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| ATL at CAR | BAL at CLE | BUF at TEN | CHI at SF | CIN at PIT | DAL at GB | DEN at WAS | DET at MIN |
| JAX at NYJ | KC at OAK | NE at IND | NO at STL | PHI at SD | SEA at ARI | TB at MIA | |
Week 10 Game Recap: Chicago Bears 6, San Francisco 49ers 10
Chicago Bears
| QB Jay Cutler, Pass: 29 - 52 - 307 - 0 TD / 5 INT, Rush: 1 - 2 - 0 |
Cutler threw five interceptions in a woeful performance against the 49ers on Thursday night. Victimized by five different San Francisco defenders, not all of the interceptions were quite his fault, yet the decisions he made were highly questionable. Cutler's first pick was thrown into triple coverage in the end zone, while WR Devin Hester slipped on his cut and fell down on the second pick. The third one occurred thanks to Devin Hester getting bumped off his crossing route by the umpire and the next one was TE Kellen Davis being thrown ahead of but was beaten to the ball by S Mark Roman. Appropriately enough, Cutler's last throw of the game was picked in the end zone by S Michael Lewis as San Francisco was defending against any touchdown throw with just seconds to play. Cutler did amass over 300 yards passing but it took over 50 throws and this was clearly a night to forget for the Chicago quarterback. Cutler now has a commanding league lead in interceptions thrown this year with 17.
| RB Matt Forte, Rush: 20 - 41 - 0, Rec: 8 - 120 - 0 (9 targets) |
Matt Forte struggled to gain much ground as a runner in Week 10, barely averaging over two yards a carry against a formidable San Francisco run defense. He was able to make a big offensive difference as a receiver, however, gaining 120 yards on eight receptions out of the backfield. His offensive line could not get anything going for him, but on screens and short passes Forte had the space he needed to create separation and make the first man miss and get to the second level. His pass-catching day was highlighted by a 37-yard catch and run in the second quarter for Forte's longest reception of his career. Forte will likely fare similarly next week against Philadelphia, but has much higher fantasy value in PPR leagues.
| RB Adrian Peterson |
Adrian Peterson served as the backup RB to Matt Forte in Week 10 but he had zero touches of the ball on the few plays he did enter the lineup. His value is minimal at best, even as a handcuff to Forte.
| WR Devin Hester, Rec: 7 - 48 - 0 (14 targets) |
Devin Hester was the leading receiver for the Bears in Week 10, hauling in seven grabs on the night. Given all his targets (14), however, Hester should have easily topped the century mark, but the inaccuracy of QB Jay Cutler cost him on a few of those looks. Hester did slip and fall on a route which wound up in the hands of the 49ers, but Hester did not get many chances to find the end zone. Look for Hester to rebound off of an off night for both himself and Cutler and put up better fantasy numbers over the next few weeks.
| WR Earl Bennett, Rec: 3 - 27 - 0 (5 targets) |
Earl Bennett started for Chicago at wideout but he saw fewer targets in Week 10 than TE Greg Olsen, RB Matt Forte and even third receiver Johnny Knox. Bennett would have had an additional catch of 40 yards with much of that coming after the catch, but a penalty took away the play. Adding that catch back into the stat column would make Bennett a far better performer (4-67) but that's not how it works. He looked good on that play and picked up about 30 of the 40 yards after the grab, but the major concern here is the lack of chances. The second wideout for the Bears is fourth on the food chain when it comes to the passing game, making Bennett a marginal fantasy player at best.
| WR Johnny Knox, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (6 targets) |
Rookie wideout Johnny Knox took the field on occasion in Week 10 against San Francisco, mostly lining up as a slot wideout in three-WR formations for Chicago. Knox had six targets and QB Jay Cutler was back in the shotgun five of those six chances. Knox grabbed two shorter passes (11 and 9 yards each) and was kept from using his explosive speed as San Francisco was quickly on top of him to prevent any big yardage after the catch. Knox is firmly settled in as the third wide receiver for Chicago, but right now that does not mean much as far as fantasy production.
| WR Devin Aromashodu, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (1 targets) |
Devin Aromashadu made one catch in the Week 10 game against the 49ers, hauling in a short pass of 10 yards on the final Chicago drive of the game. It was a nice catch as he reached up along the sideline and manage to come down with both feet just in bounds for the completion. That was his only target and catch, however, and he is the fourth wideout at best for Chicago. That means his fantasy value is next to nothing right now despite how often Jay Cutler is dropping back to pass.
| TE Greg Olsen, Rec: 7 - 75 - 0 (10 targets) |
TE Greg Olsen was a big factor early in the game, catching three balls on nearly consecutive plays (one Matt Forte run between the first two) on a drive that spanned the end of the first quarter and into the second. Olsen's fast start appeared to foreshadow a big night for the big target, yet San Francisco made adjustments in coverage and Jay Cutler threw five interceptions on the night. Olsen was limited to just 20 yards and two catches after halftime as the 49ers covered him much better in the second half. Overall his 10 targets on the night shows that Cutler is certainly looking to get him the ball more and next week's matchup against the Eagles should provide plenty of opportunity for Olsen to have a big game.
| TE Desmond Clark, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) |
Backup tight end Desmond Clark caught on short pass early in Week 10 over the middle for a short gain. He was later sidelined with a neck injury and replaced on the field by third string TE Kellen Davis. Even when healthy Clark does not see enough targets to have any fantasy value.
| TE Kellen Davis (3 targets) |
Third string tight end Kellen Davis saw action for the Bears in Week 10 once backup Desmond Clark was forced from the game with a neck injury. Davis was targeted three times, including Jay Cutler's fourth interception where the ball was thrown ahead of him but safety Mark Roman bumped him and beat him to the spot.
San Francisco 49ers
| QB Alex Smith, Pass: 16 - 23 - 118 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 2 - 0 |
Alex Smith had a relatively quiet night against a formidable Chicago Bears defense in Week 10, barely topping the 100-yard mark in passing yards. Smith threw more in the first half, picking up 72 yards through the air as opposed to 46 after halftime. Smith completed eight passes in each half, a testament to how conservative the passing game was in the final 30 minutes. Smith did attempt to stretch the field once but was intercepted on a 30+ yard throw from near midfield to the Chicago 20-yard line on a ball intended for Michael Crabtree. Chicago applied strong pressure all night and Smith was more than happy to hand the ball over to Frank Gore or even hit him on a short pass when there was little else available. Smith could put up bigger numbers in the right matchups the rest of the year, but against good defenses he should remain on fantasy benches.
| RB Frank Gore, Rush: 25 - 104 - 1, Rec: 4 - 21 - 0 (4 targets) |
Frank Gore was once again the dominant force for the San Francisco 49er offense, picking up 104 yards on the ground and 21 more as a receiver. Gore's total yards accounted for well over half the entire offensive output for the team. He also was the leading rusher by a wide margin as only Alex Smith (two) and backup Michael Robinson (one) had any carries. Gore had 17 of his 25 carries after the half as the 49ers held on for dear life to a small lead against a very tough Chicago defense. Gore struggled at times to find much room running up the middle, but on a few occasions he was able to slip free and get a few big gains, including a big 25-yard fourth quarter run off of a direct snap where he ran around the right side and got into scoring range but fumbled. Luckily WR Josh Morgan fell on top of it to preserve the possession. Gore punched in the only touchdown of the night for either side on a 14-yard run behind solid blocking that allowed him to spring into the secondary with good speed. On a tough night for any offensive player, Gore ran hard and used his unique combination of power and speed to top 100 yards and get his team a much-needed victory.
| RB Michael Robinson, Rush: 1 - 4 - 0, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) |
RB Michael Robinson backed up Frank Gore in Week 10, coming in on a few plays when Gore started to show some signs of getting tired. He made a nice stumbling catch and rolled forward for a first down with under four minutes to play, keeping the 49ers in control of the ball until late in the contest. Robinson will move back down to third on the depth chart once Glen Coffee rebounds from his concussion.
| RB Glen Coffee |
Normal backup Glen Coffee was inactive in Week 10 due to a concussion. Once healthy again, Coffee will be re-inserted into the depth chart as Frank Gore's backup.
| WR Michael Crabtree, Rec: 4 - 48 - 0 (7 targets) |
Rookie receiver Michael Crabtree started again for San Francisco and nearly made a great 30-yard catch on the 49ers' opening drive but was ruled just out of bounds on the play. San Francisco did not throw much in Week 10 (23 attempts) so Crabtree's team lead in targets (seven) was more significant than it would appear at first glance. QB Alex Smith is certainly trying to get the ball down the field to Crabtree and make more explosive plays happen, but they just do not appear to be quite on the same page yet. The Bears were also keying on shutting Crabtree down as much as possible, which further limited his upside. Crabtree did lead all 49ers in yards receiving and had the two biggest completions of the night with 15- and 20-yard catches.
| WR Josh Morgan, Rec: 3 - 24 - 0 (5 targets) |
Josh Morgan started for the 49ers, who opened up the game with a larger percentage of passes in the first half. Morgan grabbed two short passes over the middle in the second quarter before adding a short catch later in the game. Morgan had a nice play late in the game, falling on a crucial Red Zone fumble by Frank Gore to hold on to the possession. Morgan has not been getting many chances with Michael Crabtree now starting on the other side and Vernon Davis producing well, so his fantasy upside is limited going forward.
| WR Jason Hill, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) |
Third-year wideout Jason Hill has now moved up the depth chart to WR3 for San Francisco, but their current offensive scheme does not utilize three wideouts very often. Early in Week 10, Hill grabbed his only target, a short pass to the left for just five yards on third down and six. Hill attempted to pick up the first down, diving for forward progress but fell just short of the first down. With just the one target and catch, Hill has no fantasy value right now.
| WR Isaac Bruce |
Veteran wide receiver Isaac Bruce was deactivated for Week 10, allegedly due to an ankle injury, but he really has been demoted to fourth on the wideout depth chart for San Francisco and no longer has any fantasy value with Michael Crabtree now starting.
| TE Vernon Davis, Rec: 3 - 16 - 0 (5 targets) |
Vernon Davis was limited in Week 10 by an inspired Chicago Bears defense, catching just three balls on the evening, none of which went for over six yards at a clip. After mouthing off during the week about the Chicago defense and also again before kickoff to DE Adewale Ogunleye. Davis was minimized all night and even committed two false starts, costing his team even more yards. Davis should bounce back next week against the Packers as long as he doesn't produce any added bulletin board material.