Summer Sleeper: Chicago Bears
With training camps open around the NFL, we’re continuing our annual series focusing on a few sleepers from all 32 teams in the NFL. You can find all of the Summer Sleeper articles here.
These sleepers all have varying levels of “sleeperness,” but all merit a little more talking about here in the Premium Content section. Some of these players are deep dynasty sleepers who could merit a spot on your bench in a deep league, while others are players who may contribute a little faster than the deep prospects, but deserve more attention than they may be getting. By definition, a sleeper could mean something a little different to everyone, but we’re simply doing the best job we can to unearth one player from each team who fits the category in some way, shape or form.
We’ll never insult you with a comprehensive list of “sleepers” which include such such dynasty mainstay names as Toby Gerhart, Christine Michael or Cordarrelle Patterson. You’re all too good for that.
While many of these players will undoubtedly fizzle, there’s more value in looking more closely at these deeper prospects and players. We invite you to keep an open mind and either or re-assess your value on those who may be rostered in your league or consider adding a few of these deeper prospects we focus on this Summer who are free agents in your league – after all, some are destined to pan out, too.
Feel free to add your own comments about our choice for the designated sleeper, or nominate one of your own!
Bears fans had a bit of an identity crisis in 2013. The always dominate and punishing defense captained by an all pro middle linebacker just wasn’t there. In it’s place was a middle of the defense with more holes than a slice of swiss cheese. The offense more than made up for it with a top five passing attack and the second most points scored in the entire NFL. That’s a sentence I never expected to write as a lifelong Bears fan!
The offense seems poised to stay with all of the key cogs under contract for multiple years, but they are a very top heavy unit. While depth at the running back position was addressed with the addition of Ka’Deem Carey behind the underappreciated Matt Forte, the wide receiver position is rather sparse after all pros Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. Marshall, Jeffery, and Forte combined with tight end Martellus Bennett accounted for a massive 88% of the Bears receptions in 2013. The Bears need to continue to develop more talent in the passing game in case of injury and just to make sure defenses can’t lock them down. That’s where this year’s Chicago Bears sleeper comes in.
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Marquess Wilson, WR
Wilson’s sleeper status isn’t exactly a secret. He’s someone we’ve been talking about for a while, but allow me to spend a bit of time elaborating on why he needs to be on a roster, preferably yours if the price is right!
As we all know, fantasy production is at the intersection of talent and opportunity. When it comes to the opportunity, Wilson has to step into the third wide receiver role for the Bears, all it takes is a look at the rest of the Bears’ roster. With Jay Cutler’s former roommate Earl Bennett moving on, there is a void at the position. When you see names like Eric Weems, Josh Morgan, Terrence Toliver and Michael Spurlock joining Wilson on the depth chart, there really isn’t anyone who is going to push Wilson for the spot.
When it comes to talent, some people look at Wilson’s seventh round NFL Draft status and think there isn’t too much there. Thinking that is a big mistake. Wilson exploded onto the college scene as a freshman. His college production at Washington State is as follows:
A few things stand out to me when I look at Wilson’s college career. First is how productive he was all the way through his career. A lot of players start slow or have up and down seasons, but not Wilson. There was a slight drop in per game productivity during his Junior year due to him not finishing the season, but all of that can be accounted for by some of the off the field issues during that year.
Towards the end of the 2012 college season, a lot of conflicting reports started to surface out of Washington State. Wilson claimed he and others were being mistreated and abused by new coach Mike Leach. Wilson also claims he was suspended from the team because he tried to stand up for himself and teammates. Of course, the coaching staff claims something completely different – they claim Wilson was not a team player and he was combative with coaches, resulting in his suspension. We don’t know the truth of the matter, but the controversy definitely impacted Wilson’s stock and labeled him a character concern.
We know Wilson produced in college, but college production and having the physical tools to play in the NFL are two different things. Looking back at the 2013 combine, a few interesting comparisons start to take shape.
Player C is the best or very near the best in all of the categories. That’s Wilson. Who are the other three 2013 rookies? In order it is DeAndre Hopkins, Terrance Williams and Robert Woods. All three of them are being touted as a top two option on their NFL team this season and being targeted in dynasty leagues as top 50 players at the position (sometimes as high as top 15 in the case of Hopkins). Yet this shows Wilson may just be equally gifted from a physical standpoint.
Now that I’ve been building Wilson up, allow me to temper expectations a little bit. First, we need to realize that without an injury Wilson has no chance of being a top three target for the Bears. Marshall, Jeffery and Forte are one, two and three in the passing game. The best Wilson can do is to surpass Bennett and become the fourth option, which means his upside in the near future is capped around 65 receptions, 800 yards and six touchdowns – that’s the best case without an injury.
The other major concern for me at first was his build. The 6’3” Wilson was only 194 pounds when he was drafted. He even lost some weight between the combine and his rookie training camp – that isn’t going to cut it in the NFL. He was also only 20 years old. Reports are that age and hard work this off-season allowed him to add a lot of weight, putting him up to 207 pounds, well within the range of NFL receivers.
The situation in Chicago is going to limit his immediate upside. However, should an injury strike one of the key players for the Bears, Wilson has the skill set and the physical tools to be a very solid wingman to either Jeffery or Marshall and a solid WR3. Long term, he could be the number two option next to Jeffery or a highly sought after free agent in a few years. He’s definitely someone to keep your eye on.
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- Final 2021 Pre-Draft Rookie Mock: Round Three - April 28, 2021
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- Final 2021 Pre-Draft Rookie Mock: Round One - April 25, 2021
