Chris Wesseling and Gregg Rosenthal knocked out all the notes from AFC spring practices already, and I kicked off the NFC last week. Before reading about the National Football Conference's North division, get caught up on our columns:

** AFC East (Rosenthal)
** AFC North (Wesseling)
** AFC South (Wesseling)
** AFC West (Wesseling)
** NFC East (Silva)
** NFC West (Silva)

Chicago Bears - The Bears maintain high expectations for second-year wideout Earl Bennett, as spring reports surfaced that Jay Cutler's college teammate is "being counted on for major production" and "caught everything in sight" at minicamps. GM Jerry Angelo isn't actively pursuing free agents Matt Jones, Marvin Harrison, or Amani Toomer, and only views rookies Johnny Knox and Juaquin Iglesias as slot prospects. Bennett, the 70th pick overall last year, struggled to earn playing time in his first season, but has the tools to be an NFL starter. His solid combination of size (6'0/202), speed (4.48 at the 2008 Combine), and hands (Bennett left Vanderbilt as the SEC's all-time leading receiver despite declaring a year early for the draft) puts him among the most desirable late-round "flier" picks in fantasy leagues.

Cutler has mastered Ron Turner's offense and can already execute it on the field. Turner proved last year that his system can be quarterback-friendly when he wants it to be, and says he won't curb Cutler's aggressiveness. Chicago's weak on-paper supporting cast seems to limit Cutler's upside, but he's never had a dominant tight end talent like Greg Olsen or a receiver with as much deep threat potential as Devin Hester. Recall that Brandon Marshall was a developmental project and Eddie Royal a return prospect who never topped 33 catches in a college season until Cutler was throwing to them. Marshall caught 104 balls in his first full season with Cutler; Royal 91.

Matt Forte missed most of OTAs with a hamstring strain, but remains on track for the first day of training camp. ... Kevin Jones picked up first-team reps and his speed appears to have returned over a year and a half removed from a torn ACL, but it's still hard to believe he'll steal many touches. Forte's versatility is too difficult to take off the field. ... MLB Brian Urlacher is as physically fit as he's been since his ridiculous 142-tackle 2006 season. He's a major bounce-back IDP candidate with second-year NT Marcus Harrison developing nicely as a "shield" in front of him. ... With game-breaking speed, Knox looks like the biggest threat to Rashied Davis' role as Chicago's inside receiver between Bennett and Hester. Iglesias is more of a possession type in the slot.

Detroit Lions - There is growing belief among those covering the Lions that Matthew Stafford has a legitimate shot to start Week 1. If Stafford's terrific minicamp performance carries over into training camp, why not? There are plenty of reasons (Jeff Backus -- arguably the league's worst left tackle; the awful track record of throwing underclassman quarterbacks into the fire; the stomach-churning idea of paying Daunte Culpepper $5 million to be a clipboard holder instead of sack dummy), but GM Martin Mayhew has made it clear that Stafford will play when he's deemed the franchise's best option. Stafford outperforming Culpepper throughout August is certainly possible. Considering Culpepper's 26 INTs and 22 fumbles to just 17 TDs in 38 games since 2004, it's probable.

When scanning the 2009 Rotoworld Draft Guide's Average Draft Position report, it was hard not to notice Kevin Smith's surprisingly low ADP. Few NFL backs have as little competition for carries, and new offensive coordinator Scott Linehan's system has always been running back-friendly (see Michael Bennett's career year in 2002 and Steven Jackson's in 2006). Linehan loves throwing to his backs, and Smith proved his hands were pro-ready by hauling in 39 passes as a rookie despite sharing the backfield with Rudi Johnson. With Calvin Johnson out wide to keep eight out of the box and rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew helping in the run game, Smith has elite RB2 potential in any fantasy format, even if the Lions still stink.

Second-round pick Louis Delmas picked up his team's system quicker than any rookie in the league. It's obviously early in his career, but it couldn't have begun in more promising fashion. ... The trade of Ronald Curry to St. Louis locks in Bryant Johnson as the Lions' starting split end. Dennis Northcutt and rookie Derrick Williams will compete in the slot. ... Detroit's run defense will remain among the league's worst this year, especially if NT Grady Johnson's four-game suspension for using StarCaps is upheld.

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