An up-and-down rookie season for Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in 2024 correlated directly to his fantasy production, with five weeks where he was a top-10 fantasy quarterback and nine weeks where he finished outside the top-20 on his way to finishing as QB16 (through Week 18).
The Bears clear top priority this offseason, however obviously, was to surround Williams better in every way possible. From coaching, led by head coach Ben Johnson, to an upgraded offensive line to a couple more pieces of skill position talent via the draft, they checked all the boxes.
Williams needs to take way fewer sacks and hone some things as a passer. But the raw talent is there, with promising metrics as a runner from last year to bolster his fantasy outlook moving forward. According to Pro Football Focus, his 2.8 scrambles per game and 21.9 rushing yards on scrambles were fifth-best among quarterbacks last year, and his rushing yards (489) were seventh-most at the position.
Caleb Williams' fantasy upside for 2025 has been further confirmed
Williams is easy to tab as a fantasy breakout candidate for this year. Moe Moton of Bleacher Report took a different tentacle on that notion, including the Bears' signal caller on a list of breakout candidates for 2025 with a "breakout meter" for each one on a 1-10 scale (1 being less likely to break out, and 10 being most likely).
"Head coach Ben Johnson should be able to get the Chicago Bears offense off to a strong start in his first season with the team. With that in mind, Caleb Williams has a promising second-year outlook."
"Johnson inherited an underachieving but talented offense that includes DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet and D'Andre Swift. This offseason, the Bears added rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III to the pass-catching group along with two-time All-Pro Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson to the interior of the offensive line."
"One can make a case that Johnson has more playmakers in Chicago than he had with the Detroit Lions."
Moton went on to note how Lions quarterback Jared Goff, with production as a runner that is next to nil, was a top-10 fantasy quarterback in all three seasons with Johnson as his offensive coordinator. Williams would be in line to top Goff's typical season-long rushing production in a game or two.
Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus referenced Williams' ADP (currently QB11) to put him in a unique category of fantasy potential among quarterbacks for this year. Moton hit the same note, in giving Williams a "breakout meter" of 9.
'With Johnson calling the plays, Williams could be a top-five fantasy quarterback."
Amid the turbulence of his rookie season, Williams' range of fantasy outcomes was wide. Some of that "do I start him or not?" unpredictability may remain during his second season, but the upside potential is rare and undeniable.
