Last year with the San Diego Chargers, injuries opened the door for Dontrelle Inman to finish second on the team in receptions (58), targets (97) and yards (810). But this year, with Keenan Allen and Travis Benjamin fully healthy and rookie Mike Williams recently getting healthy, Inman has only been in uniform for four games so far this season (39 snaps) with two catches for nine yards.
There may no wide receiver group with less talent than the Chicago Bears, and the Chargers sent Inman to the Bears for a conditional 2018 seventh-round pick on Wednesday. There’s an opportunity for Inman now, but will it mean anything for fantasy football owners?
Inman may be in uniform Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, but he surely won’t be familiar enough with a new playbook and verbiage to make a significant impact. The Bears have also made the running game a further priority, as rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has attempted just 48 passes (16 per game) in his three starts. But Chicago has a bye coming in Week 9, which could bring a loosening of the passing game reigns.
From Week 10-Week 13, all four of the Bears’ opponents (Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers) enter Week 8 in the bottom 12 of the league against wide receivers (ESPN PPR scoring). The Packers (eighth-most), Eagles (fifth-most) and 49ers (10th-most) enter this week in the bottom-10 of the league against wide receivers in that same PPR scoring. So if/when Trubisky has to throw the ball a lot more, there’s an opportunity ahead for his pass catchers.
Inman becomes Chicago’s best wide receiver essentially on arrival, and he should see among the most snaps at the position when the team comes out of the bye in Week 10.
Inman is not worth adding off the waiver wire immediately, with a somewhat limited role coming in his first game as a Bear (if he plays) followed by a bye week. But he could get very interesting very quickly in deeper leagues, during some important weeks on the fantasy football schedule. If you’re in a league with more than 12 teams, Inman has to be on your watch list now.
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