Luther Burden III Fantasy Football Outlook (2025)

By Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros), Sat, Aug 30th 2025, 1:16pm EDT

The Bears spent an early second-round pick on Luther Burden, but how will they use him? Is it possible Burden plays the Amon-Ra St. Brown role as the primary slot receiver in Ben Johnson's offense? Chicago already has WRs D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze, along with TEs Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet. A top-three recruit in the high school class of 2022, Burden showed off his electric playmaking skills with an 83-catch, 1,212-yard sophomore season at Missouri in 2023. Burden wasn't nearly as productive last fall, finishing with 676 receiving yards. But the Mizzou offense struggled at times in 2024, especially when QB Brady Cook was hurt. Burden has a lightning-quick first step of the line of scrimmage, creating instant separation. When Burden has the ball in the open field, the air crackles with electricity. He's as slippery as an eel and has surprising contact balance. Although his target outlook is murky, Burden has the potential to be surprisingly impactful if he can earn a significant role as a rookie.