Need help at QB? Go get Cutler - now

Whoops.

What else can I say after last week's slightly off-base prediction that Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler were bad bets in the Bears' game at San Francisco?

Yeah - whoops is right.

Bad call all the way, although it didn't look like it until late in the third quarter. Then cornerback Kyle Fuller struck - twice! - and Cutler's night went from OK to amazing, and Marshall's went from solid to spectacular.

So what can have we learned from the helter-skelter, completely unpredictable Bears?

Plenty, actually.

In the short-term, we learned that the running game may be in big trouble until Roberto Garza and Matt Slauson return from their ankle injuries. As Hub Arkush wrote in his preview for the Bears-Niners game, while backups Brian de la Puente and Michael Ola are solid backups, they are smaller in stature and not as adept at run blocking. This proved to be the case Sunday as Matt Forte picked up an unsightly 21 yards on 12 carries.

On the other hand, Cutler almost always had a clean pocket to work in and was sacked just once.

So while it's too early to even think about benching Forte, Cutler owners may have some tough decisions to make in the upcoming weeks. He currently ranks second in fantasy points with 6 TD passes and 525 yards through the air. And aside from a rough Week 5 matchup in Carolina, the Bears' schedule is as cream-puffy as they come.

So if you are languishing with the likes of RG3, Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Colin Kaepernick or Andy Dalton as your starter, it's time to make a move before Cutler owners get wise to just how hot a commodity they hold. Take a look at whomever owns Cutler in your league, identify the team's weak spot and see if you can swing a deal. Don't sell the farm, but if you can deal from surplus and replace any of those QBs listed above, pull the trigger immediately.

Last chance: I'll say it one last time before it's too late: If you need a defense, go get the Chargers right now. Other than two meetings with the Broncos, San Diego is going to roll up points against the likes of Buffalo, Jacksonville, the Jets, Oakland (twice), Kansas City, Miami and St. Louis. This unit has looked solid against two teams with decent offenses: Arizona and Seattle. Against these other teams ... watch out.

Good bets

• Skins QB Kirk Cousins at Philadelphia. Apparently Joe Theismann was on to something when he said during the preseason that Cousins should have won the starting job over RG3. The Jaguars found out why last Sunday, and Cousins will have a monster line this week in a high-scoring affair against the Eagles.

• Bears QB Jay Cutler at the Jets. New York's already allowed 5 passing TDs, including 2 to the immortal Derek Carr.

• Ravens RB Bernard Pierce at Cleveland. The normally pass-happy Saints piled up 171 rushing yards on 26 attempts last week. Pierce should flirt with 100 yards and will likely score.

• Colts RB Ahmad Bradshaw at Jacksonville. Washington's Alfred Morris (22-85-2) and Philly's dynamic duo of LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles (32-145-1 combined) completely abused this defense. A far more dynamic player than Trent Richardson, watch for a big game from Bradshaw.

• Patriots RBs Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley vs. Oakland. Wonder if Tom Brady will set a career low for passing attempts in this one.

• Titans RB Chris Johnson vs. the Bears. Don't fret Johnson's scary 12-carry, 21-yard disaster against the Packers. He'll bounce back with at least 90 yards from scrimmage and a likely TD.

• Dolphins WR Mike Wallace vs. Kansas City. Miami QB Ryan Tannehill has already thrown 19 passes to Wallace, completing 12 for 137 yards and 2 TDs. He's a solid play, especially at home.

• Rams WR Brian Quick vs. Dallas. Need help at WR? You could do a lot worse than Quick, who is probably available in your league. The Rams' go-to guy has back-to-back 7-catch games with 99 and 74 yards.

• Skins TE Niles Paul at Philadelphia. If Jordan Reed (hamstring) sits again, Paul is your guy. The fourth-year pro was QB Kirk Cousins' favorite target last week and figures to be once again in Week 3.

Bad bets

• Niners QB Colin Kaepernick at Arizona. This will probably blow up in my face, but Kaepernick has been woefully inconsistent and managed just 3 TD passes against the Cowboys and Bears. Now he's on the road against a stingy Cardinals defense? No thanks.

• Packers RB Eddie Lacy at Detroit. It would be tough to sit Lacy (25 carries, 77 yards in TWO games), a guy you likely took in the first round. Still, the Lions held the two feature backs they faced to 2.68 yards per carry.

• Chiefs RB Knile Davis at Miami. Davis looked great last week and will get the call with Jamaal Charlies likely out. The Dolphins, though, have been quite stout against the run and KC (0-2) has scored a meager 27 points.

• Broncos RB Montee Ball and WR Emmanuel Sanders at Seattle. Denver will be awfully motivated for this one after taking a 43-8 butt-whooping in the Super Bowl. But this game is at Seattle, ultimately dooming the Broncos to mediocre numbers.

• Cardinals WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd vs. San Francisco. Looks like another week of Drew Stanton at QB. Look for better options.

• Titans TE Delaine Walker at Cincinnati. Wow. What a game by Walker last week vs. Dallas. Ten catches. One-hundred and forty-two yards. A touchdown. The Bengals are markedly better defense than the Cowboys, though, and Walker figures to end up with 40-50 yards without a score.

jdietz@dailyherald.com