Fantasy Football: 5 Chicago Bears Who Are Killing Your Team

It's Sunday, and you're watching the Chicago Bears struggle on offense on their way to a tough loss. That's bad enough, but because you're a Chicago-sized homer, half of your fantasy team consists of Bears.

If that's the case, my condolences on your  2011 fantasy season.

The first rule of fantasy football is to not draft too many players from the same team. Some of you might have one Bear or two on your team; however, unless one of those players is named Matt Forte, chances are your season is not going so well.

With Forte torching opposing defenses to the tune of 1,091 total yards through seven weeks, someone else on the Bears should be reaping the benefits of Forte's dominating play. Unfortunately, that has yet to happen. The passing game is erratic, and when the ball is not in Forte's hands, it usually means that Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is running for his life.

For those hearty Bears fans who happen to be fantasy football players and are patient, there's still nine games left to try and right your fantasy ship. The Bears could still become an above-average offense in 2011, but in case you haven't noticed, here's five Bears players who are killing your fantasy team.

The Bears' Offensive Line

As fantasy football is 95 percent offense, one of the most important factors when drafting a player is how good their offensive line is. Whether it's a quarterback, running back or wide receiver, a team's offensive line is vital to a player's ability to put up big fantasy numbers.

For the third straight year, Jay Cutler has found himself constantly under pressure. The Bears went into another season without addressing their offensive line as much as they should. They did draft offensive tackle Gabe Carimi in this year's NFL draft, but he's only seen the field twice after getting injured in Week 2.

The Bears' big free agent signing on the offensive line was Chris Spencer from Seattle. Spencer only cracked the first team after Carimi went down.

The Bears are fifth in quarterback hits allowed, a category you don't want to be near the top of. Chicago has allowed 40 sacks, fourth-most in the NFL. Cutler simply has not been able to find any rhythm on offense through the first seven weeks. The pass blocking is just not there yet.

The line has been successful at run blocking, however, ranking sixth in the league with a team rushing average of 4.8 yards per carry. Most of that success could be due to Matt Forte's suddenly explosive running, but the Bears' offensive line should get some credit.

With Cutler and his receivers having another sub-par year, a lot of the blame has to rest on the porous offensive line of the Bears. Their ineffectiveness at pass blocking and the lack of depth on the line are negatively impacting several fantasy seasons on the Chicago Bears.

Roy Williams

It's a safe bet that most astute fantasy football managers have not built their team around Bears wide receiver Roy Williams, or they didn't even consider him as being draft-worthy.

For those looking for the Williams of 2006 (1,310 yards, seven touchdowns), you might want to keep looking at your fantasy league's waiver wire for another wide receiver.

Williams came into 2011 looking for a fresh start after some unproductive years in Detroit and Dallas. Reunited with former Detroit offensive coordinator Mike Martz, it makes sense that fantasy owners would think the fire and fantasy points would revisit Williams this year.

Through the first seven weeks, Williams has all of 13 receptions for 190 yards, with one touchdown. For perspective, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin had 13 receptions, 172 yards, with two touchdowns in the Eagles' Week 2 loss to Atlanta.

At this point in the season, Williams shouldn't even be an option at your flex position. If you have half of your fantasy players on their bye weeks, you may be better off with an empty slot instead of starting Williams.

He did have a touchdown in the Bears' Week 7 game against Tampa Bay in London, but for those who have had their Internet access cancelled since Week 1 and cannot change their lineups, Williams is killing your team.

Johnny Knox

Johnny Knox is averaging 18.5 yards per catch this year. With his speed and big-play ability, fantasy owners who drafted Knox saw in him a player who has the potential to perform like the Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiver Mike Wallace. Wallace didn't pile up a whole lot of receptions in 2010, but when he caught the ball it was usually a big play.

According to fantasyfootballcalculator.com, Knox was the 39th wide receiver taken in their completed drafts. While Knox wasn't projected to be a No. 1 receiver on fantasy teams, owners were hoping for a quality No. 2 receiver in Knox, or a big-play threat who could do some damage in a flex position.

As mentioned before, the poor offensive line play of the Bears has greatly hampered the Chicago passing attack. For those fantasy owners still starting Knox, it doesn't matter what your fantasy league's scoring settings are. For the points-per-reception (PPR) leagues, Knox is only averaging 2.7 catches per game. If your league favors receiving yards, Knox is averaging a minuscule 49 yards per game. For those touchdown-league fantasy owners, Knox has yet to cross the end zone in 2011.

While the potential is there for Knox to be a 1,000-yard, eight-touchdown player, the offensive circumstances in Chicago are less than ideal for Knox to succeed this year.

The Bears' Tight Ends

Any lack of offensive production in the tight end slot for the Bears is not the fault of the tight ends themselves. The Bears haven't used their tight ends as offensive weapons, but rather as stop-gaps to help block on the offensive line.

While tight ends are expected to block as part of their duties, we are talking about fantasy football here. I haven't heard of any leagues that reward fantasy points for nice blocks.

One could even argue that the Bears' tight ends have helped spring Matt Forte on a number of big plays in 2011. From that standpoint, Matt Spaeth and Kellen Davis are doing solid work this year for Forte owners.

Mike Martz is known for not utilizing tight ends in the passing game, but for using them primarily as pass blockers. Now that Greg Olsen and his considerable pass-catching abilities have gone to Carolina, the Bears' tight end situation is a fantasy black hole in 2011. 

Except for a pair of Davis touchdowns this year, expect the Bears tight ends to continue killing your fantasy teams if you're actually crazy enough to start one.

Jay Cutler

I'm asking that Bears fans please rewind to the 2009 offseason. The Bears just traded for the rocket-armed quarterback Jay Cutler. Not only could fans watch their team cruise to high-scoring victories, but Chicago-area fantasy owners could enjoy some fantasy production from their new hometown hero.

While Cutler has had moments of fantasy excellence over the past couple of seasons with the Bears, more often than not he's been no more than a No. 2 fantasy quarterback. He's a fill-in for your starting quarterback's bye week at best.

That level of production remains for Cutler in 2011. Part of the problem is his struggling offensive line. He also does not have the weapons that other top-flight fantasy quarterbacks have at their disposal.

For those who thought not only would Cutler rival Green Bay's quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the NFC North, but fantasy owners saw possibly 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns out of Cutler in their fantasy futures.

Through Week 7, Cutler has thrown for nine touchdowns to go along with six interceptions. In Green Bay, Rodgers has thrown for 20 touchdowns and three interceptions. While that's not a fair comparison, it does reveal the reality of Cutler's time in Chicago and his lack of results behind center.

While it's easy to blame the O-line and the wide receivers, Cutler shares the blame in his erratic fantasy performance. He continually makes poor decisions and seems to try and make too much happen when given even a sliver of pass protection.

In 2011, Cutler is even killing fantasy owners who are plugging him during their regular quarterback's bye week. One touchdown a week is not going to win any fantasy championships for Cutler owners.