I have bad news for fantasy owners: Matt Forte isn't coming back this year.
I should probably clarify. Matt Forte, the player, will come back. But "Matt Forte," the RB1 you drafted and were counting on this season, isn't coming back. Not this year, and not with the Bears ever again.
Chicago is hitting its offensive stride, and Forte hasn't been part of the action due to injury. In his place, Jeremy Langford has been spry, effective, and capable of handling a heavy workload. He's 24 years old and at the beginning of a cheap contract. Forte will be 30 next month and at the tail end of a hefty contract.
It doesn't take Jerry Maguire to figure out which guy has a future in the organization.
If you have Forte on the shelf and you're waiting for him to come back, you won't be getting the workhorse you thought you had earlier in the year. In fact, every variable is working against you. The team wants to make sure Langford is the guy for next year. They want to keep the synergy they've built over a small winning streak. And they don't have any real reason to have him sit on the bench, even when Forte is healthy.
On the other hand, Forte doesn't have much incentive to hog all the carries. He knows he probably won't be back, and he'll likely be negotiating the final contract of his career in the off-season. He needs to do just enough to show he's healthy and still has some burst. And he certainly doesn't need to get hurt again before the year ends.
So "Matt Forte" is gone. Instead, you'll probably hear the real Matt Forte say how happy he is sharing time with Langford going forward, and how it's good to keep him fresh, and that he has no problem with however they distribute the carries. He might even prefer to be "eased back" into the lineup.
As a Chicago fan, this is sound logic and the way to go. As a fantasy owner, it's a nightmare. He'll come back, only different. Kind of like Church the cat in "Pet Sematary." But if you need him to make the playoffs, prepare to be under whelmed.
It isn't always that way. After watching the Houston running game early in the year, you knew that Arian Foster would come back as "Arian Foster." And he did. If he could come back this year, he'd be "Arian Foster" again. That's how ineffective Alfred Blue is (when he doesn't play the Buccaneers).
Adrian Peterson was "Adrian Peterson." Even after DeAngelo Williams was tearing it up the first two games of the year, Le'Veon Bell was "Le'Veon Bell." He's too young and too good for his job to be in jeopardy.
But Forte? I don't think so. Same goes for Jamaal Charles next year, I think. Those guys, as you knew them in their heyday, are gone.
I'm not a Bears fan, but I say that with a degree of sadness. Yes, I have Forte in a league. Yes, I need him to make the playoffs. Yes, I realize this column could be a eulogy for one of my teams. As a fantasy player, I like watching Langford. I want to see more of him. But as a fantasy player with Matt Forte on the bench, I don't like watching him all that much. Maybe next year.
But I have to be realistic. A lot of factors go into how a team treats a returning player. In another league I have Andrew Luck. I probably won't need him to make the playoffs, but I might need him in the playoffs.
Normally, I'd expect Andrew Luck to come back as "Andrew Luck." But there are a few factors that make me uncomfortable. Luck wasn't exactly scaring the league when he was in there. The team is in first place with a record that would have Bill Belichick firing his entire staff. And while the Colts are 4-5, backup Matt Hasselbeck is responsible for half those wins.
Oh yeah, and Chuck Pagano is probably fired if the team disappoints this season. So if Hasselbeck rattles off a string of wins, how quickly are they going to race Luck back into the lineup? Do I need to root for the Colts to lose, but not lose enough that they're out of playoff contention?
Hey, maybe I'm wrong about this whole thing. Maybe Forte comes back as an every-down machine, and Luck slides in as a superstar. I hope so. But really, I doubt it. I didn't even feel right typing it. This is one of those years where, even if you get your guys back, you don't always get them back. Maybe it's always like that, and I'm just feeling it more.
In any case, it's another obstacle to overcome as you push for the playoffs, and a fun, new headache for dynasty owners. Good luck this week.
Are you sitting on a player to return to your lineup? Have you been let down by a returning star? Share your stories below.
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