By Chris Burrows

Chicago has a sleeper of a fantasy WR but nobody knows who it is yet.

Power RB Matt Forte and TE Greg Olsen—central starting components of the Bears offense—sat out the first pre-season venture of the Cutler-dynasty and—in doing so—exposed a dizzying amalgam of issues. Namely, that Devin Hester needs help now.

In this ill-fated game of 225 offensive yards Hester stymied the offense by making two of six catches for a meager 22 yards against Buffalo. He was helped out by tight end Desmond Clark who came up with a 30 yard grab and untested TE Kellen Davis who grabbed two more passes to add 29 more yards of offense.

But the Cutler show used to be powered by the wieldy Marshall-Royal duo in the Rockies that combined for 2,245 yards last season. In the Windy City Cutler has Hester and—nobody else. If you can even count the over-priced and under-performing Hester (Chicago fans will tell you he’s the Milton Bradley of the Bears) as a Cutler-quality receiver.

The case can be made for a healthy Bills defense and an unsteady Cutler who threw one interception and one would-be interception to the chest of Bills cornerback Reggie Corner to thwart Hester in his first outing. But regardless of any excuses that can be made to cover the tracks of Hester’s hefty price tag—there’s still a glaring hole in the Bear’s depth chart that only exacerbates the Hester issue. There’s really no #2 WR—yet.

Just for comparison’s sake, last season Hester barely made the stat sheet with 665 yards and three TDs on 51 gloms. He’s not much of a first slot receiver and needs a convincing number two to either push him or take his place. This season things are different with a powerful air-driven QB in town. Luckily, the Bears have plenty of WRs to choose from.

Here are the top contenders that can win Cutler’s heart—or at least his tosses:

1. Earl Bennett – He’s currently slated to start at the number two spot but is completely unproven. If he takes the job—which seems likely—he’ll be garnering his very first playtime on the field. He’s been making impressive downfield catches in traffic during practice and Cutler has commented on his confidence and fluidity which would make him a worthy supplement to Hester (he’d even be a good #1 receiver if Lovie would let him) but Bennett is a serious gamble with some healthy competition.

2. Brandon Rideau – He was a surprise standout early in training camp but saw no tosses in the preseason opener. He’s currently listed as the second stringer behind Bennett and looks to be getting another shot this season—as last—to show his worth on the field but he’s been unreliable.

3. Joaquin Iglesias – Backup QB Brett Basanez found Iglesias in their pre-opener for a 10-yard touchdown. He’s one of the rookie receivers getting real attention. Expect him to be tried a few more times on-field before and after the start of the regular season. A couple of big plays and he may have the job—or if receivers coach Darryl Drake gives up on Brandon Rideau’s inconsistency over two seasons.

4. Devin Aromashodu – The only receiver with regular season experience, Aromashodu came to the Bears last year from Washington’s practice squad and previously saw play-time with the Colts where he contributed one start, 7 receptions and 96 yards. If nothing else he has more experience than the rest of the crew of receivers.

5. Johnny Knox – Knox is another signed rookie WR and was championed early in team organized activities for his speed and agility making grabs downfield. He has a good chance of being on the field in at least a few preseason games and may make an appearance in the regular season.

6. Derek Kinder – The last of the signed rookie receivers, he’s probably a best fit for the practice team right now.

Chicago is primping some prime receivers to take over when Hester finally gets booted, but in the meantime grab one of these guys for your fantasy roster and Cutler will be sure to get them some yards.