Benson Unemployed, Forte Ascendant

As you no doubt know by now, Cedric Benson got caught DUI/DWi or whatever in Texas and was cut from the Bears. If Benson makes it back on a roster, I suspect it will be due to injury and that he will be a future Ron Dayne or TJ Duckett - second or third string and always rumored to vulture carries/TDs from some other starting running back. In short, he'll make some team feel better about their RB depth, but he'll never be a fantasy player of any real relevance.

As for the fantasy RB impact in Chicago, I'll side with those who think it all depends on whether and who the Bears sign to replace Benson. If a Lamont Jordan or a Shaun Alexander come to town, it's a bit trickier to judge. Otherwise, I think Forte is a good play on draft day.

In a Chicagobears.com article on Forte is this quote from prior to the release of Benson:

“He’s been tremendous,” said offensive coordinator Ron Turner. “He’s a very intelligent young man. We’re not afraid to call anything in our offense with him. Sure, he’s made some mistakes and he’s got some things to clean up technique-wise and assignment-wise and all that. We’ll continue to work on that. But he’s a very bright young man that can do a lot of things.”