Chicago Bears - Fantasy News

Jordan Howard 2017 Fantasy Projections

by Aaron Bowers

8/12/17

NFL

Chicago Bears

An early season ankle injury to starter Jeremy Langford opened the door for Jordan Howard to get significant work as the primary running back for the Chicago Bears in 2016.

The rookie from Indiana became a household name in fantasy football in Week 4 last season, when he totaled 132 yards against the Detroit Lions. From that point on, Howard ran for over 1,200 yards and scored seven touchdowns.

Howard is back for his sophomore season with the Bears. If he can continue his previous level of success, he will finish as one of the top fantasy backs in the league and be in the conversation for the rushing title.

Why Jordan Howard Will Be A 2017 Fantasy Football Stud

A steady diet of work propelled Howard to an excellent fantasy season in 2016. He scored over 14.8 Dober Fantasy Points per game while averaging more than 17 touches per contest. There aren’t any new Bear running backs to compete with, and Howard remains the best player on the offense. He’s in store for as many touches as he can handle this season.

The one-time UAB Blazer made the most of a sticky situation last season. He was able to be successful even with Jay Cutler and Bryan Hoyer leading the offense. He’ll need more of that magic in 2017 to carry what should be one of the worst offenses in football.

Howard’s best value will come as a matchup play. When he is playing a soft run defense, he should be in line for a lot of successful touches. However, with the lack of a passing game, he may have a difficult time sustaining the same value in tough matchups.

One benefit of playing on a last-place team is that the Bears get to play a favorable schedule in 2017. They’ll play other last-place teams from 2016 and have juicy matchups against the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Lions and San Francisco 49ers.

Why Jordan Howard Will Be A 2017 Fantasy Football Dud

You may remember at this time last year, the hot-shot running back in Chicago was Langford. He had stumbled out to a slow start in 2015, then took over for an injured Matt Forte and finished the year on a great run. Langford and Howard are similar players, and if Howard struggles to start the year, there is no indication that head coach John Fox will stick with him while he figures it out.

Defenses have had an offseason to scout Howard, and the Bears haven’t done much to make his life easier. The passing game in the Windy City will be an unmitigated disaster in 2017. The Monsters of the Midway will be playing either Mike Glennon or Mitch Trubisky at quarterback, and their best pass-catching option is probably 32-year-old tight end Zach Miller.

Lack of competence on offense may sink Howard’s chances of a successful fantasy season. Anything positive that happens on offense will be up to him, and defenses will game plan for that by stacking the box. If Howard can’t get any help from the rest of his teammates, he may be on the Todd Gurley career arc, and nobody wants to see that.