Coaches love competition, and there’s a fascinating battle developing at wide receiver at Chicago Bears camp - specifically at split end.
Johnny Knox is the incumbent. He led the Bears with 960 receiving yards last season and tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns (five) and receptions (51).
Devin Hester will be the starting flanker, and Earl Bennett is the clear-cut slot receiver. But Knox must compete with newcomer Roy Williams, who caught 82 passes for 1,310 yards under Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz with the Detroit Lions in 2006.
"We need a position battle," Bears receivers coach Darryl Drake said. "Roy isn’t going to be handed anything. He’s got to earn his stripes, and Johnny’s got to improve from where he’s at."
Chicago's spread-the-wealth approach caps the ceiling of both players. Whoever loses the battle will still get targets and the winner won't get a huge spike in value. Neither will be a franchise fantasy receiver, but both could play important roles for fantasy squads. At the moment, Williams looks like a better draft day bargain as his ADP is much lower than Knox's.
Bears news
