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Fantasy Football Week 13 Projections: Caleb Hanie May Surprise Fantasy Owners

The Bears backup quarterback, making his second NFL start, may provide fantasy football teams a secret weapon heading into Week 13.

By Bradley Woodrum
OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Caleb Hanie #12 of the Chicago Bears runs with the ball stiff arming Rolando McClain #55 of the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum on November 27, 2011 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Caleb Hanie #12 of the Chicago Bears runs with the ball stiff arming Rolando McClain #55 of the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum on November 27, 2011 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Getty Images

The Chicago Bears (7-4) and Kansas City Chiefs (4-7) square off on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CST. The Bears will once again be starting fourth-year pro Caleb Hanie, who struggled in the Bears' loss to the Oakland Raiders in Week 12, throwing three interceptions in the first half and incurring an intentional grounding penalty that ended the game.

However, Hanie may surprise a few fantasy football owners this week. According to numberFire's Week 13 fantasy projections, the Bears backup QB could make a solid fantasy play against the Chiefs:

Hanie, who will be making his second career start on Sunday, displayed considerable speed and pocket presence against the Raiders, rushing for 50 yards against an otherwise strong pass rush. Hanie also connected with WR Johnny Knox on a few deep passes, which helped him amass over 150 passing yards.

However, numberFire considers Hanie a high-risk player, so owners should only consider starting him if they have the likes of Jay Cutler (thumb), Sam Bradford (ankle), or Christian Ponder (rookie) for an alternative.

As always, Matt Forte projects to be the team's strongest fantasy play, but given his recent lack of rushing production, the numberFire calculations have begun to assess Forte as a high-risk player as well -- with a projection ranging from about 5 points on the low side and 23+ points on the high side. Of course, most owners will be happy to take that chance.

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