Week 15 at Detroit Lions
Dontrelle Inman had been a decent option in fantasy until his goose egg last week. There's no reason to trust any Bears receivers in fantasy this week. Or any week.
Week 14 at Cincinnati Bengals
For the first time since starting for the Bears, Dontrelle Inman didn't lead the team in receiving last week. He did, however, score the team's only touchdown of the game. But he didn't do much else, finishing with 2 total catches for 15 yards.
Inman gets a fairly difficult matchup this week against the Bengals and should be viewed as a WR4 option. He's been a decent plug-and-play receiver in recent weeks, but it's hard to trust many players in this stagnant Bears offense. Chicago is third-fewest in total points scored, and average the fewest amount of yards per game.
Week 13 vs. San Francisco 49ers
Dontrelle Inman has been surprisingly effective since joining Chicago. He's had two double-digit games in PPR formats and has led the Bears in receiving yards three games in a row now. He also saw a team-high 9 targets last week.
Inman will continue to be an interesting WR3 option this week against the 49ers. We expect his role as the top Bears receiver to continue in a decent matchup against San Francisco. He's the only Bears receiving threat worth looking at in fantasy this week.
Week 12 at Philadelphia Eagles
For the second week in a row, Dontrelle Inman led the Bears in receiving yards with a stat line of 3-43—that doesn't get many people in fantasy excited. With the Bears mostly passing for under 200 yards with Mitch Trubisky at QB, it doesn't leave much room for success from their wideouts. Inman, and other Bears WRs, can be ignored in fantasy.
Week 11 vs. Detroit Lions
Dontrelle Inman came on strong last week, leading the Bears in receptions (6) and yards (88) on 8 targets. But there's no way of knowing if this will last, especially with the Bears throwing for a season-high (under Mitch Trubisky) 35 times last week.
The Bears receiving corps is a tough group to trust in fantasy. Kendall Wright leads the team, and even he has struggled to put up usable games. Inman could end up having a role, but he'd be a very risky start.
Week 1 at Denver Broncos
It would be foolish to not acknowledge that Dontrelle Inman is facing a secondary that was first in PPR points allowed to receivers last season, with 11 games of not allowing a wide receiver touchdown and only once allowing more than one (on the road against Drew Brees and the Saints). Don't start him.
Fantasy Upside
One of Philip Rivers' most reliable targets officially returned to the team as Inman, a restricted free agent, signed a one-year contract at the end of April. Inman is entering his fourth season with the Bolts after joining the team out of the CFL in 2014. He emerged as one of Rivers' favorite weapons the following season, catching 35 passes for 486 yards and 3 touchdowns in 14 games (seven starts). Last season was Inman's breakout year as he set career-highs across the board. He started all 16 games for the Chargers, catching 58 passes for 810 yards and 4 TDs. Overall, in 37 career NFL games, Inman has caught 105 passes for 1,454 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Fantasy Downside
Inman had surgery to repair an injured core muscle in May; he missed all the team's offseason work and is behind the curve as the regular season draws near.
2017 Bottom Line
With Keenan Allen returning to action this season, Mike Williams coming on board as the seventh pick overall in April's draft, and Tyrell Williams firmly locked in ahead of him, Inman will certainly struggle to meet last season's totals (surgery notwithstanding). He's a solid player, but at the moment the Chargers have higher-end options.
Week 17 vs. Kansas City
Dontrelle Inman was a bit of a disappointment last week after stringing together a few nice fantasy performances over the last four weeks. Inman caught three balls for 44 yards, but was targeted 10 times, something fantasy owners can at least take something out of.
This week, Inman is 27th on our WR list, making him a higher-end WR3 play. The Chiefs are 14th in allowing fantasy points to WRs, so this is at least an average matchup. Inman entered last week with three TDs in his last four games and has now gone two in a row without a score. He has 25 targets over his last three games, so he's certainly drawing looks.
Week 16 at Cleveland
Dontrelle Inman continued to lead the way for the San Diego WRs last week, as he caught five balls for 68 yards on eight targets. He did see his TD streak of three-straight games come to an end though.
Inman comes in slightly behind teammate Tyrell Williams at 21st in our rankings, making him a lower end WR2 play in what is a pretty nice matchup. The Browns are just 24th in allowing fantasy points to WRs and could still be without their top RB in Melvin Gordon, which could mean more passing in this game. Inman is a solid play and has even out-performed Williams the past few weeks.
Week 15 vs. Oakland
Dontrelle Inman put up another nice fantasy performance last week. He caught six balls for 71 yards and a TD on seven targets. It's now three straight weeks with a TD.
Inman gets a nice ranking on our list this week coming in 25th among wide receivers. That puts him in the low-end WR2, high-end WR3 conversation. Oakland is 12th in allowing fantasy points to WRs, so it's not a great matchup. Keep in mind, the Bolts could pass a little more this week if stud RB Melvin Gordon isn't able to play - something that looks pretty likely. Inman continues to trend up.
