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For those paying attention to the Chicago Bears, the potential rise of quarterback Caleb Williams has been well documented. But now the fantasy football community is starting realize just how valuable Williams can be.
Being a former No. 1 overall pick, no one is questioning Williams’ talent. However, his rookie season was widely overshadowed by No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels. Entering the 2025 campaign, Williams is still trying to prove Chicago made the correct quarterback decision.
But the Bears clearly believe in their franchise star. They’ve spent all offseason putting Williams in a place to succeed. Because of Chicago’s offensive re-tooling, Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report argues that the quarterback is a must-have fantasy football target in 2025.
“Last year, the 23-year-old eclipsed 300 passing yards four times,” Davenport wrote. “Eleven of his 20 touchdown passes came over the final seven games of the season—a timeframe over which he threw just one interception.
“From Week 11 on last year, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick was a top-10 fantasy quarterback. Now, with a year of experience under his belt, better weapons with the addition of tight end Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III, a better offensive line and Johnson’s play-calling, all the ingredients are there for a Year 2 breakout.”
“If you believe in Williams’ talent, he could be a massive bargain for fantasy managers at quarterback,” he concluded.
Finding your fantasy football quarterback
When it comes to fantasy football, quarterback may be the toughest position to draft. It seems easy enough to take the best gunslingers in the league, but it all comes down to value.
As the rounds go on, the number of startable running backs and wide receivers start to dwindle. Most managers will prioritize those positions, as you want players who will put up guaranteed numbers weekly. It becomes much harder to find starting options each round.
But there will always be starting quarterbacks available, especially in a 10 or 12-man league. They may not all be Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow, but both of those players will cost you a high draft pick. Perhaps you put all your eggs into a top flight quarterback, but waiting on the position while adding numerous RB and WR1s would make your roster much more consistent.
In that case, a player like Williams could be the perfect fit. He certainly won’t cost the same as Mahomes or Burrow. If you’ve spent the early rounds loading your roster with potent skill position players, the quarterback offers a solid floor with major upside.
Chicago Bears build around Caleb Williams
Ultimately, it’ll be up to Williams to prove why the Bears used the No. 1 overall pick on him. However, the franchise spent all offseason putting their quarterback in a place to succeed.
It all starts with new head coach Ben Johnson. He helped the Detroit Lions become one of the best offensive teams in the league during his time with the franchise. While it’ll take time, he is expected to bring the same level of offensive fireworks to the Windy City. Furthermore, Williams now has a mentor he can build off of for the foreseeable future.
Chicago didn’t stop there, adding three new faces to the interior of their offensive line. Guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, alongside center Drew Dalman should keep Williams upright in the pocket more often. In the pass game, he’ll have receivers DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden to work with, alongside tight ends Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet. If Williams is at the top of his game, it’ll be a difficult passing attack to match up with.
All of the pieces need to come to fruition, and fantasy football players may be nervous starting Williams in Week 1. But if Johnson and the Bears’ plan goes off as expected, the quarterback will be taking a massive step forward in 2025.
More must-reads:
- Five best NFL offseason value signings on offense: Bills get great deal with RB extension
- Browns HC gives troubling Shedeur Sanders update ahead of Eagles game
- The '2023 NFL AP second-team All-Pro' quiz
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Dolphins humiliated by Lions at joint practice
Joint practices have revealed some problems for the Miami Dolphins with a few weeks to go before the regular season. Tua Tagovailoa started against the Chicago Bears in Sunday's preseason game, wanting to show improvement after having a bad showing during the Dolphins' joint practice in Chicago on Friday. Tagovailoa did play better, going 5-of-6 passing for 27 yards and led the Dolphins to the Chicago 1-yard line before the offense was stopped on downs. A few days later, Tagovailoa and the offense had another poor performance at their joint practice with the Detroit Lions. Per Colton Pouncy of The Athletic, Miami couldn't score in the red zone against a motivated Lions defense during Wednesday's practice. "Dolphins offense just ran 16 or so plays in the red zone vs. the Lions and didn’t score until the final play (between the second units)," Pouncy posted on X. "Miami’s first-team offense didn’t score in the 7-8 plays vs. Detroit’s first-team defense. It was ugly. Lions’ D is having a day." Pouncy's observation of the Lions manhandling the Dolphins was universal among beat reporters covering the Lions and Dolphins, with The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner calling it the most "lopsided" practice he'd witnessed covering the NFL. Last week, Omar Kelly of the Miami Sun Sentinel said Miami folded when the Bears defense began to whip on the offense. The accusations of the Dolphins being a soft team are going to continue until they decide to fight back in joint practices or against opponents in the regular season. When healthy, the Lions have a fierce defense. So Detroit having the edge isn't a surprise, though not being able to score during 16 plays in the red zone is a concern. Miami doesn't appear to have found an identity, and that could spell doom for the season if it doesn't get it figured out before Week 1.
NASCAR makes decision on victory celebrations after Connor Zilisch fall
One of NASCAR's brightest young stars in Connor Zilisch could miss time after falling in Victory Lane following his victory in the Aug. 9 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen. Zilisch slipped on the door of his No. 88 Chevrolet before suffering a hard fall in Victory Lane and breaking his collarbone. He underwent successful surgery on Tuesday, with a timetable for his return yet to be announced. Even in light of the viral incident, NASCAR will not restrict drivers from celebrating in a certain way moving forward, per NASCAR's Mike Forde. Drivers have long climbed on the roof or door of their vehicles on the frontstretch and in Victory Lane to celebrate victories, but accidents stemming from that action are rare. After winning the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen on Aug. 10, Shane van Gisbergen — who will likely be Zilisch's Cup Series teammate at Trackhouse Racing in 2026 — carefully climbed out of his No. 88 Chevrolet — something he does regularly, not just in response to Zilisch's fall. Zilisch did not race in the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen due to his injury. The Xfinity Series will return on Aug. 22 at Daytona International Speedway, with Zilisch leading the regular-season standings by seven points.
Browns' Shedeur Sanders could be losing valuable opportunity after injury update
Just when it seemed everything was going right for Shedeur Sanders, the Cleveland Browns' rookie quarterback caught an unlucky break on Wednesday. The 23-year-old QB was sidelined during Wednesday's joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles after suffering an oblique injury. Per Kelsey Russo of the team website, the 2025 fifth-round pick won't practice Thursday and is considered day-to-day. He is deemed unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason game against Philadelphia, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on NFL Network. Before Wednesday's practice, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed rookie QB Dillon Gabriel will start against Philadelphia as long as he's healthy enough to play. The 2025 third-rounder missed Cleveland's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers because of a hamstring issue. However, Stefanski previously said Sanders would get more reps this week after a solid preseason debut. The former Colorado Buffaloes star received the start in the 30-10 win over Carolina, going 14-of-23 passing for 138 yards and two touchdown passes. Not playing against Philadelphia could disrupt Sanders' momentum. More importantly, it may eliminate another opportunity for him to overtake Gabriel in Cleveland's four-way QB competition. Sanders is listed as the Browns QB4 behind Gabriel, Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco on the team's unofficial depth chart. Despite questions about Gabriel's size (5-foot-11, 205 pounds), the coaching staff seems to favor him over Sanders. Earlier this offseason, Gabriel's processing speed reportedly impressed Browns coaches, giving him an edge over Sanders. The former Oregon Ducks star also received reps with the first-team offense during OTAs and mandatory minicamp, while his fellow rookie didn't. If Gabriel plays well against the Eagles, that would continue to affirm the coaching staff's confidence in the 24-year-old QB. Neither Sanders nor Gabriel is expected to be the Week 1 starter for the Browns. It's likely going to be Flacco, who helped Cleveland make the playoffs in 2023 when he went 4-1 during a late-season stretch. Still, another solid preseason showing could help Sanders position himself to replace 40-year-old Flacco in the future. With the setback, it may take more time to climb the depth chart.
Giants force Jets' Justin Fields into familiar problem at joint practice
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields was a little more accurate on Wednesday than he was in his "alarming" performance during joint practice with the New York Giants on Tuesday. Still, the fifth-year quarterback had a familiar issue pop up. Per Dan Duggan and Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic, Fields took several sacks against a Giants defense that brought the house on a shaky Jets offensive line. Via The Athletic: "On the other field, the Giants defensive front carried over its domination from Tuesday, giving Jets quarterback Justin Fields and his offensive line plenty of problems. Camp stats are subjective, especially when it comes to sacks, but the Giants appeared to get to Fields for four sacks. "Similar to Tuesday, there were moments when it was hard to tell exactly who was causing problems as the Giants sent multiple bodies in the backfield. Fields, who went 7-of-11 on the day, had a few overthrows on plays that likely were sacks." Fields did have a couple of long runs on a Giants defense that struggled against the rush in 2024. While Fields has a unique ability to add to the running game, the Jets need the 2021 first-round pick to push the ball down the field in the passing game. Fields has always had a problem with being indecisive in the pocket, leading to his taking too many sacks since entering the league. He led the league with 55 sacks in 2022 and has taken 151 in his four-year career. The Ohio State product took 16 sacks during his six starts with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. In camp, Fields doesn't have to worry about taking body blows from sacks that lead to injuries. That will happen in the regular season if he plays how he practiced on Wednesday.
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