Eddie Royal

After noticing his production trend downward in 2011 and 2012, Royal was able to revive a stagnant career the last two seasons in San Diego. Doing most of his damage in the slot, Royal reeled in 62 passes for 778 yards and seven touchdowns for the Chargers in 2014, and parlayed that into a three-year, $15 million contract with the Bears during the offseason. With rookie first-rounder Kevin White requiring shin surgery in training camp that could result in him missing the season, talented but unpolished third-year wideout Marquess Wilson is positioned to replace the since-traded Brandon Marshall on the other outside spot opposite Alshon Jeffery, perhaps making Royal a viable security blanket underneath. Royal's familiarity with new coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Adam Gase -- both of whom coached him in Denver -- should only further help his cause, while his success with quarterback Jay Cutler as a rookie may be most significant of all. In that 2008 season, Royal was Cutler's favorite target, recording 91 catches, 980 yards, and five touchdowns.

On the heels of a 2013 season in which he caught 47 passes for 631 yards and eight touchdowns in 15 games, Royal remains in line to do some damage out of the slot in the Chargers' offense and thus a candidate to provide utility in deeper formats.

Royal did not have the resurgent year some thought he would in 2012, as he recorded just 23 catches (44 targets) for 234 yards and one touchdown. He is unlikely to receive enough targets to be much of a fantasy option in 2013.

The Chargers brought in Royal (along with Robert Meachem) to replace the production lost when Vincent Jackson signed with Tampa Bay. The Bolts intend to use Royal primarily in the slot and on punt returns, but he is very likely to bounce back from a disappointing 2011 season where he only caught 19 balls. Royal will have stiff competition for looks in the high flying San Diego passing attack, but he has some legitimate upside and could easily catch 40 balls if he builds any sort of rapport with Philip Rivers.

After a promising rookie season in 2008 (91 catches), Royal went from an afterthought in 2009 (37 catches) to a marginally useful role player last season (59 catches). Through it all, Royal, despite his plus speed, has never been a big-play generator – only one catch of 40-plus last year, and three in his entire career, and he’s never averaged even 11 yards per catch. Royal’s also returning from offseason hip surgery, but there’s a good chance he’ll be ready for the start of training camp.

After a sensational rookie season (91 catches, 980 yards), Royal disappeared almost entirely last year. He battled thigh and neck injuries late in the season, but was healthy and unproductive until late November, so the injuries can’t explain the drop-off. The most obvious explanation is a lack of chemistry with new quarterback Kyle Orton, but Royal ran short routes during his rookie year (10.8 yards per catch) and also last season (9.3), so catching more than 47 percent his 79 targets shouldn’t have been an issue no matter who was under center. Whatever the reasons for his struggles, Royal enters 2010 with a chance to be the team’s No. 1 receiver now that Brandon Marshall’s left town. At 5-10, 184, Royal’s a small, quick receiver with enough speed to beat defenses deep and the open field vision to take two returns to the house last year. He’s not much of a red-zone threat, and thus far in his career he hasn’t been asked to run many down-field routes. He’ll battle with Jabbar Gaffney and rookie Demaryius Thomas for the team’s starting receiver jobs.

The most productive rookie receiver in the league a year ago, Royal will have to adjust to a new offensive system and a new quarterback. Even so, he’s in a good spot to succeed. While quarterback Kyle Orton lacks Jay Cutler’s elite arm strength, he did a passable job with below average receivers in Chicago’s harsh climate with 18 touchdown passes (and just 12 picks) in 466 attempts. While Denver’s hardly an ideal environment for the passing game, it’s an improvement over Chicago, as is playing for a head coach in Josh McDaniels who helped make a star out of Matt Cassel last season. Royal himself resembles Wes Welker (in terms of style) but with one more gear. Royal’s incredibly shifty and has excellent top-end speed. At 5-10, 180, he’s not big or strong enough to make catches in heavy traffic, and he’s not at all suited to red-zone work. But with McDaniels at the helm, we expect Royal to be targeted heavily whether from the slot or on the outside. Despite his speed, Royal was used primarily on shorter routes last year (just eight catches of 20-plus, two for 40-plus and a 10.8-yard receiving average). His excellent 71-percent catch rate was also Welker-esque, though it remains to be seen whether the new coaching regime exploits his superior speed down the field.

Royal, who was drafted in the second round of the 2008 draft, will make his biggest fantasy impact as a special teams returner, as he is behind a number of veterans on the wide receiver depth chart.