NFL Fantasy Football has ranked Bears running back Jordan Howard as the league's 28th best fantasy player, one spot ahead of teammate Allen Robinson.
Howard enters his third year with the Bears after becoming the first player in franchise history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first two NFL seasons. The 2016 fifth-round draft pick from Indiana finished second in the league in rushing with 1,313 yards in 2016 and sixth with 1,122 yards in 2017.
Howard's 2,435 yards are the most by a Bears player in their first two seasons, and his 12 100-yard games are tied with the Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott for the most by an NFL player over the last two years.
In April, first-year coach Matt Nagy told reporters that Howard "absolutely" would be the Bears' feature back this season, though the team plans to utilize other ballcarriers as well, including dynamic second-year pro Tarik Cohen.
"[Howard] is going to be a guy that lines up and gets the ball," Nagy said at the time. "But at the same time, we're crazy if we use one back. That's not going to happen. We're going to use multiple backs."
Nagy disagrees with those outside the organization who have speculated that Howard isn't a good fit in the new offense because he struggles catching the ball out of the backfield.
"I think every running back has their own strengths and weaknesses," Nagy said. "There are some that are better as pass receivers. There are some that are better inside, tight zones and mid zones and outside zones.
"Jordan has his own way of running. Anything that he does that's a weakness, we're going to try to focus on that and try to get it better. Just because he struggles in one area, whatever that is that we all have, we're going to get him better. To sit there and say he doesn't fit this offense I don't think is very fair."
While Howard is ranked 28th by NFL Fantasy Football, Robinson is 29th. The talented receiver signed with the Bears March 14 after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Jaguars, catching 202 passes for 2,848 yards and 22 touchdowns in 43 games.
Robinson was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2015, recording 80 receptions for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns. He followed with 73 catches for 883 yards and six TDs in 2016 but missed 15 of 16 games last year after tearing his ACL in Jacksonville's season opener.
NFL Fantasy Football is NFL media's official fantasy football twitter account.
