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The Chicago Bears were established in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys. A year later, the Staleys renamed their organization to the Bears and relocated to Chicago. The franchise won eight NFL championships before the AFL-NFL merger.
Since then, Chicago Bears have won Super Bowl XX, two NFC Championships, and 11 divisional titles. The Bears have entered the playoffs 28 times, with only two appearances since 2010.
With over a century of existence, some of the best American football players in history donned the Chicago uniform for most of their careers. They are not only some of the franchise’s best but also some of the most iconic athletes in the NFL. Here are the five best fantasy seasons from a Chicago Bears player.
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#5 Walter Payton - 1977
Stats: 339 carries, 1,852 yards, and 14 touchdowns, plus 27 catches for 269 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns
I'm not entirely sure fantasy football was a thing back in 1977, but if it was and Walter Payton was on your team, you remember. The all-time great ran for a Bears' record 1,852 yards and 14 touchdowns, another franchise record. Payton's 310.6 fantasy points were 60 more than all other players that year.
Averaging a healthy 22.2 points per game across 14 games, the Hall-of-Famer separated himself from the field. Walter Payton ran for 579 more yards than all other running backs in the NFL that year. His VBD of 209 blew the competition out of the water, signifying how much better he was than the average fantasy starter that year.
#4 Brandon Marshall - 2013
Stats: 100 receptions, 1,295 yards, and 12 touchdowns
Marshall followed up his historic 2012 season with another dominant season. Although the former fourth-round draft pick scored 20.1 fewer fantasy points than the year before and finished as the WR6, Brandon Marshall's 2013 season was nothing short of excellent once again. Marshall finished with a healthy 255.5 fantasy points, averaging out to 16 per game.
Once again, Marshall averaged over 10 targets per game coming from Jay Cutler and converted them into an elite fantasy season. The (should-be) future Hall-of-Famer topped 20 points six times throughout the season. Brandon Marshall finished inside the league's top five in receptions and receiving touchdowns in 2013.
#3 Matt Forte - 2014
Stats: 266 carries, 1,038 yards, and 6 touchdowns, plus 102 receptions for 808 receiving yards and 4 receiving touchdowns
In his second to last season as a Chicago Bear, Matt Forte set an NFL record for most receptions in a single season, with 102. Though Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler have since topped that record, Forte's 2014 season will go down as one of the best in Chicago history. His 295.6 fantasy points ranked third among running backs that year.
For the second straight year, Forte averaged over 18.4 points per game and was a key cog for his owners. His 2014 game log is nothing short of brilliant. On 10 occurrences Forte finished as a weekly top-10 running back, including back-to-back weeks as the leading scorer at the position. The Chicago great scored at least 18.5 points in all 10 of those games.
#2 Matt Forte - 2013
Stats: 289 carries, 1,339 rushing yards, and 9 rushing touchdowns, plus 74 catches for 594 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns
Matt Forte was one of the best running backs in the league during his eight years as a Chicago Bear. Forte was one of the premier receiving backs as his versatility made him an elite fantasy option. 2013 was his most productive fantasy season. Forte finished as the third-highest-scoring running back that year, totaling 300.3 half-PPR points.
Averaging a healthy 18.8 points per game, consistency was what defined Matt Forte's 2013 season. The former second-round pick finished as a top-twelve back in 10 separate weeks throughout the year. Forte scored under 13 points and finished outside the week's top-20 backs just twice. Eight of his games went for 19+ points, satisfying his fantasy owners immensely.
#1 Brandon Marshall - 2012
Stats: 118 receptions, 1,508 yards, and 11 touchdowns
Brandon Marshall's first year as a Chicago Bear was nothing short of spectacular. After spending the first six years of his career in Denver and Miami, Marshall set career highs in all receiving categories, thanks to the 192 targets Jay Cutler threw his way. Marshall's 275.6 fantasy points were a narrow second to Calvin Johnson's 281.4. 2012 was the year Johnson broke the NFL single-season receiving record with 1,964 yards.
The former UCF Knight caught at least five passes in all but two games that year. Marshall finished as the week's WR7 or better seven different times throughout the same, twice leading all receivers in scoring. Brandon Marshall's 118 receptions and 1,508 yards stand as franchise records for the Chicago Bears to this day.
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