To be blunt, Anthony Miller dropped a goose egg in the stat column in Week 2. After having one of the juiciest matchups against the hapless Giants secondary, Miller destroyed fantasy and DFS lineups across the industry. A popular flex option and DFS play, Miller caught zero of his three targets. To add insult to injury, Miller could barely even see the field. In a game where Mitchell Trubisky played well overall, Miller was a complete afterthought in the offense.
Miller only saw the field on 26 of the team’s 65 offensive snaps in Week 2 (40 percent). In Week 1, Miller also struggled to see the field, seeing only 27 of the teams 64 offensive snaps. Still, Miller made the most of his initial opportunity, catching four passes for 76 yards and the game-winning touchdown.
To make matters worse, Miller was completely overshadowed by rookie Darnell Mooney, who played 60 percent of the Week 2 snaps, and Javon Wims, who played 45 percent of the team’s snaps.
Matt Nagy didn’t shy away from expressing his displeasure with Miller’s performance.
“I go back to details, and 17 (Miller) knows it,” Nagy said. “He understands that. He knew it right away. I go back to the drop in the end zone where Mitch just threw a really good ball, and if he comes down with that, who knows confidence-wise how that turns for him the rest of the game? But that’s a part of football, being able to bounce back after a drop.”
While Nagy, and his dismal play calling, has certainly not endeared himself to fantasy analysts, players, and Bears fans alike, his frustrations are clearly justified. On this play, Trubisky delivered an absolutely perfect pass that could have at least salvaged a little fantasy value for Miller.
1. Mitch Trubisky still isn't where the #Bears need him to be.
That said, his start to 2020 is encouraging. He has 5 TD passes to just 2 INTs.
The noteworthy thing is he should have at least 6 TD passes. He's delivered some impressive balls that weren't caught this year. pic.twitter.com/8PwRbSsRCJ
— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) September 21, 2020
However, Nagy is looking forward to seeing his young wideout’s response.
“It just was one of those games, he didn’t have as many attempts or targets, but he’ll bounce back,” Nagy said. “I look forward to it. He’s a competitor. He cares and he wants to help the team win.”
Even though Trubisky has played better through two weeks, this offense is still incapable of sustaining more than one… maybe two pass-catching options. If Miller is going to continue to fight for fantasy scraps, perhaps he’s best-suited fighting for relevancy as a fantasy free agent.
The Wolf agrees as Miller’s slipped down to his WR63, aka irrelevance, on his Rest of Season Rankings and Big Board.
