Week 10 vs. Tampa Bay
Alshon Jeffery caught 4-of-8 targets against the Vikings for 63 yards and his first touchdown of the season. It was a really solid day against one of the toughest defenses in football, and it's a positive sign he found the endzone with Jay Cutler back under center.
Jeffery will get a much more favorable matchup this week against Tampa Bay. The Bucs have been torched through the air over the last two weeks, and we expect Cutler's chemistry with the wideout to be on display all game long.
Jeffery should be viewed as a strong WR1 play this week.
Week 8 vs. Minnesota
Alshon Jeffery is reportedly on the trading block, but for now, he's in Chicago and will face a difficult matchup in Week 8. Minnesota has allowed the second fewest points to opposing wideouts, and should have no problem keeping Jeffery in check.
The good news is Jeffery gets Jay Cutler back, which means his targets could return. With Brian Hoyer under center, the Pro Bowl receiver struggled to get looks even when he was wide open.
Jeffery should be able to rebound in the future, but he's nothing more than a poor WR2 or WR3 option with this matchup.
Week 7 at Green Bay
Alshon Jeffery finished with 13 targets last week, nearly doubling his previous season high (7). He finished with a solid 7 receptions for 93 yards, but still failed to find the end zone for the sixth consecutive game.
Jeffery has been pretty good all season long, and we finally saw him a little more involved with the offense last week. He'll get a favorable matchup against the Packers on Thursday night, and should continue his streak of success.
We view Jeffery as a low-end WR1 play this week.
Week 6 vs. Jacksonville
Alshon Jeffery hasn't been bad this season, as he's averaging nearly 80 yards per game, but we expect so much more considering the numbers Chicago's offense has put him. Every week we're seeing targets to Kevin White or Cameron Meredith or Eddie Royal instead of Jeffery.
There's a chance the Bears start to get Jeffery more involved in the game plan considering his skillset. Brian Hoyer said he won't force the ball to his No. 1 receiver, but there's only so much faith you can put in player talk.
Jeffery has a great matchup against the Jaguars this week, but we can't rank him as a WR1 anymore considering the targets he's not getting. He's still a strong WR2 play, however.
Week 5 vs. Indianapolis
Alshon Jeffery hasn't been quite the elite receiver we'd hope he'd be, but maybe that changes this week. The big difference is the Bears will be without Kevin White, the receiver who was stealing most of the targets.
Jeffery gets an interesting matchup this week against the Colts. As a whole, Indianapolis has allowed the eighth-most passing yards in the league, but have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to wideouts.
Considering the team's poor defense overall, we won't fear too much about the matchup. That's why we view him as a borderline WR1 this week.
Week 4 vs. Detroit
Alshon Jeffery played through an injury last week, and had a respectable outing, catching five-of-seven targets for 70 yards. Zach Miller caught both touchdowns, and Kevin White saw most of the targets, but we expect a shift towards Jeffery in the future.
There's a good chance Jeffery has his breakout game of the season this week in a favorable matchup against the Lions. The hope for Jeffery owners is that some of White's targets will be spread out evenly among the other receivers.
Jeffery will be a borderline WR1 and a strong WR2 option this week.
Week 3 at Dallas
Alshon Jeffery has basically had back-to-back 100-yard games, which is pretty good production. He hasn't found the end zone yet, and could struggle to do so with the second-string quarterback taking over this week.
If Jeffery plays this week, he's going to be a low-end WR1 option. He should get a lot of targets from Brian Hoyer, and it's a good enough matchup where Jeffery can make a play.
The key with Jeffery is if he'll play. He was a limited participant in practice Wednesday, and was downgraded to no practice Thursday. Typically we'd want to see those reversed. Considering Jeffery is a late night play Sunday, it'd be wise to pick up a back-up plan just in case.
Eddie Royal vs. Philadelphia
Alshon Jeffery led the Bears in receptions (4, tied) and yards (105) last week, although a lot of his yardage total came on a 54-yard catch. He had six targets as Jay Cutler looked to spread the ball out evenly in Week 1.
Jeffery will face an Eagles defense that played well last week against Cleveland, but did allow some big plays through the air. Considering Jeffery's playmaking ability, it's a good bet that he'll make at least one long catch this week.
Jeffery should be viewed as a WR1 option this week.
Week 1 at Houston
Alshon Jeffery missed a lot of game action last season, and even when he did play, he did so injured. He still managed to put up some impressive numbers, mainly because Jay Cutler loves throwing to him.
Jeffery was ninth in the league in targets per game (10.44), and hauled most of those balls in as he had 5-plus receptions in 6-out-of-9 games last season. Now he's healthy, and even has Kevin White playing opposite of him to take some of the heat off.
Jeffery doesn't draw a great first week matchup against Houston, but we're not going to shy away from him. He's a top-talent receiver, and it's difficult to find a reason not to start him.
Fantasy Upside
The best news for Alshon Jeffery is that he’s healthy heading into the season. Injury issues really ruined his 2015 campaign, although he still manage to excel in the games he played. In nine games, Jeffery finished with 807 yards (90 per game) and four touchdowns.
Jeffrey wasn’t just a yards receiver, either. He had a solid three-game stretch (when he was arguably the healthiest) where he had 8-for-147, 10-for-116 and 10-for-151. If he can manage maintain numbers like those in 2016, he can put himself in position for being the top five at his position.
Fantasy Downside
When Jeffery did play in 2015, he didn’t have a ton of help around him. This season, the Bears will have talented wideout Kevin White to play opposite of Jeffery, which means it’s possible the veteran won’t see as many targets.
The Bears are also likely to focus more on running the football considering the stable of backs they have. Jeremy Langford showed promise last season, and the team took Jordan Howard in the draft.
Bottom Line
There are a lot of reasons to like Jeffery this season. He shined in 2013 and 2014 when he was healthy, and should do the same this season if he stays on the field. The good news about last season is Jeffery’s not coming off of a major injury. He just had several lingering issues that kept him from playing to his full potential.
He should be a safe bet to be a top 10 wideout in both standard and PPR formats.
