Fantasy Football: Cutler creating headaches
Dear Chicago Bears Fans,
Do you need a hug? Because I know I do. As a (former) Jay Cutler fantasy owner, I was left this week questioning everything I have ever known about fantasy. Two weeks ago, the aforementioned Bears quarterback threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns. So going into Week 10 against the average San Francisco 49ers defense I expected a pretty good day, right?
Wrong.
After throwing five picks and no touchdowns, the debate can finally be settled about Cutler -- he’s awful. Check out this clip for further breakdown of just how pitiful his performance was.
This latest outing stings even more when considering the Bears just signed a five-year, $50 million extension with Cutler.
Last year he presented the illusion of being a talented quarterback when he was on the Denver Broncos. But he really was just surrounded by the talent of Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal. Though Cutler was second in the league in passing yards, he was also second in the league in interceptions.
Now surrounded by the ineptitude of Devin Hester, Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett, Cutler’s worst has been brought out. He leads the league in interceptions, and is in a league of his own when it comes to red zone interceptions.
Since Week 13 of 2008, Cutler has played 14 games. In those 14 games he has thrown eight, I repeat eight, red zone interceptions. The next-closest quarterbacks in that category are Jake Delhomme and Marc Bulger, who have thrown only three picks. That is some impressively bad company to be leading.
Read more about Cutler’s embarrassing red zone statistics here.
However, as much as it pains me to say this, don’t abandon Cutler just yet. In the next two weeks he faces the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, which are obvious benches unless your league starts two quarterbacks. However, he might be worth hanging on to merely for his Week 13 start against the St. Louis Rams, because even Blaine Gabbert would be a viable option against that defense.
The rest of the Bears don’t have much value. Hester is valuable in deeper leagues that use three or four wide receivers, but has one touchdown in his last six games. The other Bears receivers should all be benched. Matt Forte has had some value, but not in the running game. In has last five games Forte has rushed for over 42 yards once, and that came against the Cleveland Browns. Greg Olsen has been getting some solid yards (over 70 in the last two games) but touchdowns have been scarce.
All of this comes back to Cutler. His red zone interceptions have been killing the team and all fantasy value for Bears players. I don’t see Cutler solving the interception issue any time soon, so if you’re going to use a Bears player, hopefully it’s a last resort or in a deep league.
