The Week 6 matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions features a team finally getting it together against an opponent who is still looking for its first win of the season. We've got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Chicago Bears
Now that quarterback Jay Cutler is back the Bears have managed to string together back-to-back wins. Cutler squeaked one out against the Kansas City Chiefs last week throwing for more than 250 passing yards for the second straight game and combining that with two touchdown passes. He's not part of the elite group of quarterbacks in fantasy football that can single-handedly win owners a head-to-head matchup, but Cutler can be serviceable. Those streaming a quarterback for Week 6 may want to start him against the Lions, a team currently struggling in all facets of the game.
Cutler's return to the lineup has helped facilitate the emergence of wide receiver Marquess Wilson. Wilson posted six catches for 85 yards and a touchdown last week against Kansas City and looks to be establishing himself as a regular part of the team's offense. He's largely available in fantasy leagues at the moment, but now might be the time to grab Wilson off of the waiver wire, especially with teammate Alshon Jeffery dealing with injuries and inconsistent play throughout the year so far.
Detroit Lions
To say that things aren't looking good in Motor City is an understatement. The Lions are winless in their first five games and all seems to be hopeless. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is really struggling behind an offensive line that isn't doing a good job. It's resulted in just two touchdown passes and five interceptions in the last three games combined for Stafford. Those kind of ratios aren't going to win you many games at the college level let alone in the NFL. Stafford's going to have to work some magic against the Bears in order to try and salvage the season. It's now or never for Detroit.
Clearly the team's subpar play has had a negative impact on Megatron a.k.a. Calvin Johnson. Johnson has just one touchdown on the season and is still yet to crack the 100-yard receiving mark. Everyone in football knows that he's one of the best receivers of our generation and possibly of all time, but when the offense isn't clicking, everybody's value is lower. The Bears don't exactly have an intimidating defense, so Megatron's owners can only hope this is the week that he finally breaks out. Too bad his chances of doing so are heavily reliant on a clearly struggling group around him.
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