Cameron Meredith broke out in Week 5, but will he continue to produce?
Before Sunday, if you knew the answer to that question you were either a die-hard fan of Illinois State or the Chicago Bears. But to the rest of the football world, even the ardent fantasy players and football lifers couldn’t tell you who the young man was. But with a nine-catch, 130-yard, and one-touchdown performance against the Colts, the undrafted free agent has put himself squarely in the focus of owners looking to upgrade their roster via the waiver wire.
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With Kevin White succumbing to another unfortunate season-ending injury, the Bears looked to Meredith, and not veterans like Eddie Royal or Josh Bellamy, to lead the charge at wideout. Although this wasn’t Meredith’s first start, that would be in Week 5 of 2015 against Kansas City where the then-rookie caught four passes for 52 yards, it was his breakout game and his first time going over 100 yards receiving. He also caught his first career touchdown against the Colts, a leaping catch in the corner of the endzone after executing a double move that left Colts CB Patrick Robinson on the turf. He was targeted a team-high 12 times, twice as much as Pro Bowler Alshon Jeffery, and made the most of it by capturing 75 percent of passes thrown his way.
Going forward however, Meredith may not be consistent enough to be considered a starter or flex player except when filling in during bye weeks. Remember, the Bears are going to run a lot and with Hoyer at QB, it’s hard to see any one receiver, even Alshon Jeffery, getting a lot of targets every game. Still, Jeffery will be WR1 for Chicago in most weeks with Meredith mixed in with Eddie Royal and tight end Zach Miller for secondary and tertiary targets. For now, target Meredith as a potential waiver wire stash in most leagues, especially if another injury could move him further up the depth chart.
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John Camera is a correspondent with FantasyPros. For more from John, check out his archive or follow him @johnc521.
