Eddie Royal vs. Philadelphia
Jay Cutler played pretty much how we expected him to last week. He had a decent game, going over 200 passing yards with one touchdown and one interception. It's not a poor performance, but it's not exactly a game that you're excited about, either.
Cutler will try his luck this week against the Eagles, a team that played well against the pass in Week 1 against Cleveland. Philly allowed under 200 passing yards and no scores through the air.
We expect Cutler to put similar numbers to Week 1, which makes him a QB2 option in Week 2.
Week 1 vs. Houston
Jay Cutler has a healthy Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White at his disposal, which could end up being a rarity this season. These receivers have the potential to be one of the best tandems in the league, so it's encouraging for Cutler's ceiling.
However, Houston is one of the top defenses in the NFL and their pass rush will likely be too much for the Bears to handle. Chicago will need to go run-heavy in an effort to slow down the rush, which is led of course by J.J. Watt.
Cutler isn't the most desirable option this week, and there are plenty of other quarterbacks to choose from. If for some reason you absolutely needed to start him, he's serviceable, but it's better to look elsewhere at this position in Week 1.
Fantasy Upside
Jay Cutler may have lost a few receiving options, like Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett, but that shouldn’t be a major concern. Jeremy Langford should replace Forte in the backfield, as we already saw last season, and Zach Miller looked fine at the end of last season as well. Plus, Cutler gains last year’s first-round wideout Kevin White, who will return from his season-long injury. He also will hopefully have receiver Alshon Jeffery healthy for the season. The star wideout only played in nine games in 2015, and was playing hurt for most of them.
Despite a hobbled Jeffery, and most of his receiving options missing games as well, Cutler was able to reduce his interceptions and finished with the highest quarterback rating (92.3) of his career in 2015.
Fantasy Downside
There’s not a whole lot to get excited about with Cutler this season. Even though his quarterback rating was higher last season, his passing yards, attempts and touchdowns were all lower. He’s also starting to reach the age (33) where we begin to see a decline in quarterback’s production.
To make matters worse, the Bears’ offensive line has a lot of question marks. They lost three linemen to free agency, and added rookie Cody Whitehair and former Cardinal Bobby Massie. Pro Football Focus ranked the Bears’ o-line 30th out of 32 teams as a projection for the upcoming season.
Bottom Line
There’s not much doubt the Bears believe in Cutler and will start him as long as he remains healthy. But there are just so many other quarterbacks with more promise. We’re not saying he’s the worst option available, but he’s nothing more than a backup option.
Jay Cutler - Week 17 vs. Detroit
There's only so much Jay Cutler can do with the weapons he's left with. Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett have been placed on injured reserve, and Eddie Royal and Zach Miller weren't practicing this week. Both are questionable to play Sunday. Cutler finished with 156 yards and a touchdown last week, which isn't too impressive.
This week he faces a Lions defense that, at times this season, have been tough on quarterbacks. Considering the tough road ahead for Cutler, this doesn't seem like a good week to be starting him. Look elsewhere for your quarterback.
Week 16 at Tampa Bay
Jay Cutler has back-to-back two touchdown games heading into Week 16, and he'll look to continue that momentum against Tampa Bay. The Bucs are a favorable matchup for Cutler, especially considering they allowed Case Keenum to be efficient a week ago.
He's not the most desirable option this week, but Cutler isn't a terrible play. He may fail to put up big numbers simply because Matt Forte and Jeremy Langford may do most of the damage in Chicago's offense on the ground. Cutler should be viewed as a QB2 option this week.
Week 15 vs. Minnesota
Jay Cutler broke out of his slump last week and had a solid 315-yard performance with two touchdowns. He'll look to continue his uptick in production against a banged up Vikings defense this week.
When Cutler faced Minnesota earlier this season he finished with 211 yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown. The Vikings defense is worse off than that last matchup due to injuries, so expect to see a slight increase in yards for Cutler this week. The Bears QB should be viewed as a QB2 play this week.
Week 14 vs. Washington
Jay Cutler has struggled in recent weeks, partly because his only real receiving threat has been Alshon Jeffery. In his last three games, Cutler is averaging about 220 yards and has a combined 1-2 TD-to-INT ratio.
He doesn't exactly get an easy matchup this week, either. Washington has kept QBs in check for the most part, only allowing one 300-yard passing game. Cutler isn't a terrible option this week, but there are certainly better players at his position.
Week 13 vs. San Francisco
Jay Cutler hasn't exactly been the best fantasy option over the past two games. In Week 11 he finished with no touchdowns and an interception and in Week 12 he finished with just 200 yards and one touchdown.
He may find more success this week in a favorable matchup against the 49ers. San Francisco's defense has allowed the fifth-most passing yards per game, making Cutler an attractive option.
Cutler should be viewed as a QB1 option for Week 13.
Week 12 vs. Green Bay
Jay Cutler struggled slightly last week, partly because most of his weapons were taken away and partly because he went up against the league's No. 1 pass defense. Cutler finished with no touchdowns and one interception while throwing for 265 yards.
He gets an easier matchup this week, but will still (likely) be without Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal. The Bears offense will get Matt Forte back, which should take some ease off of Cutler. Cutler has a strong matchup, but we're concerned how effective he'll be without his top receivers again. For now, we're projecting a low week for the Bears QB.
Week 11 vs. Denver
Jay Cutler had his best game of the season last week, completing nearly 80 percent of his passes for 258 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His level of play has significantly increased ever since Alshon Jeffery returned to the lineup.
This week will be tough for Cutler to produce big numbers as he's going up against the toughest pass defense in the NFL. No passer has had more than 285 yards passing and they've only allowed two multi-touchdown games to quarterbacks, and even then the QBs only scored twice. Denver's defense isn't a myth. They're tough, and Cutler will not be a good option this week.
