The Bears selected Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and he will be Chicago's starter in Week 1. We like Williams as a potential starter in all one-quarterback leagues, and he's worth drafting with a late-round pick. Williams is worth drafting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues as early as Round 3. He is stepping into a great situation with an outstanding receiving corps led by D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, fellow rookie Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet. Williams was excellent at USC, where he passed for 8,170 yards and 72 touchdowns in the past two seasons. It might be safer to draft Williams as a No. 2 Fantasy quarterback in redraft leagues, but he could end up starting for your team sooner rather than later based on his potential, as well as the talent around him in Chicago. Williams is worth a first-round pick in rookie-only drafts for Dynasty leagues, and he could go as early as No. 1 overall in these formats for Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
Williams completed 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards in Sunday's 24-17 win over the Titans. He added five rushes for 15 yards.
Williams was victorious in his pro debut, thanks primarily to both a special teams and a defensive touchdown. He failed to get anything going in either half, though he did show rapport with DJ Moore by completing passes of 13, 12 and 11 yards. Also positive was the fact that Williams didn't have any turnovers, avoiding mistakes that could cost his team the game. That said, he'll likely need to get the offense moving better to come away victorious in Week 2 against Houston.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Struggles early, shines late
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Williams completed six of 13 passes for 75 yards in Saturday's preseason game against the Bengals, adding a seven-yard TD run on a scramble.
The Bears went three-and-out on their first three drives despite using most of their starters against what was mostly the Bengals' second-string defense. Williams then produced a field goal on his fourth drive with the help of a pass-interference penalty, and on the fifth drive he made a trio of spectacular plays to finally get the Bears into the end zone. He already has an impressive highlight reel of difficult throws on the run after seven total drives in two preseason appearances, immediately showing off what many scouts considered to be his best trait. The question now is whether Williams can efficiently direct the Chicago offense so that his scrambles and high-difficulty throws are the dressing rather than the meat and potatoes. He was able to do that for both Oklahoma and USC in college, and he'll certainly have the necessary pass catchers at his disposal in Chicago, working with a deep group led by WRs DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Another preseason start on deck
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Coach Matt Eberflus said Thursday that Williams and all healthy starters will suit up for Saturday's preseason game against the Bengals, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.
Williams looked solid in his preseason debut against the Bills last week, when he led a pair of long drives that each resulted in field goals. He'll get another chance to demonstrate on-field chemistry with receivers DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, plus running back D'Andre Swift and tight end Cole Kmet, at home against Cincinnati on Saturday.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Leads two long drives in NFL debut
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Williams completed four of seven passes for 95 yards and added a 13-yard run in Saturday's 33-6 preseason win over the Bills.
Williams led a pair of long drives in his highly anticipated NFL debut, but both of them stalled out in the red zone as the Bears settled for a pair of field goals. The rookie first overall pick had completions of 42 yards to running back D'Andre Swift and 26 yards to tight end Cole Kmet, but the wide receiver trio of DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze combined for only two catches, both by Moore. Williams will likely get a chance to clean up the red-zone struggles and build chemistry with his receivers in next Saturday's preseason game against the Bengals.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Won't play Thursday
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Williams is among the key Bears' starters not slated to play in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
With Williams not in line to see action in the team's preseason opener, Tyson Bagent will draw the start at QB versus Houston, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports. Williams' next opportunity to log exhibition snaps will occur Aug. 10, when Chicago faces Buffalo.
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Bears' Caleb Williams: Officially named starting QB
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Coach Matt Eberflus named Williams' the Bears' starting quarterback at rookie minicamp Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Williams, the No. 1 overall pick of April's draft, was always a lock to start Week 1 over Tyson Bagent or Brett Rypien, but the team has wasted no time making Williams' position official, with Friday being the first day of on-field workouts for rookies. That allows Williams to immediately begin familiarizing himself with Chicago's offensive scheme without having to worry about splitting any reps. He can start establishing chemistry with fellow top-10 selection Rome Odunze during rookie camp, while veterans DJ Moore and Keenan Allen -- who both worked out with Williams and Odunze during the pre-draft process -- stand to arrive at team facilities for the start of OTAs.
