Jimmy Clausen, Matt Forte's 2015 Fantasy Outlook After Jay Cutler's Injury

The Chicago Bears just can't keep their offensive stars healthy. 

Add Jay Cutler to the list. With Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White already out of action, the Bears ruled out their starting quarterback for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals with a hamstring injury. That thrust Jimmy Clausen into action and provoked serious questions about the fantasy value of the team's skill-position players, namely Clausen and running back Matt Forte.

Clausen shouldn't be added in any leagues, even if Cutler's injury keeps him out for multiple weeks. Clausen is a career backup and, until Jeffery returns to action, a career backup with a mediocre receiving corps. The Bears aren't good enough on offense to elevate Clausen to fantasy relevance. 

Completions	Attempts	Yards	TD	INT	Fantasy Points
14	23	121	0	1	2

Forte's status moving forward is more interesting. Obviously, he remains a must-start player every week, but if Cutler's injury is a long-term one, opposing defenses are going to key on stopping Forte and forcing Clausen and other players to beat them. That could shave a few points off his weekly average. 

Still, Forte is a dynamic weapon who can make plays in the run and pass game. If anything, he'll be an even more valuable outlet for Clausen than he was for Cutler, as Clausen can simply dump the ball off to Forte and allow the running back to make a play.

Rushes	Rush Yards	Receptions	Receiving Yards	TD	Fantasy Points
15	61	4	44	0	10

So yes, Forte is likely to remain a strong RB1 option no matter what Cutler's status ends up being. It's the rest of Chicago's skill-position players who are likely to suffer from a fantasy perspective. 

All fantasy stats via ESPN standard leagues.