Chicago Bears - Fantasy News

Zach Miller 2017 Fantasy Projections

by Derek Norton

8/13/17

NFL

Chicago Bears

Zach Miller

Nothing is certain with Zach Miller at the moment. The oft-injured tight end has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his NFL career, but the flashes are few and far between.

Considering the way the Chicago Bears have handled the tight end position, Miller’s spot in the offense isn’t guaranteed. He’ll be a player to keep an eye on in training camp as we head toward the 2017 season.

Why Zach Miller Will Be A 2017 Fantasy Football Stud

Miller was heading for a career year in 2016 before he broke his foot in Week 11. He already had career highs in targets (65), receptions (47) and yards (486) even though he had played more games in three other seasons. He was on pace for 777 yards, which would have placed him seventh among tight ends.

He averaged 48.6 yards per game, which was 12^th among tight ends. He was also on the field often. His snap percentage of 83 was ninth among tight ends. He was perfectly serviceable before going on injured reserve.

The Bears are going to face plenty of teams that struggled against tight ends in 2016. They’ll have six games against those that were 26^th or worse against tight ends last year. They’ll have 13 contests against teams that were 15^th or worse. They’ll have only two games against teams that finished in the top 10.

Why Zach Miller Will Be A 2017 Fantasy Football Dud

As mentioned, Miller has a very long injury history. He has never played all 16 games in a single season. He didn’t play a single contest from 2012 to 2014. He played only four games from the end of 2010 to the beginning of 2015. His frequent foot injuries certainly point to more foot injuries in the future.

His most recent foot injury could cost him due to the Bears’ moves in the offseason. They signed former Dolphin Dion Sims, who was one of the tight ends with a higher snap percentage (86 percent) than Miller last year.

The Bears also spent an early second-round pick on Adam Shaheen. On top of that, they have other young tight ends in Ben Braunecker and Daniel Brown. If Miller doesn’t show that he’s completely healthy in the preseason, there’s a legitimate chance he’ll get cut.

The Bears don’t have a clear answer at quarterback. One of Mike Glennon, Mitchell Trubisky, Mark Sanchez or Connor Shaw is going to be taking snaps in Week 1. None of those options are particularly appealing. Some would argue tight ends benefit from bad quarterbacks because they check down so often, but choosing receiving options because the quarterback is bad isn’t a great habit to get into in fantasy.

While Miller has been on pace for good seasons, he’s never actually had one. He has played 15 games in two years and averaged 36 targets, 27 receptions, 327.5 yards and three touchdowns. Either through injury or ineffectiveness, Miller just can’t put it together for a long period of time. He could be a decent matchup play if he makes the team, but that’s not a safe bet by any means.