The Chicago Bears spent the majority of the offseason adding dynamic playmakers to the skill position to help make a rookie quarterback’s job exponentially easier from the moment he steps on a football field. Caleb Williams now becomes the instant beneficiary of those moves after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
What type of fantasy success can dynasty managers expect Williams to have in 2024 and beyond in Chicago?
Should You Draft Caleb Williams in Dynasty Fantasy Football?
The debate has already started over whether Williams should be the consensus 1.01 selection in Superflex dynasty rookie drafts. That idea became even stronger after the outstanding offseason the Bears had adding talented pass-catchers to the roster.
Williams steps into a situation where he’ll be throwing to DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift, Cole Kmet, and fellow outstanding rookie prospect Rome Odunze in 2024. All four veteran players listed above registered top-24 fantasy finishes in 2023 at their respective positions, while Odunze was widely regarded as a consensus top-three WR prospect in this draft. The collection of playmakers surrounding Williams falls in the elite category.
Admittedly, the inflation of value the QB position demands in Superflex formats makes it a little less difficult to select an elite prospect like Williams over a generational talent like WR Marvin Harrison Jr., but the debate is still a valid one.
Regardless of where you stand, Williams’ flashes of operating within structure and playing on time could help make him an instant fantasy star when combined with his elite off-script improvisation ability under center.
Sure, the miss rates on quarterbacks entering the NFL can be far more volatile than some of the top receiver prospects, but when you hit a home run on a top-tier QB option in a Superflex league, they can provide you with a foundation that can anchor your team for more than a decade.
Williams’ elite production at USC and favorable landing spot in the NFL Draft make him a great QB prospect around which to build the foundation of your dynasty team when your rookie drafts begin.
Who Is Williams?
Background
Williams was a highly touted four- or five-star quarterback prospect — depending on which recruiting system you swear by — during his days at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC.
His prep-days highlights included being named the Washington, DC Gatorade Football Player of the Year after throwing for 2,624 yards and 26 scores while adding another 10 TDs on the ground as a sophomore in 2018.
He was also named the Elite 11 finals MVP after his junior year.
Williams is listed at 6’1” and 214 pounds and will be entering the NFL at the age of 22.
College Production
Williams started his career off playing behind Spencer Rattler at the University of Oklahoma, but he made an impact as a true freshman with 1,912 passing yards and 21 scores once he took the starting job. After his freshman year, he followed head coach Lincoln Riley to USC, and the rest is history.
Williams exploded in his sophomore season with 4,537 passing yards and 52 total TDs in 14 games played, which earned him the Heisman Trophy in 2022.
The expectations were then sky-high for Williams entering his junior year, but his numbers dropped a bit across the board, with just 3,633 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns in 12 games played.
Injury History
Williams suffered a hamstring injury in the team’s loss to Utah back in 2022 but still managed to play in the 2023 Cotton Bowl against Tulane, where he lit up the Green Wave for 462 yards and five scores through the air.
Williams also battled through a finger injury in the middle of the 2023 season.
Williams’ Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Elite off-script creator and play extender.
- Excellent arm talent that has everything from a fastball to the ability to feather in touch throws on every level of the field.
- Great feel for the pocket.
- Maintains wide base when going through progressions, climbs, and resets when necessary.
- Plus-level athlete who is hard to get to the ground and can regularly extend plays with athleticism.
- Showed ability to go through full-field progressions with poise and timing.
- Had multiple reps showcasing the ability to get to third or fourth options in the progression while maintaining great throwing base and manipulating the pocket.
- Exceptional ability to throw on the run.
- Lightning quick release and can generate velocity effortlessly.
Weaknesses
- Tends to hold onto the ball for lengthy periods — average time to throw was 3+ seconds every year of his collegiate career.
- Had some head-scratching turnovers in 2023 — would have occasions where he would try to play hero ball and uncharacteristically put the ball in harm’s way.
- Excellent off-script moments sometimes came at the expense of bypassing easier completions and getting a bit greedy with forcing the ball into dangerous situations.
- Questions about consistency and willingness to play within structure in the NFL.
- Some think he’s a bit undersized for the QB position in the NFL.
- A bit inconsistent with his mechanics.
- Sometimes makes life a bit more difficult on himself with off-platform throws off his back foot when they weren’t necessary.