Fantasy Upside
Matt Forte was one of the top running backs last season as he finished with 1,846 total yards and 10 touchdowns. He was especially good in PPR formats, recording 102 catches. In standard scoring last season, Forte finished as a top five back. He's an exceptionally talented back in a fairly productive offense. He also doesn't have much competition on the depth chart, so he'll get the majority of the touches. Forte is also a guy who rarely gets injured. In his seven seasons he's only five games out of a possible 112.
Fantasy Downside
Forte no longer has Marc Trestman running the plays in Chicago. Trestman was a huge reason why Forte had so many receptions. He's always been a talented receiver, but it's no coincidence his best two seasons as a receiving threat came under Trestman. The Bears back is also getting up there in age. He'll be 30 years old in December and has been a workhorse back since entering the league. He's averaged 322 touches in his seven seasons as a pro.
Bottom Line
He may be getting older, but we still haven't seen a major decline from Forte. He was incredibly productive just a year ago. Losing Trestman hurts his PPR stock a bit, but overall he'll be fine. He should be viewed as a top 10 back this season.
Matt Forte - Week 17 vs. Minnesota
Matt Forte isn't having a career year in rushing, but he's having one of the best receiving seasons by a back in NFL history. In fact, he's just eight receptions short of the NFL single-season record for receptions by a running back (101). He's also just 13 rushing yards shy of 1,000 and could join an exclusive club. If he gets 1,000 rushing yards and 100 catches he'll be the second player in NFL history (LaDainian Tomlinson is the first) to reach those milestones in a single season.
In short, Forte is a baller. He'll have a good chance at reaching those milestones this week against the Minnesota Vikings. The last time he played Minnesota he finished with 175 total yards. The Vikings have been very favorable to backs this season.
Forte is a must-start option.
Matt Forte - Week 16 vs. Detroit Lions
Matt Forte had a modest game last week against New Orleans. He finished with 99 total yards (78 rushing, 21 receiving) on 18 touches. He ran the ball well averaging about five yards per carry, but the Bears got behind and ended up not looking Forte's way a lot. He actually ended up with his worst receiving performance of the season.
This week he gets a tough matchup against Detroit. The last time he faced the Lions Chicago went with a strategy that didn't involve their running back. Forte ended up with 11 total touches, his fewest of the season. He ran five times for six yards, but was able to finish with 52 receiving yards.
The Bears should lean on Forte a little more in the second meeting because they're starting Jimmy Clausen at quarterback. Even though the Lions defense is No. 1 against the run, I'd rather have the ball in Forte's hands than Clausen's. More touches should lead to a better performance than the first time, but it's still a very tough matchup.
Forte is a RB1 because of his potential and track record, but he's an elite start like he is most weeks.
Matt Forte - Week 15 vs. New Orleans
If you own Matt Forte in standard leagues he might have ran your team out of the playoffs over these last two weeks. He's rushed 18 times for 32 yards combined over the last two games with a long of seven yards. If you're in PPR formats he's salvaged his performances by catching a lot of balls. He did score a touchdown last week to ease make up for his lack of yards.
We expect Forte to bounce back in a big way this week. His role in the passing game increases due to the absence of Brandon Marshall (out for the season) and he gets a great matchup against the Saints. New Orleans has allowed the fourth-most rushing yards in the league and have allowed the second-most receiving yards to backs this season. Considering Forte does most of his damage catching the ball, that last stat is fairly important.
Forte and the Bears have had over a week to prepare for this matchup. He is a must-start RB1 option this week.
Matt Forte - Week 14 vs. Dallas Cowboys
We expected Matt Forte to struggle last week against the league's top rush defense, but no one assumed it would be as bad as it was. The Bears' rusher finished with just five carries (previous season low was 12) for just six yards. He salvaged his performance in PPR formats with six receptions for 52 yards, but it was nowhere near what owners have been seeing out of him this season.
Expect a bounce back from Forte this week. He'll get a much easier matchup against Dallas. The Cowboys have allowed at least one score to a back in five consecutive games. The Eagles ran all over them last week as the backs finished with 221 yards.
It will be a major surprise if Forte is limited to just five carries again. He should be a strong RB1 in both standard and PPR.
Matt Forte - Week 13 vs. Detroit Lions
Matt Forte scored twice last week, giving him yet another impressive performance this season. He now has eight scores (five rushing, three receiving) so far. He also has 1,490 yards from scrimmage, an average of 135 yards per game. This alone makes him a RB1 option every week.
Forte could face some struggles this week against Detroit. The Lions have allowed the fewest rush yards in the league (778), have allowed the fewest yards per attempt (3.2), and the third fewest touchdowns (6). Backs have only surpassed 100 rushing yards against the Lions once this season.
Even though the Lions have been tough against backs running the football, they haven't been too tough against backs catching the ball out of the backfield. Forte generates most of his points this way anyways. The Lions have allowed 67 receptions to back (tied for the league lead) and 568 yards (third most in the league).
All of this is a fancy way of saying Forte could struggle on the ground, but he's still a RB1.
Matt Forte - Week 12 vs. Tampa Bay
If you own Matt Forte, you don’t need me to tell you how good he is. But I’m going to anyways. He’s been especially great in PPR formats with at least five receptions in every game but one this season. Last week he was finally used more as a rusher as he had 26 carries, the most he’s had all season (and just the second time with 20 carries or more).
Forte gets a chance to improve on his great season this week as he faces the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay isn’t exactly tough against running backs, so Forte shouldn’t struggle in the matchup. Here’s an interesting stat: backs have rushed at least 20 times against the Bucs in every game this season. The only other team to allow that is the Raiders.
In short, Forte’s been great, he has a solid matchup and he’ll get plenty of touches. He should easily be considered a RB1.
Matt Forte - Week 11 vs. Minnesota Vikings
Matt Forte's hot streak came to an end last week against Green Bay. Forte racked up just 81 yards and finished with a season low three receptions. Owners typically expect more out of Forte and he usually delivers.
Forte should be able to get back on track this week against Minnesota. The Vikings are a favorable matchup and it's unlikely Forte will have two bad games in a row. He remains an RB1 and an every week starter.
Matt Forte - Week 10 vs. Green Bay
Matt Forte had another strong game in Week 8 when the Chicago Bears played last. He had his second 100-yard rushing game (114) and caught six balls for 54 yards and a touchdown. He's now scored a touchdown in four consecutive games after not scoring in the first four weeks of the season.
This week he'll face the Green Bay Packers, a team he dominated in Week 4. Forte's best rushing performance of the year (122 yards) came against Green Bay. The Packers have struggled against RBs for most of the season, so it's a positive matchup for Forte.
He remains a strong PPR option as he's had at least five receptions in every game this season. He also has at least 50 receiving yards in five games this year. He's a strong RB1 play.
Matt Forte - Week 8 vs. New England
Matt Forte is on fire. Not literally, but he's been playing extremely well. Over his last four games he's averaging 150 total yards (over 100 in each game) and has scored five touchdowns. He's been especially valuable in PPR formats as he's also averaging over eight receptions per game during that same stretch. In fact, he's had the most targets on the team (62), even more than Brandon Marshall.
His high production should continue this week in a favorable matchup against New England. The Patriots are allowing the ninth-most rushing yards per game. Forte should easily be a RB1 option.
