Could be headed to bench

Bears coach Matt Eberflus was non-committal Wednesday when asked whether Claypool would see a reduced role this Sunday at Tampa Bay, Chris Emma of 670TheScore.com reports. "We're looking at all possibilities right now," Eberflus said.

Claypool struggled as a blocker and finished without a catch on two targets in Sunday's 38-20 loss to the Packers, operating as the No. 3 receiver behind DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney. The No. 3 role in a run-heavy Bears offense isn't conducive to fantasy value even if Claypool plays well in real life, which is something he arguably hasn't done since the middle part of his 2020 rookie season. Lack of effort as a repeat theme isn't promising, nor is it a good look when one of the largest wideouts in the league -- listed at 6-foot-4, 238 pounds -- repeatedly draws attention for poor blocking. Emma and other Bears beat reporters have hinted at the possibility of Equanimeous St. Brown being active instead of Claypool for Week 2 at Tampa Bay, with rookie Tyler Scott or veteran Trent Taylor likely taking the No. 3 receiver role in that scenario.