Instant Analysis: Roy Williams agrees with Chicago

When Roy Williams was traded to Dallas in 2008, he was supposed to be a dominant weapon for Tony Romo and the Cowboys.  After two and half seasons that proved to be a total nightmare for Williams and his fantasy owners, he’s been released and is packing his bags for Chicago.  We examine the ramifications in the latest edition of “Instant Analysis.”

Roy Williams, WR CHI
Many owners have written off Williams completely and that’s proving to be a mistake this morning.  While he’s never going to be the force he was billed to be coming out of the University of Texas, this under the radar move could be significant. Williams finds himself reunited with former Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz, whom he had his best season for in Detroit in 2006 when he had 82 catches, 1,310 yards and seven touchdowns.

At 29, Williams may not be the player he once was, but he provides the Bears with a significant upgrade at wide receiver. There’s an old saying in fantasy football that Chicago is where receivers go to hide, but Williams could be an exception.  He provides them with a big target, red zone threat and legitimate talent at a position of need.  While he won’t come close to the 1,300 yard season he enjoyed in 2006, he could realistically flirt with 1,000 yards and a handful of touchdowns –  that makes him worthy of a pick as a low-end WR3 or WR4.  It’s simply hard to imagine him posting worse numbers than the 1,126 yards and 12 scores he had in two seasons in Dallas.

Williams is currently ranked as the 71st wide receiver in the Dynasty Essentials Guide, but that ranking is bound to tick upward with the next installment.

Jay Cutler, QB CHI
Cutler has been clamoring for an upgrade at wide receiver and Williams provides just that.  We shouldn’t go overboard here, but  Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett weren’t exactly making people forget about John Taylor and Jerry Rice.  After losing Greg Olsen to the Panthers, Cutler needed some more weapons and he’s got one now in Williams.

Earl Bennett, WR CHI
Bennett is the likely loser in this deal.  Johnny Knox and Devin Hester are the speed guys in this offense – they’ll continue to have similar roles going forward.  Knox should remain a starter and do his thing while Hester will be used situationally as always.  Bennett is going to be dropped down on the depth chart and find it much tougher to see the field as much, barring an injury.  He’s still roster worthy, but it’s hard to see a good dynasty team playing him this season.

Kellen Davis, TE CHI
It would have helped Davis to see the status quo remain in Chicago.  With Williams around, he’ll be a bigger threat in the red zone than Davis.  We all know Mike Martz rarely uses his tight ends, but they do like Davis quite bit.  He’s worth a flyer in deep dynasty leagues, but temper your expectations.

Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune had the quote of the week regarding the Bears use of Greg Olsen.  He was quoted as saying, “The Bears drafted a thoroughbred and tried to turn him into a plow horse.  That’s so Bears.”

That pretty much says it all in regards to the Bears and the importance of a tight end in the Martz offense.

Dez Bryant, WR DAL
The only thing standing in the way of Bryant becoming a star is himself.  With Williams out of the mix, he’s penciled in for a starting job in Dallas.  Much speculation has swirled around the Cowboys and their confidence in Bryant this offseason, but the release of Williams is a vote of confidence for the talented youngster.

It’s time for Bryant to show teams it was a mistake to pass him on him in last year’s draft.  Bryant should be drafted as a WR2, with WR1 upside in start up drafts as one of the most talented youngsters in the NFL.

Miles Austin, WR DAL
The Williams move and Bryant insertion into the starting lineup is fairly transparent to Austin.  Many owners are underdrafting him with the assumption that Bryant is going to post WR1 numbers this season.  There’s certainly no guarantee of that and Austin still remains the best weapon at wide receiver for Tony Romo until further notice.  Austin is a value pick in dynasty circles right now.

Kevin Ogletree, WR DAL
Ogletree was supposed to challenge for playing time last year, but it didn’t really materialize – his three catches and 34 yards didn’t exactly burn up the stat sheet last season.  With Williams out of the mix, Ogletree has a chance for some serious playing time, especially now that Sam Hurd has followed Roy Williams to Chicago.  Keep an eye on him as a 23 year old player who could carve out a role in a dynamic offense.