Markus Wheaton Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Chicago's receiving corps is a mess and the team is committed to keeping the ball out of their rookie quarterback's hands. That said, with Zach Miller out, more targets should head towards the receivers. The pecking order isn't very clear. Tanner Gentry has led the group in snaps for three straight weeks but he's only picked up three targets and one reception during that stretch while Kendall Wright leads them with eight. They appear to be high on Tre McBride but he hadn't attracted a single pass until last week. He seized the opportunity though, turning five looks into three catches for 92 yards. It will be Inman's first game with the team. Although he's not a particularly exciting talent, he could work his way towards the top of this group in the coming weeks. It looks like Wheaton will be the odd man out. He's been terrible in limited action this season, catching one of his nine targets. They take on the Packers this week, whose defense is giving up the fifth-most PPR points per game to receivers but it'll be tough to predict which, if any, Bears receiver can exploit the matchup. It may be best to focus on their ground game in fantasy like they will in real life. Jordan Howard has picked up at least 19 touches in six straight games and he's averaged 21.7 carries per game. Although Howard has been on a scoreless drought for the past four outings, he may be in a good spot to find the paint as the Packers are allowing the seventh-most rushing touchdowns per game (0.8) and the back has picked up the tenth-most carries inside the ten-yard line (9).

The Bears receiver has a tear in his groin and he may miss up to six weeks to rehab the injury. That leaves the Bears, who just cut Deonte Thompson, with Kendall Wright and Tre McBride as their top receivers. Wright played just 54.1% of the snaps on Monday night and still led the team with 46 yards and four catches. With Wheaton out of the picture, Wright's snap count should rise back up. He won't be an appealing option this weekend against the Ravens though. Baltimore's pass defense has limited opposing quarterbacks to the second-lowest passer rating in the league (66.1) and rookie Mitch Trubisky will be under center for the Bears in his second start. The weak spot on this defense appears to be against tight ends. They rank 32nd in TE DVOA and they've allowed the tenth-most PPR points to the position. Zach Miller led the Bears with seven targets Monday night and caught Trubisky's lone touchdown. He could continue to see a sizable workload this weekend and pick up some usage in scoring position, although the Bears may struggle to get that far downfield often. Miller's $2.9k DK salary is cheap enough to consider him as a very risky option in GPPs but someone like Jack Doyle appears to be a better deal for an extra $800.

Green Bay has a very long injury list at the moment featuring starters in all areas. They're getting healthier though; Bulaga and House are the only two players not practicing Tuesday. Head coach Mike Montgomery said players would be "hard-pressed" to play Thursday night if they couldn't get on the field today, which means Bulaga and House are doubtful. Ty Montgomery (wrist) is participating and is fully expected to start at running back Thursday. Other notable players practicing today and looking questionable for Week 4: DT Mike Daniels (hip), LB Nick Perry (hand), LT David Bakhtiari (hamstring), and S Kentrell Brice (groin). It'll be important for the Packers to get Bakhtiari back as Bulaga is not looking like he can suit up and they sent backup LT Kyle Murphy to the IR this morning. If Bakhtiari can't go, they're going to have to dig further into their bench to protect Aaron Rodgers' blindside. With the litany of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, including at linebacker, defensive coordinator Dom Capers played as many as four safeties at a time last week against Cincinnati. With S Kentrell Bryce sidelined, Josh Jones got an opportunity and made the most of it; he racked up 12 tackles and two sacks while primarily lining up as an ILB. With House injured and Quinten Rollins off to a horrendous start, S Morgan Burnett moved into the slot, leaving Damarious Randall and Kevin King on the outside. A.J. Green turned up the heat on them, hauling in 10-of-13 targets for 111 yards and a score but they won't face the same type of competition this week against the poor Bears receiving corps. Deonte Thompson and Markus Wheaton will see them the most, potentially providing them a better spot than top receiver Kendall Wright. Depending on the how the Packers injuries all shake out, Burnett could man the slot again, which would be bad news for Wright considering Burnett has earned an excellent 86.0 PFF pass coverage grade. He was only targeted once last week in the 26 passing snaps he was in the slot and didn't allow a completion.

Wheaton looks like he's all set for Chicago's Week 3 matchup with Pittsburgh. He won't be much of a fantasy target in his return as their offense isn't very efficient and there are several pass-catchers above him on the targets totem pole. With Cunningham back to full practice, he has a good chance to play this weekend. It's possible he works onto the field for some passing-down plays in place of Tarik Cohen, but he shouldn't have too much of a negative impact on Cohen's bottom line.

Howard (shoulder) was seen sporting a sling after their game against the Buccaneers on Sunday. As long as he's banged up, Tarik Cohen will benefit. The rookie has already piled up 16 receptions in his first two games and game flow could work in his favor again this week; the Bears are currently 7.5-point dogs. Wheaton (finger) hasn't been able to play in a game yet this year but he looks to be all set for their Week 3 matchup with the Steelers. Cornerback Amukamara (ankle) has also missed their first two contests. While the Bears held Julio Jones in check in Week 1, Mike Evans got the best of them for a 7/93/1 line. If he's able to suit up this week, he'll have a difficult challenge with Antonio Brown.

The Bears have the weakest receiving corps in the league, which could lead to Mike Glennon targeting his tight ends and running backs quite a bit. He threw to those positions on a combined 65% of his passes in Week 1. As 7-point road dogs, projected game flow seems to favor running back Tarik Cohen, who accumulated 12 targets last week as the preferred receiving back. Last year, the Buccaneers ranked 26th in DVOA against receiving running backs, per FO. They were also 26th against the rush, which could favor Howard early on. Even so, given his injury combined with expected game flow and his timeshare with Cohen, Howard is looking like a risky option in fantasy. At receiver, Kendall Wright disappointed many in Week 1 but he's the unquestioned number one receiver now that Kevin White is sidelined. He may make sense as a tournament option in full PPR this week. Although Tampa Bay ranked eighth in WR1 DVOA in 2016, they allowed the sixth-most receptions per game (9.2). Plus, slot corner Robert McClain allowed a terrible 85% catch rate last season, the highest mark among starting cornerbacks this week.

Amukamara's absence could help Mike Evans but the Bears were able to limit Julio Jones in Week 1 to a 4/66/0 line without him. That extended their success against opposing top receivers from last season. According to Football Outsiders, they held WR1s to the second-fewest receptions per game last year (6.9). At the same time, they allowed WR2s the third-most catches (7.5). In Week 1, WR2 Mohamed Sanu led the Falcons with nine targets and six receptions. These trends make DeSean Jackson an appealing GPP pivot option off of Evans. Although with Amukamara inactive, Evans takes an upgrade.

Chicago's running back is considered questionable but Ian Rapoport says he's expected to play against Tampa Bay this afternoon. Things don't look as good for Wheaton, who's still dealing with a broken finger. The Bears have the weakest receiving corps in the league, which could lead to Mike Glennon targeting his tight ends and running backs quite a bit. He threw to those positions for a combined 65% of his passes in Week 1. As 7-point road dogs, projected game flow seems to favor running back Tarik Cohen, who accumulated 12 targets last week as the preferred receiving back. Last year, the Buccaneers ranked 26th in DVOA against receiving running backs, per FO. They were also 26th against the rush, which could favor Howard early on. Even so, given his injury combined with expected game flow and his timeshare with Cohen, Howard is looking like a risky option in fantasy. At receiver, Kendall Wright disappointed many in Week 1 but he's the unquestioned number one receiver now that Kevin White is sidelined. He may make sense as a tournament option in full PPR this week. Although Tampa Bay ranked eighth in WR1 DVOA in 2016, they allowed the sixth-most receptions per game (9.2). Plus, slot corner Robert McClain allowed a terrible 85% catch rate last season, the highest mark among starting cornerbacks this week.

WRs Josh Bellamy (ankle) and Markus Wheaton (finger), LG Kyle Long (ankle), CB Prince Amukamara (ankle), and LB Leonard Floyd (back) are all notable Bears considered questionable this week. RB Benny Cunningham is doubtful. If Amukamara plays, he'll have a difficult task ahead of him defending Mike Evans. By holding Julio Jones to a 4/66/0 line (without Amukamara), Chicago extended their success against opposing top receivers from last season. According to Football Outsiders, they held WR1s to the second-fewest receptions per game last year (6.9). At the same time, they allowed WR2s the third-most catches (7.5). In Week 1, WR2 Mohamed Sanu led the Falcons with nine targets and six receptions. These trends make DeSean Jackson an appealing GPP pivot option off of Evans. On the offensive side of the ball, coach John Fox said Bellamy "should be fine." They're completely decimated at receiver, so they'll need Bellamy and Wheaton active if at all possible. Kendall Wright will now operate as their top receiver but Glennon may continue to favor high-percentage passes and checkdowns to tight ends and running backs. Last week, 65% of his targets went towards those positions. A season ago, Tampa Bay ranked 26th in DVOA against receiving running backs, which bodes well for Howard and Cohen. Howard was limited Wednesday and Thursday but he's all set for Sunday. Following Cohen's breakout performance with 113 yards and eight receptions, it's almost certain the rookie has carved out a decent timeshare in the backfield and may be the preferred receiving option over Howard. The starter Howard should out-snap and out-touch Cohen as he did in Week 1, although it may not be by much.

Cornerback Prince Amukamara (ankle) and guard Kyle Long (ankle) were also limited Thursday. Both players missed the first game but appear to be on track to return for their Week 2 matchup with Tampa Bay. If he plays, Amukamara, the top cornerback on the team, will have a difficult task ahead of him defending Mike Evans. In holding Julio Jones to a 4/66/0 line, Chicago extended their success against opposing top receivers from last season. According to Football Outsiders, they held WR1s to the second-fewest receptions per game last year (6.9). At the same time, they allowed WR2s the third-most catches (7.5). In Week 1, WR2 Mohamed Sanu led the Falcons with nine targets and six receptions. These trends make DeSean Jackson an appealing GPP pivot option off of Evans. On the offensive side of the ball, Josh Bellamy (ankle) was also limited but coach John Fox said he "should be fine." They're completely decimated at receiver, so they'll need Bellamy and Wheaton active if at all possible. Kendall Wright will now operate as their top receiver but Glennon may continue to favor high-percentage passes and checkdowns to tight ends and running backs. Last week, 65% of his targets went towards those positions. A season ago, Tampa Bay ranked 26th in DVOA against receiving running backs, which bodes well for Howard and Cohen. Howard has been limited all week but it appears he'll be able to suit up Sunday. Following Cohen's breakout performance with 113 yards and eight receptions, it's almost certain the rookie has carved out a decent timeshare in the backfield and may be the preferred receiving option over Howard. The starter Howard should out-snap and out-touch Cohen as he did in Week 1, although it may not be by much.

Chicago is short on receivers; if Wheaton is able to suit up this week, he could pick up some work right away. He'll likely be their fourth receiver though, so it won't be enough to make him an appealing fantasy target. Cunningham's absence will allow breakout running back Tarik Cohen to continue to pick up more work in the passing game. A whopping 65% of Mike Glennon's passes went to TEs and RBs in Week 1. He’ll likely continue to favor short passes and checkdowns to those positions, which boosts Cohen’s full PPR appeal. The Bucs were poor against pass-catching backs in 2016, ranking 26th in DVOA, per FO. On the defensive side of the ball, starting cornerback Amukamara was sidelined in Week 1 and his replacement, Kyle Fuller, did not do well, scoring a 43.1 game-grade from PFF. Still, the secondary managed to keep Julio Jones in check, continuing their success defending WR1s from last season. Next up, they'll get another tough challenge against Mike Evans.