Williams is a former No. 1 overall pick who should now benefit from one of the best offensive minds in the NFL in Ben Johnson and has perhaps one of the deepest supporting casts in the NFL with DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Coltson Loveland and Cole Kmet. Those are the reasons to take a chance on him as a top-12 QB. However, you need those reasons because his performance as a rookie was subpar. His 21.1% bad throw percentage was the third-highest in the league, and more than a quarter of his pressures turned into sacks, which is also amongst the worst in the league and a continuing problem since his days in college. Inaccurate and indecisive is no way to succeed as an NFL quarterback. The Bears made great improvements to the offensive line, but it is still on Williams to get rid of the ball. Because of his potential, and Ben Johnson, we are willing to draft Williams as a borderline QB1 in Round 8 or later, but you should take a second QB with a higher floor. In Dynasty leagues, Williams is a top-eight QB who still has top-five potential.
Williams completed 11 of 15 pass attempts for 113 yards and a touchdown while taking two carries for 18 yards in Friday's 29-27 preseason win over Kansas City.
Williams carried the momentum over from his impressive preseason debut into Friday's exhibition finale where he dialed up Rome Odunze for a touchdown late in the first half. Chicago's offense sputtered out of the gates with a pair of punts, but Williams was unfazed and finished with another encouraging performance with Week 1 just around the corner. Expectations will be high for Williams when his sophomore season officially kicks off on Sept. 8 against the Vikings, after the organization signed the hottest head coaching free agent in Ben Johnson and surrounded the signal-caller with a talented supporting cast.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Strong debut with new head coach
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Williams completed six of 10 pass attempts for 107 yards and a touchdown and had no rushing attempts in Sunday's 38-0 preseason rout of the Bills.
Williams looked sharp in his first preseason action under new head coach Ben Johnson, moving the offense 93 yards on Chicago's first possession. Last year's No. 1 overall pick dialed up WR Olamide Zaccheaus for a 35-yard touchdown strike to cap off an impressive opening drive. Williams displayed improved footwork while looking decisive in the pocket, two areas Johnson was hoping to improve heading into his signal-caller's sophomore year. It is unclear if Williams will see the field in the Bears' preseason finale against the Chiefs on Friday, but Sunday's brief glimpse into his progression should be enough to drum up the fantasy hype machine.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Starters will play Sunday
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Bears head coach Ben Johnson said Wednesday that Williams and the first-team units will suit up for Sunday's preseason game against the Bills, Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Williams and the majority of Chicago's starters were held out of preseason action versus the Dolphins last weekend, but the first-team units will get a chance to log exhibition reps versus Buffalo. Expectations are high for Williams entering Year 2, as he's surrounded by a revamped O-line that projects as top-10 in the league and boasts an impressive supporting cast headlined by wideouts DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden and TEs Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Not scheduled to play Sunday
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Williams isn't scheduled to play in Sunday's preseason game against the Dolphins, per CHGO Sports.
This likely means most of Chicago's projected starters will be held out, although we figure to see them at least once this preseason as they continue learning coach Ben Johnson's playbook. With Williams held out, Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum figures to get the start Sunday.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: QBs to Sit
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We'll see how long the Packers play their starters in Week 18, but Williams will be tough to trust in this matchup. He scored 16.2 Fantasy points against Green Bay in Week 11, and Williams has scored 18.1 Fantasy points or less in three of his past four outings. The Packers are also No. 3 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only three quarterbacks have scored at least 20 Fantasy points against Green Bay since Week 8.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Expected to start in Week 18
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Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown said Monday that Williams will play in Sunday's Week 18 game against Green Bay, Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Brown also stated that all of Chicago's healthy players will suit up for the team's season finale. There had been some speculation that Williams could be held out of action given that the Bears have nothing to play for in terms of playoff contention and because the rookie QB has taken frequent hits this season -- Chicago has given up an NFL-high 67 sacks on the campaign. It remains to be seen how the Packers will handle their starters Week 18 with the team having clinched a playoff berth and being unable to rise above the No. 6 seed in the NFC.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Middling numbers in Week 17 loss
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Williams completed 16 of 28 passes for 122 yards with no touchdowns and one interception and rushed five times for 37 yards in the Bears' 6-3 loss to the Seahawks on Thursday night. He also fumbled once but recovered and pounced on a second loose ball.
Four days after throwing for 334 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions, Williams, along with the entire Bears offense, regressed significantly. The rookie first overall pick's yardage total was the second lowest of his young career, and until Chicago's final possession, Williams had only been able to lead the Bears on one drive of longer than 16 yards, although he did have a 17-yard second-quarter touchdown pass to Rome Odunze nullified by penalty. That final march, which spanned 13 plays and 49 yards, also ended with a Williams interception (his first pick since Week 6) on fourth down following three consecutive incompletions. The loss was the Bears' 10th consecutive, leaving a Week 18 road matchup against the Packers as their only remaining chance to taste victory again in the 2024 regular season.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: QBs to Start
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I liked Williams in Week 16 against Detroit, and he delivered 26.8 Fantasy points with 334 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with 34 rushing yards. He's now scored at least 18.1 Fantasy points in four of his past five games, including three games with at least 26.8 points over that span. Seattle has allowed three quarterbacks in a row to score at least 21.6 Fantasy points with Kyler Murray, Jordan Love, and Sam Darnold, and Williams is worth trusting as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues in Week 17.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Impressive numbers in loss
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Williams completed 26 of 40 passes for 334 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed six times for 34 yards in the Bears' 34-17 loss to the Lions on Sunday.
The end result was another ugly loss for the Bears that dropped them to 4-11, but Williams' play was encouraging from a statistical perspective. The rookie first overall pick's yardage total was the third highest of his career, and the performance was his fourth 300-yard effort overall. Williams authored his fourth multi-touchdown tally of the last five contests by connecting with Cole Kmet (one yard) and Keenan Allen (45 yards) for his pair of scoring passes, both of which came in the second quarter. He also hasn't thrown an interception in nine straight games. Williams will look to continue honing his craft while seeking to snap what is now a nine-game losing streak for Chicago when the Seahawks come to town for a Week 17 matchup Thursday night.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: QBs to Start
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Williams had a down game in Week 15 at Minnesota with 11.9 Fantasy points, which snapped a three-game streak where he scored at least 18.1 points. One of those games was in Week 13 at Detroit when he scored 32.1 Fantasy points, and I like Williams' chances to have another quality performance against the Lions in the rematch at home. Detroit is beat up defensively, including new injuries to defensive tackle Alim McNeill (knee) and cornerback Carlton Davis (jaw), and I like Williams as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in Week 16.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Pads stats late in blowout loss
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Williams completed 17 of 23 pass attempts for 134 yards and two touchdowns while rushing four times for 27 yards with a fumble in Sunday's 38-13 defeat to San Francisco.
Williams and Chicago's offense were nearly invisible Sunday, netting just four yards over five drives (all of which ended in a punt) in the first half. The first-overall pick from this year's draft was able to pad his stats out of the break with a pair of touchdown throws that never threatened the 49ers' lead. On the bright side, Williams has now thrown seven touchdowns over his last three contests after failing to generate one over his previous four appearances. Things won't get any easier for the Bears as they prepare to visit the Vikings next Monday.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Sleeper QBs
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Williams has been a standout Fantasy quarterback since Thomas Brown started calling plays for the Bears, and he comes into Week 14 with at least 30.9 Fantasy points in consecutive games against Minnesota and Detroit. The 49ers are beat up defensively and have allowed Jordan Love and Josh Allen to score at least 18.7 Fantasy points in their past two games. I like Williams as a low-end No. 1 quarterback in all leagues.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Mixed Thanksgiving results
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Williams completed 20 of 39 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns in a 23-20 loss to Detroit on Thursday while running for 39 yards on four carries.
Williams provided acceptable fantasy production in a setting where things could have gone worse and nearly did. The first half was a fruitless struggle for Williams and the Bears offense, with all the familiar themes of poor pass-rush management and an inability to establish consistent rhythm. Williams kicked into an extra gear in the second half, though, scoring all three of his touchdowns and nearly leading the Bears to a game-tying field goal opportunity. Unfortunately for Williams, what happened from that point will go down among the most memorable NFL lore for in-game blunders. A 1st and 10 from the Detroit 25 with 0:46 left on the clock somehow resulted in the Bears running the clock out on themselves. The offense had one timeout left and 36 seconds on the clock but spent those seconds lining up to call an incomplete pass as time ran out. It's not Williams' fault as much as it is on Matt Eberflus, but it would still have been nice to see more situational awareness from Williams. They might have a different coach by then, but the Bears will hit the road to face the 49ers in Week 14.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: First TD since Week 6
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Williams completed 32 of 47 passes for 340 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 30-27 overtime loss to the Vikings. He added six rushes for 33 yards.
The Bears were playing from behind for the entire second half, which led to Williams' second-highest pass attempt total of his rookie season. While that aided his stat line, there were plenty of positives to take from his performance, including six completions of at least 20 yards. He also recorded his first passing score since Week 6, connecting with DJ Moore and Keenan Allen for 10- and one-yard touchdowns, respectively. Willams is likely to experience more inconsistency to close the season, though he has averaged a respectable 7.3 yards per attempt in two games since the Bears have changed offensive coordinators.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: QBs to Sit
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We'll see how Williams does in his first game without Shane Waldron as the offensive coordinator after he was fired Tuesday and replaced by Thomas Brown, who was promoted from passing game coordinator. Right now, it's tough to trust Williams even in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues since he's scored 9.9 Fantasy points or less in three games in a row. I remain hopeful that Williams can finish his rookie season strong, but he's not a reliable Fantasy quarterback heading into Week 11 against the Packers.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Remains starting QB
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Head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed Wednesday that Williams will remain the Bears' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Packers, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.
The Bears have lost each of their three games following their Week 7 bye, and Williams has taken a step backward in his development after he had completed 74.1 percent of his passes for 530 yards and a 6:1 TD:INT in the two games prior to the bye. Since the bye week, Williams has completed just 50.5 percent of his throws for 4.9 yards per attempt while committing one turnover (a lost fumble) and taking 18 sacks. Despite those struggles, Williams didn't look to be in any immediate danger of losing his starting job, but after the Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Tuesday, Ebeflus reaffirmed that the No. 1 overall pick wouldn't be benched for 2023 undrafted free agent Tyson Bagent. Bears passing game coordinator Thomas Brown is now set to take over as the interim offensive coordinator, and while Williams has nowhere to go but up following the coaching staff shakeup, he'll still represent a volatile fantasy option heading into a Week 11 matchup with Green Bay. Williams and the Bears will face a tough road over their final eight contests of the season, as a Week 17 game against the 4-5 Seahawks is Chicago's only matchup left with a team that's currently under .500.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Sacked nine times in ugly loss
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Williams completed 16 of 30 passes for 120 yards and added 15 rushing yards on two carries in Sunday's 19-3 loss to the Patriots.
While his production was awful, it's a mark in the rookie quarterback's favor that he didn't commit any turnovers on a day in which his injury-ravaged offensive line gave him no protection. Williams was brought down a stunning nine times by a New England defense that came into Sunday with only 16 sacks total on the season through its first nine contests. Over three games since Chicago's Week 7 bye, the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft has been sacked 18 times, and the Bears have lost all three. Unless starting tackles Braxton Jones (knee) and Darnell Wright (knee) get healthy in time, Williams could be running for his life again in Week 11 against Rashan Gary and the Packers.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Clear of ankle injury
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Williams (ankle) wasn't listed on the Bears' first Week 10 injury report posted Wednesday.
Williams injured his left ankle on the Bears' last play of this past Sunday's loss in Arizona, but he said afterward that he expected to be fine moving forward. His activity at Wednesday's practice confirmed as much, paving the way for him to continue leading Chicago's offense Sunday versus the Patriots.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Ankle injury not viewed as concern
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Williams twisted his left ankle on the Bears' final play in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals, but the quarterback said after the game that he'll be alright, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports. "I landed wrong and just kind of tweaked it and [on] the last play, the dude grabbed my ankle and gator rolled," Williams said.
Even though the Bears were trailing by 20 in the final minute of the contest, head coach Matt Eberflus said that he elected to keep Williams in the game to work on the efficiency of the team's two-minute drill. While that decision may look questionable in hindsight, the rookie signal-caller at least seems to have avoided a serious injury. Williams is scheduled to be evaluated Monday, but the expectation is that he'll be ready to go for Week 10 against the Patriots. Williams endured a tough outing against the Cardinals, getting sacked six times while completing 22 of 41 passes for 217 yards and no touchdowns.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Sleeper QBs
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Williams is taking advantage of the soft part of his schedule, and he scored a season-high 27.6 Fantasy points against Carolina in Week 5. He gets Jacksonville in Week 6 in London, and he should be considered a low-end starter in all leagues against the Jaguars, who are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Three quarterbacks in a row (Josh Allen, C.J. Stroud, and Joe Flacco) have all scored at least 27.5 Fantasy points against Jacksonville, and hopefully, Williams will continue that trend in Week 6.
