Matt Forte will be more efficient but will also lose touches

Matt Forte had a productive rookie season totaling over 1700 yards combined. However he was not as efficient as the Bears would like him to be as he averaged only 3.9 ypc. Bear’s coach Tim Spencer thinks Forte can improve on his average this year by keeping him fresher down the stretch.

“I expect him to build on what he has done in the past. It’s going to be up to us as coaches to make sure that we watch him. I would like to see his yards per carry and yards per catch both go up, and I think they will. We’re going to have to use [backup running back] Kevin Jones some more to ensure that both of them are as healthy as they can be by the end of the season.”

A quick look at Forte’s December number reveals what the Bears are trying to avoid.

Spencer also suggested the dreaded running back by committee with Kevin Jones fully recovered from his torn ACL which kept him back last season.

“Kevin looked great in OTAs. He’s in shape, he’s ready to run, and he wants to run. He’s hungry, and that’s what I think is the most important thing. It’s up to us to get him on the field, and he will get on the field. It would be nice to develop a 1-2 punch. Kevin struggled a little bit earlier on because his knee wasn’t quite ready, but there are no excuses now.”

Jones expects to regain his rookie form and has set lofty goals for this season.

“I want to do what I did my rookie season. I want to try to get as close to 1,000 yards as possible. I don’t know how many opportunities I’ll get to get there, but whatever I get I’m going to try to take advantage of them.”

The Kevin Jones factor coupled with Cutler’s ability to throw definitely clouds the fantasy outlook for Matt Forte. While he may be more efficient, he will likely lose touches and have less fantasy value than his rookie year. Draft him at your own risk.