The Chicago Bears defense and special teams, once vaunted about by fantasy football owners across the nation, has taken a tumble in perception in 2021.
The unit ranks 18th overall amongst team defenses in fantasy football and is owned in ESPN leagues by just 10.8% of fantasy football managers. On Yahoo, the Bears' defense draws the slightly more favorable 17th overall ranking and enjoys a slightly higher percentage of ownership (17%).
Numbers don't lie: No matter what the platform, Chicago's defense is an afterthought in 2021 fantasy football.
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While things in general might be trending down for the Bears -- the team is still suffering through a four-game losing streak -- their Week 11 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens brings a dose of optimism.
Partially because the Bears defense held the Pittsburgh Steelers to under 300 total yards the last time it was on the field in Week 9, but mainly due to the fact Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson has missed multiple practice's heading into the Week 11 contest at Soldier Field.
How to watch: Ravens at Bears in Week 11
The Bears might have a decent Jackson imitator at practice in rookie QB Justin Fields, but the team undoubtedly would prefer to see Baltimore's backup quarterback, Tyler Huntley.
NFL
If Huntley is tapped to go on Sunday, fantasy owners might want to change their position on the Bears defense as a viable option going forward.
The Bears would be lined up to play potentially two backups in a row as the team travels to play the winless Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. The Lions current starting QB is Jared Goff who has yet to practice this week with an oblique injury.
Detroit is rumored to be starting Tim Boyle under center against the Cleveland Browns in week 11.
If you're too slow to grab Chicago's defense and special teams, maybe Cleveland is another option on the waiver wire.