and give those poor guys a break.  If the Bears find a good lineman or two, their defense could be a top5 fantasy defense again soon.

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