The Chicago Bears named former Rams’ head coach Mike Martz as their new offensive coordinator on Monday. Known for his zany play-calling and aggressive passing, he could be just the boost that Jay Cutler needs to kick start his career and once again become fantasy relevant.

We all know about what he did during his days leading the “Greatest Show on Turf”, but what about his days since then as an offensive coordinator?
His most recent in San Francisco wasn’t the best, but the team wasn’t a great fit and once Mike Singletary took over it simply wasn’t a match.
However, before that he did have some impact in Detroit. He helped Jon Kitna pass for 4,000 yards in a season in both years he was there. Wide receiver Roy Williams enjoyed his best season as a pro, finishing with 1,310 yards, 7 TDs in 2006. Running back Kevin Jones posted a career-high 61 catches and 520 receiving yards during the same season. Under Martz, even wide receivers Shaun McDonald and Mike Furrey showed up on the fantasy radar and haven’t since.
Chicago still lacks talent at wide receiver and I don’t know if there will ever be a great passing game in the Windy City late in the season due to the elements and that is never good come fantasy playoff time. Still, here’s my take on what it means from a fantasy standpoint:
--Jay Cutler: He will get back to throwing over 4,000 yards and will see an increase in passing touchdowns. I still expect him to turn over the ball at a high rate, but the arrival of Martz definitely keeps him in the low-end range of QB1 heading into next season. His value goes up even more if the Bears are able to improve at receiver during the off-season.
--Matt Forte: Already solid in PPR formats, Forte will be a top 5 running back in league’s where you get points for receptions. Under Martz though I am not sure his rushing numbers will go up and his total touchdowns shouldn’t see much of an increase either.
--Greg Olsen: Tight ends have never been a big part of the Martz’ offense. Still, Olsen is the most-gifted target Cutler currently has so expect him to have a large role.
--Bears wideouts: Martz will get value out of them and will be able to utilize the blazing speed the group possesses. It will be interesting to see which receivers emerge on the depth chart, but rest assured at least one of them will. Figuring out which one may be tougher than you think though.
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Fantasy Football
fantasy advice, mike martz, chicago bears, jay cutler, matt forte, greg olsen