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Bears-Jets to determine Week 3 fantasy matchups

If you haven't watched "A Football Life: Brandon Marshall" on NFL Network yet, I suggest you check it out before the Monday Night Football game.

You'll come away from it thinking one of two things: If you have Brandon Marshall on your fantasy team, you will be even more content knowing you drafted him. And if you don't have him on your fantasy team, you will wish you did.

Marshall was only started in 75.3 percent of NFL.com leagues last week. At first, that might seem like a high percentage, but for an elite fantasy wideout like B-Marsh, that number should be 100 percent each and every week as long as he is breathing. Reports earlier in the day suggested he was unlikely to play which led to one-fourth of Marshall's owners deciding that they would rather start someone they knew was playing than risk a goose egg. And then he recorded three touchdowns in the game.

Clearly, Marshall is a player worth waiting on in fantasy.

Here's what we'll be watching for on Monday night when the Chicago Bears take on the New York Jets.

For the second week in a row, fantasy owners had to sweat out the status of both Marshall (ankle) and Alshon Jeffery (hamstring). Both were able to practice in limited fashion on Saturday which was a good sign for their availability Monday night, but they were still listed as officially questionable heading into Monday. Thankfully, both are active and should be in your starting lineup against a Jets defensive unit that gave up 304 yards and three touchdowns to Green Bay's receivers in Week 2.

Also heading into Monday night with a questionable tag is Jets' wideout Eric Decker who was limited at practice on Saturday. On Monday evening, it was reported that Decker is officially active for the game against the Bears. Even though Decker is active, there is a chance that he won't be running at full strength.

Decker's health may also determine how well quarterback Geno Smith plays. Smith has targeted Decker 14 times through two games, completing nine passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. You're probably not starting Smith unless you play in a deep or two-QB league, but he's a great bench stash for bye weeks or in case your QB1 gets injured.

Even though he faces a Jets run defense that ranks first in the league in rushing yards against, Matt Forte is a must-start. He didn't do much against San Francisco last week (Jay Cutler actually recorded more rushing yards), but had over 160 yards from scrimmage in Week 1. Forte has three total touchdowns in his last three games and has 6.5 receptions per game this season which is the most among running backs, increasing his value in PPR leagues.

When it comes to the Jets' backfield, Chris Ivory has been the most productive back rushing the ball. He's taken his 25 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns over two games and is averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Ivory ranks just outside the top 10 fantasy running backs through the first two weeks with 26.80 total points, just one spot behind LeSean McCoy.

Chris Johnson is only averaging 3.6 yards per carry with 89 yards on 25 attempts and his only touchdown came through the air. Both Ivory and CJ2K should find ways to be productive on Monday night and are viable flex starters, while Ivory has RB2 upside.

Chicago's tight end Martellus Bennett and quarterback Jay Cutler share a stat worth bragging about this season. Each player ranks among the top five at their respective position in total fantasy points (and that includes Falcons' quarterback Matt Ryan's 23.64-point performance in Week 3).

Cutler has already tossed six touchdown passes through two games and as long as Marshall and Jeffery are on the field, fantasy owners can feel good about starting the Bears quarterback.

Bennett has racked up two touchdowns and over 100 yards receiving in 2014, but the Jets have proven tough against tight ends this year. Even though Bennett is worth starting on Monday night, expectations should be a tad limited.


Matt Franciscovich is an associate fantasy editor at NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter **@m_franciscovich**.