Just the thought of pitting Jay Cutler against Aaron Rodgers for fantasy football purposes in a primetime game which could help decide the fate of both the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers in 2015 is almost laughable. History suggests that Cutler stands absolutely no chance against a man who is surely headed to Canton in the not-too-distant future, and it's tough to argue with that sentiment when you look at the direction the Packers and Bears are headed in coming into Thursday night.
You can find weekly head-to-head fantasy matchup odds at BookMaker.eu.
Cutler really deserves all the credit in the world for hanging in there this year. It would've been easy for him to tank this season. The Bears have a new coaching staff, they traded away Brandon Marshall for essentially a box of footballs, they haven't had Kevin White, their first round pick all season long, and Alshon Jeffrey and Matt Forte have now combined to miss eight games between them. Furthermore, the man projected to be the second best receiver on the team this year, Eddie Royal has missed three games in a row as well.
There's a good chance that all three of Jeffrey, Royal and Forte won't be playing on Thursday, and that leaves Cutler with just Jeremy Langford, Marquess Wilson, Martellus Bennett, Zach Miller and Josh Bellamy to try to throw the ball to. Yikes.
But again, Cutler deserves some props. In a year where it all could've gone wrong, he's still averaging just a tick below 20 fantasy points per game.
That said, we know that Cutler has gotten some help as well that he likely isn't getting. Langford and Miller both took screen passes 80+ yards against the Rams a couple weeks ago for touchdowns. Neither one has really been a factor since that point for this offense, though it should be noted that few have succeeded against Denver's defense, the one which Cutler was up against last week.
Green Bay sacked Teddy Bridgewater six times last week after going over 100 pass attempts without recording a single sack. It was like there was blood in the water after getting that first takedown, and the Packers never stopped coming. They sacked Cutler just twice in Week 1 when these two teams met, but Chicago's quarterback spent a ton of time picking himself up off of the grass at Soldier Field on his 38 drop backs.
Rodgers isn't having an MVP season as many suggested he might this year, but let's not forget that in a year where Randall Cobb, Richard Rodgers and James Jones have run more bad routes and dropped more balls on him than ever before, he's still averaging 25.6 fantasy points per game.
Rodgers has still only been picked off twice at home over the course of the last two seasons, both of which came in that game against St. Louis in the middle of the year. It's also notable that now, he's getting a little more comfortable with guys like Jeff Janis deep. This offense has badly missed Jordy Nelson's straight line speed up the field, and now that Janis is bringing that deep element, Rodgers is starting to get things together.
Rodgers, in spite of his team's struggles, does have eight touchdown passes in his last three games combined, so it isn't out of the question that he tosses two scores again. He's clearly going to be laying some lumber against Cutler, likely as many as five or six fantasy points. We'll still take our chances though, unless all of a sudden the Bears get most of their offensive threats back to help Cutler out.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier.
BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers is scheduled for Thursday, November 26, 2015, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field. The game will be broadcast regionally on NBC.
