The Chicago Bears were optimistic that wide receiver Alshon Jeffery would play this week after already missing the past two games, but now it appears that Jeffery will be held out once again. ESPN's Chicago Bears reporter Jeff Dickerson now believes Jeffery won't play against the Oakland Raiders.
Chicago made the decision to let Jeffery play through a calf injury in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. Not only did the Bears lose, but Alshon suffered a setback and it's led to being where he is now.
The Bears are now playing it smart with Jeffery, easing him back into practice and not rushing him on to the field in a meaningless season. While he has been practicing on a limited basis, this injury has already showed it can become an issue again at any time.
Assuming Jeffery is held out against the Raiders, tight end Martellus Bennett will see even more targets against a Raiders' defense that has been torched on a weekly basis by the position. The only thing really stopping Bennett from having a monster game would be backup quarterback Jimmy Clausen< who is starting in the place of Jay Cutler.