Fantasy football owners are trying to digest the news that Jay Cutler was traded to the Chicago Bears from the Denver Broncos. This news will affect many NFL players in the fantasy football world.

Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (Image: Newscom)

First of all, Cutler himself probably sees his stock lower quite significantly. In Chicago, he joins a team with a mediocre receiving corps and a history of running the ball often. Logic suggests his stats will drop after spending his last few years in the wide open offense run in Denver.

For the Broncos, the wide receivers also see their stocks go south. Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal aren’t worth as much without Cutler delivering passes. However, whoever wins the running back battle for the Broncos could see their stock rise due to more carries.

In Chicago, the Bears receivers are now viable in the fantasy world. Devin Hester, the return specialist turned wide receiver, will be a popular sleeper pick during 2009 fantasy football drafts. If he enters the season as the number one wide receiver, Cutler could look for him early and often.

Tight end Greg Olson should also see his stock rise considerably following the acquisition of Cutler. He seems to have all the tools to be a star at the position and Cutler may be able to push him to the next level.

Also keep an eye to see on who will become the quarterback in Denver. With a new regime in town, the offensive tinkering may just have just begun.

QB Shaun Hill, San Francisco 49ers
Not only is Shaun Hill playing good football at the moment, his Week 16 matchup against the St. Louis Rams is golden. If you need a fantasy football quarterback for this week and Hill is available on the waiver wire, pick him up and start him without hesitation.

RB Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals
Last week, Benson had 152 total yards against the Washington Redskins. In Week 16, he gets to play the porous defense of the Cleveland Browns. Benson is starting to reach his potential and is a relatively safe fantasy football start this week.

WR Devin Hester, Chicago Bears
In the last four weeks, Devin Hester is starting to look like a legit fantasy football wide receiver. He has at least three catches and at least 45 receiving yards in each contest. This week against the Green Bay Packers, he should continue his production.

TE Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans Saints
Although Jeremy Shockey is coming off of a quiet week, he’s a good start in Week 16 of the fantasy football season. The main reason why he’s a sleeper is that he’s going against the Detroit Lions. There’s a definite chance that Drew Brees will find Shockey in the end zone for his first touchdown of the season.

QB Gus Frerotte, Minnesota Vikings
Although not considered a top fantasy football quarterback in 2008 by any means, Gus Frerotte has certainly exceeded expectations. He has thrown for at least one touchdown pass in each of his starts except for one game. In his last three games, he has six touchdown passes. Going up against an overrated Jacksonville Jaguars defense, Frerotte should continue to produce.

RB Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills
Fred Jackson has emerged as one of the better backup running backs in the NFL in 2008. In Week 12, Jackson and the Bills take on the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have played decently lately but they remain a horrid defensive team against the run. Look for Jackson to get plenty of touches and produce like a starter in Week 12.

WR Devin Hester, Chicago Bears
The St. Louis Rams have been horrible recently, especially when it comes to making tackles. With Devin Hester coming to town, that’s a bad combination. While Hester hasn’t had the amazing year many expected, he’s still a threat to break a long one — whether in the passing game or the return game. Week 12 may be his breakout game owners have been waiting for.

TE Kevin Boss, New York Giants
Last week, Kevin Boss was held without a catch. But that was against the Baltimore Ravens, one of the best defensive teams in the NFL. In the previous three weeks, Boss caught a touchdown pass in each. In Week 12, the Giants go up against the Arizona Cardinals and Boss should be able to get back into the swing of things.

QB Brodie Croyle, Kansas City Chiefs
After attempting only four passes, Brodie Croyle suffered what the team is calling head trauma and was unable to return to the game. Third string quarterback Tyler Thigpen was given the reins.

RB Justin Fargas, Oakland Raiders
While running a route, Justin Fargas fell to the field with what appeared to be a groin injury. Fargas was unable to return to the game and appeared to be in serious pain.

RB Laurence Maroney, New England Patriots
Early in the game, Laurence Maroney left the field with a shoulder injury. The good news for the Patriots is Maroney was able to return late in the fourth quarter.

WR Logan Payne and Seneca Wallace, Seattle Seahawks
The amazing run of bad luck for the Seahawks continues with two more injuries in the wide receiver corps. With Deion Branch, Bobby Engram, Nate Burleson and Ben Obomanu already injured, Seattle receivers Logan Payne and Seneca Wallace both got injured on Sunday.

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Fantasy Quarterback Sleeper
Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals - Kurt Warner has 27 touchdown passes last season, even though he entered the season as the backup to Matt Leinart. This season, Warner enters the season as the starter and could get 30+ touchdown passes. However, keep Leinart on your team because Warner tends to be fragile.

Fantasy Running Back Sleeper
Selvin Young, Denver Broncos
While you can expect Selvin Young to have to split carries, he’s a player who could very easily finish 2008 with 1,200+ rushing yards. His touchdowns might not come as regularly as you’d like but he should be a solid option as a third running back on a fantasy football team.

Fantasy Wide Receiver Sleeper
Devin Hester, Chicago Bears
As we’ve been saying for the last couple months, Devin Hester is a low risk, high reward type player for 2008. He’s going to start at wide receiver for the Bears and will likely see a lot of balls thrown his way. As we all know, once he has the football in his hands, he’s as dangerous as anyone in the game.

Fantasy Tight End Sleeper
Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
Owen Daniels is getting ignored a bit due to not scoring many touchdowns last year and playing on a team that didn’t get much fantasy attention. However, Daniels ended last year with 63 catches and 768 yards for the Texans. In his third year, he could really start to blossom.

Fantasy Kicker Sleeper
Josh Scobee, Jacksonville Jaguars
If you want to wait on drafting your fantasy kicker, consider taking Josh Scobee late in the draft. He was injured for much of last season but kicked very well once he got healthy enough to play. This season, the Jaguars should be able to move the ball offensively quite easily.

Fantasy Defense Sleeper
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have long been considered an elite fantasy football defense. This year, a lot of experts are saying they will be sub par. While they may struggle at times, the Ravens are too talented to totally fall out of the top ten.

Training camp for the Chicago Bears has kicked off and almost everyone seems to be happy. Not too long ago, happiness appeared to be a longshot. With most of their issues handled, the Bears can concentrate on trying to win NFL games.

What happened during the Bears busy offseason?

- Cedric Benson got arrested once. Cedric Benson got arrested again. Cedric Benson got released. The Bears drafted running back help. The Bears then signed running back help.

- Devin Hester held out but then got the contract he wanted.

- Brian Urlacher threatened to hold out but then got the contract he wanted.

While it was certainly a crazy offseason for the Bears, what if Brett Favre ends up with the Bears? The craziness would reach an all-time new high.

Here is the video of the Chicago Bears Training Camp:

After Devin Hester was a training camp holdout, the Chicago Bears decided to give him a new contract. The new contract is reported to be worth approximately $30 over four years.

Interestingly enough, Hester’s contract has a lot of performance bonuses built in if he can succeed at wide receiver. With even more incentive, Hester is now looking more and more like legit wide receiver prospect in fantasy football. We earlier listed Devin Hester as a wide receiver sleeper for 2008 fantasy football, and his sleeper status is even greater now.

Everything in Chicago points to Hester getting a lot of chances to become the team’s number one receiver. With that in mind, making Hester a late round pick in your 2008 fantasy football draft could turn out to be a steal.

Devin Hester is understandably happy with his new contract.

Photo: Newscom

When Brian Urlacher signed his new contract, many thought the drama the Chicago Bears would face in training camp had been averted. However, drama has managed to survive and thrive in training camp for the Bears in the form of a Devin Hester holdout.

Hester, who is Chicago’s return sensation, wants a new contract. Seeing as how Hester is in line to become the best return man in the history of the NFL, it is difficult to argue that he should be happy with his current deal of less than a million dollars per year.

Not only was Hester scheduled to be the Bears’ return man once again, he was going to be a weapon on offense. In fact, we named Devin Hester as a sleeper at wide receiver for 2008 fantasy football.

Look for the Bears to act quickly to get Hester into the fold. If this holdout lasts into the season, the Bears’ already limited ability to put points on the board will be hurt even further.

How long will Devin Hester’s holdout last?

Photo: Newscom

Anthony Gonzalez, Indianapolis Colts - With questions surrounding Marvin Harrison, Gonzalez holds a lot of value. If Gonzalez becomes a full-time starter, he could put up very good stats in 2008. As a rookie last season, Gonzalez proved he has very good skills.

Devin Hester, Chicago Bears - The Bears lost both of their top wide receivers to free agency. Someone is going to have to catch passes and it might as well be Devin Hester. The Bears coaching staff seems sold on the idea that Hester can be productive in the passing game.

Terry Glenn, Dallas Cowboys - If Glenn is starting for the Cowboys, he’ll surprise a lot of people in the fantasy football world. While his situation is a bit cloudy at the moment, keep an eye on Glenn as a possible sleeper for the 2008 season.

Terry Glenn Highlight Video:

For Week 8, here are some players who you can probably get off your waiver wire and confidently put in your starting lineup.

QB Trent Edwards, Buffalo Bills - Edwards has gotten his feet wet as a starting quarterback in the NFL. He hasn’t had great success but he’s shown enough to be somewhat confident in his abilities. In Week 8, Edwards play the Jets and their bad defense. Edwards is a good play this week and is likely sitting on your league’s waiver wire.

RB Chris Henry, Tennessee Titans - If you are hurting at the running back position, consider picking up and starting Henry. The Titans are facing the Raiders and should be running the ball a lot. Henry played in his first NFL game last week and looked rather good. He’s going to get a fair amount of carries backing up LenDale White and could finish with around 50 yards and a touchdown.

WR Devin Hester, Chicago Bears - Hester doesn’t get many looks at wide receiver for the Bears, as he’s mostly a return specialist these days. However, in Week 8 against the Lions, don’t be surprised to see Hester rack up the yardage. He has world class speed and could be able to run right by the Lions’ secondary. In fact, 100 yards and a touchdown wouldn’t be a surprise.

TE Eric Johnson, New Orleans Saints - Johnson is playing against the Niners this week, his former team. Johnson could have some redemption in mind against the team that let him go in the offseason. He has been getting many passes thrown his way and should have many more this week.