Jay Cutler, Eddie Royal's Fantasy Outlook After Kevin White's Surgery

The dynamic of the Chicago Bears offense changed significantly Saturday with news of rookie wide receiver Kevin White's injury, and it figures to have a major impact on the fantasy value of quarterback Jay Cutler and wideout Eddie Royal.

According to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times, White is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a stress fracture in his shin. That means he will miss at least the first six games of the regular season on the physically unable to perform list, per the Bears' official Twitter account. Missing the entire campaign is also a possibility.

White was penciled in as Chicago's No. 2 receiver behind Alshon Jeffery after Brandon Marshall was dealt to the New York Jets. Marshall had back-to-back seasons with 100 catches in 2012 and 2013 with the Bears before falling to 61 grabs for 721 yards and eight touchdowns last year due primarily to injuries, as he missed three contests.

That means there is plenty of production that must be replaced in the passing game. Most would have gone to White, with tight end Martellus Bennett and running back Matt Forte also chipping in, but veteran slot receiver Eddie Royal is now the likeliest candidate to step in.

According to Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports, the former Virginia Tech standout isn't exactly a sleeper anymore with White out of action:

Royal is coming off a very productive season with the San Diego Chargers, as he made 62 catches for 778 yards and seven touchdowns. It was the second-best year of his career, with No. 1 on that list coming as a rookie with the Denver Broncos in 2008.

As pointed out by Joe Ostrowski of 670 The Score, Cutler just so happened to be his quarterback that season with the Denver Broncos:

Cutler and Royal had an obvious rapport back then, and if they are able to reprise it, then Royal could be an extremely valuable fantasy commodity in 2015, especially when it comes to point-per-reception leagues.

Status	Rec	Targets	Yds	TD
With Cutler	91	129	980	5
Without Cutler	41	73	461	3

One person who envisions greatness for Royal this season is Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase. He had the opportunity to coach Wes Welker in Denver and believes Royal possesses many of the same qualities as one of the greatest slot receivers of all time, per the Chicago Tribune (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra).

"Eddie's got a special explosiveness that a lot of inside guys don't have," Gase said. "Eddie is a threat at all three levels. He can come underneath. He can break out intermediate. And he can get down the field."

Royal was borderline in terms of being draftable prior to White's injury, but now he is definitely worth investing in as a No. 3 or No. 4 receiver with the potential to provide greater results.

As for Cutler, the development involving White isn't likely to impact his draft status significantly. The quarterback position is so stacked from a fantasy perspective that he was nothing more than a backup option previously, and that remains true now.

The 32-year-old gunslinger did throw for a career-high 28 touchdowns and complete a career-best 66 percent of his passes in 2014, but he also threw 18 interceptions and was benched in favor of Jimmy Clausen late in the season.

The former Vanderbilt star has fleeting moments of brilliance, but he has proved to be far too inconsistent to trust as a weekly starter in even the deepest fantasy leagues.

Royal definitely has a chance to be useful in 2015, but stay away from Cutler unless you feel the need to invest in a backup in the latter rounds.

Eddie Royal 2015 fantasy projections: 82 receptions for 915 yards and five touchdowns

Jay Cutler 2015 fantasy projections: 3,650 yards passing yards, 24 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 140 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown 

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