Fantasy Football: Can Caleb Williams Break Out Behind the Bears' Rebuilt Offensive Line?

The Chicago Bears have undergone a plethora of changes since the end of the 2024 NFL season, beginning with hiring Ben Johnson as their next head coach. Johnson excelled as the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions in recent years, dialing up effective plays to help the Lions advance to the Divisional Round or further in the playoffs in back-to-back years.

Besides Johnson's ability to maximize his scheme with versatile play calling and personnel groupings, his offense is somewhat predicated on having a stout offensive line, which should be music to Caleb Williams' ears. Taking that into account, the Bears have been aggressive on revamping their offensive line unit for next season, whether it be via trade or in free agency.

Amid the flurry of moves Chicago has made in the trenches to begin the offseason, let's take a look at the trades and signing themselves, along with talking about Williams' outlook in fantasy football for the 2025 season.

Bears' Offensive Line Moves

The alterations to the Bears' offensive line began with Chicago sending a 2025 fifth-round pick in exchange for guard Jonah Jackson, who spent the past season with the Los Angeles Rams. Despite Jackson starting in only four games for the Rams last season after signing a three-year, $51 million deal before the 2024 campaign, he made 57 starts across four years with the Lions, so he's got experience in Johnson's offense.

To follow up the trade for Jackson, the Bears acquired veteran Joe Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2026 fourth-round pick. Thuney is a two-time All-Pro at guard, but the Chiefs moved him to left tackle down the stretch this past season due to their lack of options at the position, and PFF handed him the 28th-best pass-blocking grade (80.0) among offensive linemen in 2024.

Once teams were given a chance to begin negotiating contracts with free agents, Chicago then agreed to terms on a three-year, $42 million deal with center Drew Dalman. Dalman has started in 40 games at center for the Atlanta Falcons over the last three seasons, and he was listed at No. 16 in FanDuel Research's Jim Sannes' top-50 consensus board for free agents.

There's no doubt the Bears have committed a ton of resources to bolstering their offensive line this offseason. Will it be enough to help Williams have a breakout season in fantasy football for the 2025 season?

Caleb Williams' Fantasy Football Outlook in 2025

It was a bit of an up-and-down rookie campaign for Williams, completing 62.5% of his passes for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. While Williams was responsible for some of them, he was sacked a league-high 68 times in 2024, making the offensive line a focal point for the Bears entering the offseason.

As fellow rookie Jayden Daniels soared to a QB5 finish in fantasy a season ago, Williams was the QB16 after contributing 22-plus fantasy points in three of his last six starts. Along with expecting more scoring opportunities with his legs after he ran for 489 yards and 0 touchdowns last season, Williams should also naturally see his sack rate decline from the 10.7% rate he logged in 2024 with Chicago's additions in the trenches.

When Williams entered the NFL, he was a college quarterback who generated plenty of positive plays when extending and improvising with his legs. Williams certainly has the arm talent to make nearly every throw on the field, and having more trust and confidence in his offensive line to keep him upright could work wonders for his development in Johnson's offense.

Considering that Johnson has helped a non-mobile quarterback like Jared Goff finish as the QB10 or better in fantasy in each of the last three seasons, I'm all on board with believing Williams can produce similar -- or even better -- results in 2025, especially with a new-look offensive line and a solid arsenal of weapons.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.