The Chicago Bears have Alshon Jeffery sitting out this week in the preseason with an injury and this comes after Kevin White was diagnosed with a stress fracture and could miss the season, which makes Eddie Royal and Marquess Wilson the best fantasy options behind Jeffery on offense for Jay Cutler along with Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett.
The Bears offense is looking to rebound this season with Cutler and the team has already suffered one major loss at the wideout position with White. The rookie draft pick has been dealing with a foot issue and GM Ryan Pace said last week that White could miss the entire season. According to ESPN Chicago, Jeffery is also dealing with an injury, although it is far less severe than White's. Pace said that Jeffery has a "mild calf strain" and that he will not play against the Colts.
The injury was called one that is not long term for Jeffery and that is good news for the Bears. Jeffery is taking over as the number one wideout with Brandon Marshall gone and if White is out for an extended period, it makes Jeffery even more important. Pace said that Jeffery isn't expected to miss the opening game of the season against the Packers, but it could mean that he will not play again in the preseason. The Bears can't risk losing Jeffery if White has to be out, especially with Marshall out of the picture.
White reportedly will miss at least six weeks and he could be out for the entire season depending on how things go. According to Pace, White was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his shin and he will open the season on the PUP list and that could lead to him missing the season if his recovery does not happen fast enough. White is coming into the NFL after a strong season at West Virginia that saw him put up over 1000 yards and 100 catches while making 10 TD receptions.
Jeffery comes in after putting up back to back strong seasons with the Bears and he has not missed a game in two years. Jeffery set career highs in 2013 with 89 catches for 1421 yards and 16 touchdowns and while his numbers were down compared to that last year, he still had a great season. Jeffery finished with 85 catches for 1133 yards and six touchdowns and he will be a key player for Jay Cutler this season. Matt Forte will be starting at running back and having a strong running game should open things up.
The Bears signed Eddie Royal this offseason and he will be a key player with White out, as he likely will start alongside Jeffery. Royal has past experience with Cutler from his time in Denver and that coincided with the best years of his career until he got to San Diego. Royal had his best season since he was a rookie in 2014, putting up 62 catches for 778 yards and seven touchdowns. Royal has a knack for finding the endzone and the Bears need that this season.
Check here for more on White's injury and the status for Jeffery.
