QB Caleb Williams, CHI (2 Viewers)

[Ghost Rider]

Fantasy QB12 and the 11 QBs ahead of him haven't had their bye week yet like Chicago. He'd likely be top 6 if not for the bye. He looks better and better every week in the system. And once again he had several plays last night where his WRs dropped good balls, namely Zaccheaus nearly blowing the game dropping one that hit him in the hands on a 3rd down with a wide open field in front of him. It's wild the hate this kid gets lol. It's not even like he's some Justin Fields getting his fantasy scoring purely on rushing and garbage time despite being miserable in the passing game. He's on track to clear 4000 passing yards and get 37 TDs (would be the first Bears QB in history to clear 4k yards). Even most of the downtrodden Bears fans have moved on from the reactionary "bust" takes. He's clearly a competent starting QB in real football who's still getting better and really only 5 games in to his career; and for fantasy he's already a top 10 QB in dynasty SF who's again trending up. Competent head coach. Surrounded by talent. Wish any one of my dynasty league owners were even half as low on him as people here so I could buy him.

Right now, he is a better fantasy QB than he is a real one. He makes some great plays, but still looks erratic far too often. No QB is perfect, but he misses by a mile sometimes and when seeing the replays, it's like his mechanics are poor and he thinks he can just whip the ball and make it happen. Hopefully, Ben Johnson can coach that out of him.

 

[Manster]

I dumped him for Dart. Feels pretty good at the moment.

 

[urbanhack]

Fantasy QB12 and the 11 QBs ahead of him haven't had their bye week yet like Chicago. He'd likely be top 6 if not for the bye. He looks better and better every week in the system. And once again he had several plays last night where his WRs dropped good balls, namely Zaccheaus nearly blowing the game dropping one that hit him in the hands on a 3rd down with a wide open field in front of him. It's wild the hate this kid gets lol. It's not even like he's some Justin Fields getting his fantasy scoring purely on rushing and garbage time despite being miserable in the passing game. He's on track to clear 4000 passing yards and get 37 TDs (would be the first Bears QB in history to clear 4k yards). Even most of the downtrodden Bears fans have moved on from the reactionary "bust" takes. He's clearly a competent starting QB in real football who's still getting better and really only 5 games in to his career; and for fantasy he's already a top 10 QB in dynasty SF who's again trending up. Competent head coach. Surrounded by talent. Wish any one of my dynasty league owners were even half as low on him as people here so I could buy him.

Right now, he is a better fantasy QB than he is a real one.

/thread

 

[Uncle Leo]

Imagine if he had Tyler Warren instead of Loveland. I know I have stated this before but what were the Bears thinking passing on a sure thing like Tyler.

 

[BlackCrowes]

I dumped him for Dart. Feels pretty good at the moment.

not this week

 

[pinkstapler]

Fantasy QB12 and the 11 QBs ahead of him haven't had their bye week yet like Chicago. He'd likely be top 6 if not for the bye. He looks better and better every week in the system. And once again he had several plays last night where his WRs dropped good balls, namely Zaccheaus nearly blowing the game dropping one that hit him in the hands on a 3rd down with a wide open field in front of him. It's wild the hate this kid gets lol. It's not even like he's some Justin Fields getting his fantasy scoring purely on rushing and garbage time despite being miserable in the passing game. He's on track to clear 4000 passing yards and get 37 TDs (would be the first Bears QB in history to clear 4k yards). Even most of the downtrodden Bears fans have moved on from the reactionary "bust" takes. He's clearly a competent starting QB in real football who's still getting better and really only 5 games in to his career; and for fantasy he's already a top 10 QB in dynasty SF who's again trending up. Competent head coach. Surrounded by talent. Wish any one of my dynasty league owners were even half as low on him as people here so I could buy him.

Right now, he is a better fantasy QB than he is a real one. He makes some great plays, but still looks erratic far too often. No QB is perfect, but he misses by a mile sometimes and when seeing the replays, it's like his mechanics are poor and he thinks he can just whip the ball and make it happen. Hopefully, Ben Johnson can coach that out of him.

Yeah I don't think anyone's debating that fact though. Regardless I agree with you! Definitely better for fantasy than for real life right now. I would not have him as a top 10 QB in the NFL. But considering his age and innate talent I think there's still 10 or so teams in the NFL that would prefer him over what they currently have though. And again, he's literally getting better every week. Looking at historical hit rates of all QBs in NFL history, he's doing well. I don't know what people expect from him unless the bar is Burrow or bust.

Meanwhile the vibe online, particularly in fantasy circles for whatever reason, is that every loss is on his shoulders and every win is in spite of him lol. It doesn't work that way. I think he's outplayed Ward this year by miles, yet Ward doesn't get half the negativity. It's 100% personal for some people. Not you maybe. Not everyone. Probably not even the majority. But there is a loud group that seem to go out of their way to not just overlook, but write off, every positive point and ruminate on the negatives. If I was a dynasty owner I'd be happy, and on that we seem to agree. But if I was a Chicago fan, I'd also be very happy after the past three weeks. He's cut down on sacks, is limiting turnovers but also pushing the ball down the field when called on to do it, getting better with his reads, is spreading the ball around, and is acclimating to a Ben Johnson offense which is notorious for not exactly being easy to pick up. If he plateaus and never improves from here, yeah its a disappointment. But I don't see any reason to predict the opposite of what we've been seeing through the first 1/3rd of this year; steady continuous improvement. Plus ultimately we all know the one truth of any professional sports team, winning games cures just about any problem you can come up with. And with Saints, Ravens (maybe Lamar-less) and Bengals on the slate for the next 3 games, I think they add another couple to the W column.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Fantasy QB12 and the 11 QBs ahead of him haven't had their bye week yet like Chicago. He'd likely be top 6 if not for the bye. He looks better and better every week in the system. And once again he had several plays last night where his WRs dropped good balls, namely Zaccheaus nearly blowing the game dropping one that hit him in the hands on a 3rd down with a wide open field in front of him. It's wild the hate this kid gets lol. It's not even like he's some Justin Fields getting his fantasy scoring purely on rushing and garbage time despite being miserable in the passing game. He's on track to clear 4000 passing yards and get 37 TDs (would be the first Bears QB in history to clear 4k yards). Even most of the downtrodden Bears fans have moved on from the reactionary "bust" takes. He's clearly a competent starting QB in real football who's still getting better and really only 5 games in to his career; and for fantasy he's already a top 10 QB in dynasty SF who's again trending up. Competent head coach. Surrounded by talent. Wish any one of my dynasty league owners were even half as low on him as people here so I could buy him.

Right now, he is a better fantasy QB than he is a real one. He makes some great plays, but still looks erratic far too often. No QB is perfect, but he misses by a mile sometimes and when seeing the replays, it's like his mechanics are poor and he thinks he can just whip the ball and make it happen. Hopefully, Ben Johnson can coach that out of him.

Yeah I don't think anyone's debating that fact though. Regardless I agree with you! Definitely better for fantasy than for real life right now. I would not have him as a top 10 QB in the NFL. But considering his age and innate talent I think there's still 10 or so teams in the NFL that would prefer him over what they currently have though. And again, he's literally getting better every week. Looking at historical hit rates of all QBs in NFL history, he's doing well. I don't know what people expect from him unless the bar is Burrow or bust.

Meanwhile the vibe online, particularly in fantasy circles for whatever reason, is that every loss is on his shoulders and every win is in spite of him lol. It doesn't work that way. I think he's outplayed Ward this year by miles, yet Ward doesn't get half the negativity. It's 100% personal for some people. Not you maybe. Not everyone. Probably not even the majority. But there is a loud group that seem to go out of their way to not just overlook, but write off, every positive point and ruminate on the negatives. If I was a dynasty owner I'd be happy, and on that we seem to agree. But if I was a Chicago fan, I'd also be very happy after the past three weeks. He's cut down on sacks, is limiting turnovers but also pushing the ball down the field when called on to do it, getting better with his reads, is spreading the ball around, and is acclimating to a Ben Johnson offense which is notorious for not exactly being easy to pick up. If he plateaus and never improves from here, yeah its a disappointment. But I don't see any reason to predict the opposite of what we've been seeing through the first 1/3rd of this year; steady continuous improvement. Plus ultimately we all know the one truth of any professional sports team, winning games cures just about any problem you can come up with. And with Saints, Ravens (maybe Lamar-less) and Bengals on the slate for the next 3 games, I think they add another couple to the W column.

I think his erratic throws are so bad that it just gives the impression that he is still far away, when he probably isn't. The talent is there, we can see it when he plays, but the accuracy needs to improve. I know some think Troy Aikman is too hard on him, but Aikman is right in that a QB has to make the layups, and Caleb is still missing too many of them.

 

[Dizzy]

Aikman was great at pointing out Caleeb and the WRs are reading and reacting to defenses differently (man vs zone). That should be easy for the coaches to correct and get everyone on the same page.

The one that really hurt was the wide-open crosser in Q4 from the CHI 5 yd line... I think that dude runs untouched to the house if he didn't simply drop a well-thrown pass (in stride). Would have been a better stat line with a ~95yd TD pass on the books.

I'm giving Caleb a pass for 2024. CHI, historically, has been a QB killer (like NYJ, like CLE, etc.). If I can block 2024 out and view it as a fresh start... I see progress.

 

[pinkstapler]

Fantasy QB12 and the 11 QBs ahead of him haven't had their bye week yet like Chicago. He'd likely be top 6 if not for the bye. He looks better and better every week in the system. And once again he had several plays last night where his WRs dropped good balls, namely Zaccheaus nearly blowing the game dropping one that hit him in the hands on a 3rd down with a wide open field in front of him. It's wild the hate this kid gets lol. It's not even like he's some Justin Fields getting his fantasy scoring purely on rushing and garbage time despite being miserable in the passing game. He's on track to clear 4000 passing yards and get 37 TDs (would be the first Bears QB in history to clear 4k yards). Even most of the downtrodden Bears fans have moved on from the reactionary "bust" takes. He's clearly a competent starting QB in real football who's still getting better and really only 5 games in to his career; and for fantasy he's already a top 10 QB in dynasty SF who's again trending up. Competent head coach. Surrounded by talent. Wish any one of my dynasty league owners were even half as low on him as people here so I could buy him.

Right now, he is a better fantasy QB than he is a real one. He makes some great plays, but still looks erratic far too often. No QB is perfect, but he misses by a mile sometimes and when seeing the replays, it's like his mechanics are poor and he thinks he can just whip the ball and make it happen. Hopefully, Ben Johnson can coach that out of him.

Yeah I don't think anyone's debating that fact though. Regardless I agree with you! Definitely better for fantasy than for real life right now. I would not have him as a top 10 QB in the NFL. But considering his age and innate talent I think there's still 10 or so teams in the NFL that would prefer him over what they currently have though. And again, he's literally getting better every week. Looking at historical hit rates of all QBs in NFL history, he's doing well. I don't know what people expect from him unless the bar is Burrow or bust.

Meanwhile the vibe online, particularly in fantasy circles for whatever reason, is that every loss is on his shoulders and every win is in spite of him lol. It doesn't work that way. I think he's outplayed Ward this year by miles, yet Ward doesn't get half the negativity. It's 100% personal for some people. Not you maybe. Not everyone. Probably not even the majority. But there is a loud group that seem to go out of their way to not just overlook, but write off, every positive point and ruminate on the negatives. If I was a dynasty owner I'd be happy, and on that we seem to agree. But if I was a Chicago fan, I'd also be very happy after the past three weeks. He's cut down on sacks, is limiting turnovers but also pushing the ball down the field when called on to do it, getting better with his reads, is spreading the ball around, and is acclimating to a Ben Johnson offense which is notorious for not exactly being easy to pick up. If he plateaus and never improves from here, yeah its a disappointment. But I don't see any reason to predict the opposite of what we've been seeing through the first 1/3rd of this year; steady continuous improvement. Plus ultimately we all know the one truth of any professional sports team, winning games cures just about any problem you can come up with. And with Saints, Ravens (maybe Lamar-less) and Bengals on the slate for the next 3 games, I think they add another couple to the W column.

I think his erratic throws are so bad that it just gives the impression that he is still far away, when he probably isn't. The talent is there, we can see it when he plays, but the accuracy needs to improve. I know some think Troy Aikman is too hard on him, but Aikman is right in that a QB has to make the layups, and Caleb is still missing too many of them.

I think that's fair. I probably err too far the other way where I see a bad throw as a bad throw; unless it winds up in the other teams hands I don't put much measure to HOW bad it is. Which could be an oversight on my part.

Normally I like Aikman and in the past games I haven't seen/heard much wrong. But now that you say that, I do think he was being overly negative last night and some of his calls were just straight bad IMO. The one stands out to me most was his call on the Zaccheaus pass I brought up; he said something about "Williams hit him high in his pads". It legit hit him in the hands. I think he even corrected himself on the replay changing his stance to "Well everything did look perfect there but the catch." It's not something I would have even brought up though; wasn't so egregious I was agitated about it. But maybe if I was a Bears fan I would have felt differently. I know I used to HATE Charles Davis announcing Steelers games at some points and felt he definitely had something against them. I also know it was probably mostly in my head lol. Every team probably has an announcer they think is biased against their players or team. I feel like half of the league says it about Joe Buck hah.

Back to the point, yes it's frustrating one of Caleb's bigger issues is missing the layups. But my take on that is it seems worse than it is because they are the "easy" plays you expect everyone to do better at, so a miss there sticks out and stays in our memory a lot more than missing a deep shot in a tight window. And ultimately those are probably some of the easiest things to fix. If he had an issue with throwing velocity, or pocket awareness... those can be a lot harder IMO. So leaves me seeing a problem that is solvable, and probably a shorter time frame needed to correct. Definitely an optimists take on it though to be fair.

 

[massraider]

But there is a loud group that seem to go out of their way to not just overlook, but write off, every positive point and ruminate on the negatives

Only among the Chronically Online, Chubby, Old Guy Vaguely Angry for No Reason fantasy community.

Everyone else seems very objective about him.

Can't speak for everyone, this is just an anecdotal, in my expertise type thing that no one can question because I put the "in my experience " disclaimer in there. .

 

[Faust]

Caleb Williams trolls Troy Aikman over his 'just luck' comment during Bears' 'Monday Night Football' win over Commanders

 

[Faust]

Dave
Caleb Williams in the 4th quarter this season:

21 for 32 (65.6%)
277 passing yards
2 touchdowns
0 interceptions
113.7 passer rating

Clutch.

https://x.com/dave_bfr/status/1978121591675388079?s=61

Ficky
Caleb Williams has posted the biggest known year-over-year drop in pressure-to-sack rate of any NFL starter in recent memory.

Cutting his rate in half from a league-worst 28.2% as a rookie in 2024 to just 13.7% in 2025.

That’s growth.

https://x.com/itsfickybaby/status/1978144681310527852?s=61

 

[Manster]

But there is a loud group that seem to go out of their way to not just overlook, but write off, every positive point and ruminate on the negatives

Only among the Chronically Online, Chubby, Old Guy Vaguely Angry for No Reason fantasy community.

Everyone else seems very objective about him.

Can't speak for everyone, this is just an anecdotal, in my expertise type thing that no one can question because I put the "in my experience " disclaimer in there. .

“ chubby”…..speak for yourself.

I think it’s hilarious that people are so protective of him. Dude was sposed to be the next coming. He was overall #1. With that comes expectations. I think the jury is still out.

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

Dave
Caleb Williams in the 4th quarter this season:

21 for 32 (65.6%)
277 passing yards
2 touchdowns
0 interceptions
113.7 passer rating

Clutch.

https://x.com/dave_bfr/status/1978121591675388079?s=61

Ficky
Caleb Williams has posted the biggest known year-over-year drop in pressure-to-sack rate of any NFL starter in recent memory.

Cutting his rate in half from a league-worst 28.2% as a rookie in 2024 to just 13.7% in 2025.

That’s growth.

https://x.com/itsfickybaby/status/1978144681310527852?s=61

It's almost like he's <GASP> improved during and since his rookie season.

 

[massraider]

I think it’s hilarious that people are so protective of him.

WHO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? Dude, this thread is 33 pages of people crapping on this guy based on made up clickbait, and like me and one other guy pointing it out. They admit it!

I honestly don’t know first hand if he’s a diva, or a douche. Just going on 2nd/3rd hand info

Where are the national writers and legions of fans who are protecting him? I don't see them. Bears fans in here, gaslighting everyone about how awesome their QB is? Nope, it's a bunch of, I don't like his attitude, just a vibe I get.

He just beat Jayden Daniels on the road, was this thread full of people talking about how awesome it was that he beat everyone's favorite QB? NO.

 

[Manster]

I’m actually starting him in a TD heavy league because of his rushing potential.
I have Mayfield, and Staff elsewhere.

All I’m saying is people get emotional about it him. It’s just kind of funny to me.

 

[higgins]

All I’m saying is people get emotional about it him. It’s just kind of funny to me.

Who has gotten emotional? Just curious….

 

[Brunell4MVP]

I'm a big believer in Caleb. And Daniels, Maye and Penix. I was not so high on Rattler or Nix, but they've done fine. Every fan and coach wants their QB to be a star day 1. These are young men going up against grown adults with 5+ years experience. They are also in a position of being a leader of experienced players. It's not an easy job. They all have the skills for the job. It's the other stuff, and not all is in their control. Bad coaches, average teammates, schedules that get harder if they succeed.

We are programmed to say they are making X and were drafted at X, so they need to perform. I'ts not that easy. The number of QBs that started out awesome and didnt have a couple of down years to start their career is super small. Using a recency bias ... QBs like Brady, Manning, Aikman, Elway, Farve, Brees, Stafford and Rodgers all took time for success. Some never got it (Marino, Rivers, Ryan, etc). All were super talented.

Give these boys some time. They may turn into Mayfield, Goff, Darnold where their teams wouldn't give them enough time, good players, or smart coaches. They might also turn into Justin Fields or worse. It takes a bit of patience. It would be dumb not to have it and move to another QB when the one you need is already in your hand.

 

[Manster]

I'm a big believer in Caleb. And Daniels, Maye and Penix. I was not so high on Rattler or Nix, but they've done fine. Every fan and coach wants their QB to be a star day 1. These are young men going up against grown adults with 5+ years experience. They are also in a position of being a leader of experienced players. It's not an easy job. They all have the skills for the job. It's the other stuff, and not all is in their control. Bad coaches, average teammates, schedules that get harder if they succeed.

We are programmed to say they are making X and were drafted at X, so they need to perform. I'ts not that easy. The number of QBs that started out awesome and didnt have a couple of down years to start their career is super small. Using a recency bias ... QBs like Brady, Manning, Aikman, Elway, Farve, Brees, Stafford and Rodgers all took time for success. Some never got it (Marino, Rivers, Ryan, etc). All were super talented.

Give these boys some time. They may turn into Mayfield, Goff, Darnold where their teams wouldn't give them enough time, good players, or smart coaches. They might also turn into Justin Fields or worse. It takes a bit of patience. It would be dumb not to have it and move to another QB when the one you need is already in your hand.

Of those mentioned, I think Penix may end up having the best pro career. Loved him in college.

 

[miqws]

Article on Bears OC.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/why-is-ben-johnson-trusting-a-29-year-old-first-time-colleague-to-coordinate-bears-offense-develop-caleb-williams-meet-declan-doyle-and-youll-understand-190819357.html

 

[efactor]

I'm a big believer in Caleb. And Daniels, Maye and Penix. I was not so high on Rattler or Nix, but they've done fine. Every fan and coach wants their QB to be a star day 1. These are young men going up against grown adults with 5+ years experience. They are also in a position of being a leader of experienced players. It's not an easy job. They all have the skills for the job. It's the other stuff, and not all is in their control. Bad coaches, average teammates, schedules that get harder if they succeed.

We are programmed to say they are making X and were drafted at X, so they need to perform. I'ts not that easy. The number of QBs that started out awesome and didnt have a couple of down years to start their career is super small. Using a recency bias ... QBs like Brady, Manning, Aikman, Elway, Farve, Brees, Stafford and Rodgers all took time for success. Some never got it (Marino, Rivers, Ryan, etc). All were super talented.

Give these boys some time. They may turn into Mayfield, Goff, Darnold where their teams wouldn't give them enough time, good players, or smart coaches. They might also turn into Justin Fields or worse. It takes a bit of patience. It would be dumb not to have it and move to another QB when the one you need is already in your hand.

Of those mentioned, I think Penix may end up having the best pro career. Loved him in college.

Like him too. Just wish they would get him another good receiver. London and garbage. Hopefully Mooney back soon.

 

[pinkstapler]

I'm a big believer in Caleb. And Daniels, Maye and Penix. I was not so high on Rattler or Nix, but they've done fine. Every fan and coach wants their QB to be a star day 1. These are young men going up against grown adults with 5+ years experience. They are also in a position of being a leader of experienced players. It's not an easy job. They all have the skills for the job. It's the other stuff, and not all is in their control. Bad coaches, average teammates, schedules that get harder if they succeed.

We are programmed to say they are making X and were drafted at X, so they need to perform. I'ts not that easy. The number of QBs that started out awesome and didnt have a couple of down years to start their career is super small. Using a recency bias ... QBs like Brady, Manning, Aikman, Elway, Farve, Brees, Stafford and Rodgers all took time for success. Some never got it (Marino, Rivers, Ryan, etc). All were super talented.

Give these boys some time. They may turn into Mayfield, Goff, Darnold where their teams wouldn't give them enough time, good players, or smart coaches. They might also turn into Justin Fields or worse. It takes a bit of patience. It would be dumb not to have it and move to another QB when the one you need is already in your hand.

Good post. Also I think we need a little logical consistency with assessing guys once they are in the NFL. People in the JCM thread are spot on when they say "Who gives a... that Bill was a 7th round pick at this point, it doesn't matter now. The level he's playing at and the status he's earned on that team now weighs much more heavy than that." Could it factor in if he falls off suddenly, sure. But it's a small sliver in the pie chart of analyzing who is and projecting his career arc now.

Not sure why, but we seem to have a much more difficult time doing this same thing in reverse though. I refused to reassess TLaw longer than I should have on new information, at times to my teams detriments. I think Caleb is in the same vein. IDC that he was 1.01 in the NFL draft at this point. It's still a data point sure, but not nearly as relevant as it was 17 months ago. No one thinks he's going to magically be Mahomes next week, next month, or even next year. The only people I see even still suggesting that's his current bar are the people who hate him haha. It's just a strawman argument to give people something to knock down. This is without even going into the fact he wasn't really universally loved as a prospect and lots of analysts and fantasy players alike were tagging him with red flags from the start. The 1.01 is not equal year over year, and even just looking at 2024, I don't think anyone would have been that shocked if Daniels went 1.01. Maye had his fair share of supporters as well. Probably the only thing I hang my hat on about Williams being the former 1.01 is he's got plenty of leeway to grow and won't have to worry much looking over his shoulder or fearing for his job.

Really I'm just kicking myself for being down on that QB class as a whole. Might be one of my worst takes in my years of playing fantasy considering how many are looking. Even Spencer Rattler looks better to me than his record indicates, especially for a 5th round pick. And would we be surprised if Milton gets a shot and does well in the next couple years?

I think Caleb's ceiling still remains high; but what's more important is after the atrocities of last year, the information now leads us to believe he's not a full on bust. He has the capacity to improve, and is in a great situation to continue doing so. Ben Johnson with just one bye week was able to kick start that defense into gear AND establish the much, much needed running game with a guy most think is half-washed in Swift. The majority of that offensive core are rookies and 2nd year players; so he's got a few years now to continue adding in the draft and remain cap friendly. I think it's a good time to be a Bears fan.

 

[massraider]

Give these boys some time.

Yes.

This is the Lamar thread all over again. Buncha dudes who were pot committed early on, didn't give the guy a chance.

If Caleb works out, then we'll have years of, yeah, but he missed that throw in the 3rd quarter.

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

I'm a big believer in Caleb. And Daniels, Maye and Penix. I was not so high on Rattler or Nix, but they've done fine. Every fan and coach wants their QB to be a star day 1. These are young men going up against grown adults with 5+ years experience. They are also in a position of being a leader of experienced players. It's not an easy job. They all have the skills for the job. It's the other stuff, and not all is in their control. Bad coaches, average teammates, schedules that get harder if they succeed.

We are programmed to say they are making X and were drafted at X, so they need to perform. I'ts not that easy. The number of QBs that started out awesome and didnt have a couple of down years to start their career is super small. Using a recency bias ... QBs like Brady, Manning, Aikman, Elway, Farve, Brees, Stafford and Rodgers all took time for success. Some never got it (Marino, Rivers, Ryan, etc). All were super talented.

Give these boys some time. They may turn into Mayfield, Goff, Darnold where their teams wouldn't give them enough time, good players, or smart coaches. They might also turn into Justin Fields or worse. It takes a bit of patience. It would be dumb not to have it and move to another QB when the one you need is already in your hand.

Good post. Also I think we need a little logical consistency with assessing guys once they are in the NFL. People in the JCM thread are spot on when they say "Who gives a... that Bill was a 7th round pick at this point, it doesn't matter now. The level he's playing at and the status he's earned on that team now weighs much more heavy than that." Could it factor in if he falls off suddenly, sure. But it's a small sliver in the pie chart of analyzing who is and projecting his career arc now.

Not sure why, but we seem to have a much more difficult time doing this same thing in reverse though. I refused to reassess TLaw longer than I should have on new information, at times to my teams detriments. I think Caleb is in the same vein. IDC that he was 1.01 in the NFL draft at this point. It's still a data point sure, but not nearly as relevant as it was 17 months ago. No one thinks he's going to magically be Mahomes next week, next month, or even next year. The only people I see even still suggesting that's his current bar are the people who hate him haha. It's just a strawman argument to give people something to knock down. This is without even going into the fact he wasn't really universally loved as a prospect and lots of analysts and fantasy players alike were tagging him with red flags from the start. The 1.01 is not equal year over year, and even just looking at 2024, I don't think anyone would have been that shocked if Daniels went 1.01. Maye had his fair share of supporters as well. Probably the only thing I hang my hat on about Williams being the former 1.01 is he's got plenty of leeway to grow and won't have to worry much looking over his shoulder or fearing for his job.

Really I'm just kicking myself for being down on that QB class as a whole. Might be one of my worst takes in my years of playing fantasy considering how many are looking. Even Spencer Rattler looks better to me than his record indicates, especially for a 5th round pick. And would we be surprised if Milton gets a shot and does well in the next couple years?

I think Caleb's ceiling still remains high; but what's more important is after the atrocities of last year, the information now leads us to believe he's not a full on bust. He has the capacity to improve, and is in a great situation to continue doing so. Ben Johnson with just one bye week was able to kick start that defense into gear AND establish the much, much needed running game with a guy most think is half-washed in Swift. The majority of that offensive core are rookies and 2nd year players; so he's got a few years now to continue adding in the draft and remain cap friendly. I think it's a good time to be a Bears fan.

Don't beat yourself up. Lots of pundits out there had doubts about this class. Drake Maye had terrible pocket presence in college. Daniels was to slight of frame to be a dual threat QB. Penix was an injury risk and old. Caleb was a diva. Rattler had never played in a 'real' offense. The hits go on. Personally I was down on Daniels and Maye for the given reasons, although I did pick up Rattler in almost every league I'm in (usually 3rd round or later). That's what makes this game fun, right??

 

[Chaka]

Give these boys some time.

Yes.

This is the Lamar thread all over again. Buncha dudes who were pot committed early on, didn't give the guy a chance.

If Caleb works out, then we'll have years of, yeah, but he missed that throw in the 3rd quarter.

Lamar couldn't even start over Cooper Rush and Tyler Huntley last week.

 

[Gottabesweet]

Short week, possibly no DJ Moore. In redraft I’m in decision mode every week. Caleb and Odunze or Herbert and Ladd. Or mix and match.

Pretty even in FBG ranks this week. I suspect many more have weekly decisions with Caleb drafting him in some part of QBBC?

 

[BlackCrowes]

Short week, possibly no DJ Moore. In redraft I’m in decision mode every week. Caleb and Odunze or Herbert and Ladd. Or mix and match.

Pretty even in FBG ranks this week. I suspect many more have weekly decisions with Caleb drafting him in some part of QBBC?

Williams/Maye for me. have Maye for now

 

[Manster]

I have Staff/Williams in two leagues. I like Williams matchup better

 

[zed2283]

3-2 record and a 9:2 TD:INT ratio.


Hopefully can hold off Bagent another week. Fingers crossed

I just knew they were gonna pull him mid game when I saw his fingernails were painted multiple colors. MULTIPLE COLORS! You can't lead a group of men if your nails are painted more than 1 friggin' color.

Right, because it's the multiple colors that makes it weird...

 

[jobarules]

Short week, possibly no DJ Moore. In redraft I’m in decision mode every week. Caleb and Odunze or Herbert and Ladd. Or mix and match.

Pretty even in FBG ranks this week. I suspect many more have weekly decisions with Caleb drafting him in some part of QBBC?

For now Maye has been set and forget over Caleb for me.

 

[cdclopper]

The fued with Aikman is weird.

 

[Chaka]

3-2 record and a 9:2 TD:INT ratio.


Hopefully can hold off Bagent another week. Fingers crossed

I just knew they were gonna pull him mid game when I saw his fingernails were painted multiple colors. MULTIPLE COLORS! You can't lead a group of men if your nails are painted more than 1 friggin' color.

Right, because it's the multiple colors that makes it weird...

What makes it weird then?

I'm sure plenty of players get manicures with clear coats of macro protect nail defense serum XPLODE!!! (i.e. nail polish).

 

[Ghost Rider]

The fued with Aikman weird.

Agreed. Oh, so an announcer was a bit too critical of me? BFD. This is the NFL. Put on your big boy pants, get over it and move on.

 

[massraider]

Agreed. Oh, so an announcer was a bit too critical of me? BFD. This is the NFL. Put on your big boy pants, get over it and move on.

What was the comment he made?

 

[cdclopper]

Agreed. Oh, so an announcer was a bit too critical of me? BFD. This is the NFL. Put on your big boy pants, get over it and move on.

What was the comment he made?

I can't recall specifically, but there was allegedly something cryptic in an instagram post. Could pure media/twitter speculation.

 

[Ray Barboni]

The fued with Aikman weird.

Agreed. Oh, so an announcer was a bit too critical of me? BFD. This is the NFL. Put on your big boy pants, get over it and move on.

When you're acting like a big boy, what pants do you put on? asking for a friend

 

[Faust]

Bears' Caleb Williams 'could care less' about outside criticism

 

[massraider]

https://x.com/CalebFC18/status/1978549021032513601?t=o3juzFPKHbVwgsHktdGPYQ&s=19

Caleb on criticism from Aikman:

"I could care less"

Yes yes yes, when will this man baby ever grow up?

 

[BlackCrowes]

Bears' Caleb Williams 'could care less' about outside criticism

Ok, care less then

 

[Chaka]

Agreed. Oh, so an announcer was a bit too critical of me? BFD. This is the NFL. Put on your big boy pants, get over it and move on.

What was the comment he made?

I can't recall specifically, but there was allegedly something cryptic in an instagram post. Could pure media/twitter speculation.

I believe what Caleb took exception to was Aikman saying the Bears got lucky on the Swift TD.

Both Aikman's comment and, Caleb's response seem pretty benign but, people are clearly looking for reasons to reinforce their opinions about Caleb.

 

[massraider]

Both Aikman's comment and, Caleb's response seem pretty benign but, people are clearly looking for reasons to reinforce their opinions about Caleb.

There was one play during the most recent game, where Aikman was criticizing Caleb for not giving the receiver a chance after the catch. The play in question, the receiver settled in the zone, facing Caleb. Caleb's pass pulled the receiver to the right, it looked off target. The off target pass pulled the receiver between the two zone defenders, and he got the first down.

If he had thrown the ball exactly at the receiver's chest, the receiver would have been stopped dead, ball in his hand, facing the wrong way, two defenders in a position to stop him from getting the 1st. In no way did Caleb hinder the RAC chances, the guy was stopped in a zone.

Pass completed, first down. And Aikman was acting like it was a failed play.

 

[ProstheticRGK]

The fued with Aikman weird.

Agreed. Oh, so an announcer was a bit too critical of me? BFD. This is the NFL. Put on your big boy pants, get over it and move on.

When you're acting like a big boy, what pants do you put on? asking for a friend

Cargo

 

[Manster]

https://x.com/CalebFC18/status/1978549021032513601?t=o3juzFPKHbVwgsHktdGPYQ&s=19

Caleb on criticism from Aikman:

"I could care less"

Yes yes yes, when will this man baby ever grow up?

Isn’t it sposed to be “couldn’t care less?”

 

[FreeBaGeL]

https://x.com/CalebFC18/status/1978549021032513601?t=o3juzFPKHbVwgsHktdGPYQ&s=19

Caleb on criticism from Aikman:

"I could care less"

Yes yes yes, when will this man baby ever grow up?

Man there is nothing people can't make a volcano out of with this kid. You read what people say about him on here and you'd think he's the world's biggest primadonna. But there doesn't appear to be any substance behind that at all.

I watched his interview after the MNF game where he had a really good game and led a game winning drive on national TV and all he could talk about in the interview was how excited he was for Jake Moody and how great that must have felt for him.

It's reflective of his play in the field too. He is pretty good not great but reading most of this thread you'd think he's Zach Wilson out there. Other QBs this early in their career play MUCH worse, even ones that were big time prospects (ahem...TLaw) and they're viewed completely differently.

 

[JoeSteeler]

https://x.com/CalebFC18/status/1978549021032513601?t=o3juzFPKHbVwgsHktdGPYQ&s=19

Caleb on criticism from Aikman:

"I could care less"

Yes yes yes, when will this man baby ever grow up?

Isn’t it sposed to be “couldn’t care less?”

It depends if he could or if he couldn’t

 

[Buckna]

Glad I started him over Stafford today

 

[jobarules]

Cant believe people think hes good

 

[ProstheticRGK]

I started him last week and this week, with Lamar out.

I’m not even watching this game today, but this kid aucks and doesn’t have “it”. It’s nothing to do with painted nails or anything non-football. He just isn’t good.

 

[Chaka]

His escapability is truly impressive and, his pocket awareness is definitely improved but, his off script/off platform accuracy is surprisingly bad considering it was such a strength of his in college.

I like how he keeps his eyes down field when he's scrambling but it just looks like every time he's out of the pocket he throws everything at maximum velocity as if he believes he can just muscle everything in.

But, scoreboard and four straight wins so whatever I guess.

 

[Ray Barboni]

Disappointing game for sure, especially considering the opponent. But, this poor output, will be the outlier for him this season. He's obviously improved, and will continue to. The run game finally looking good only means great things for the bears offense.