Fantasy Football Player Notes

After producing a career-high 1,364 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in his first season in Chicago in 2023, D.J. Moore slipped to 966 yards and six touchdowns in 2024. Strangely, Moore established a new single-season high with 98 catches last year, but he averaged a career-low 9.9 yards per catch. Moore didn't exactly click with rookie QB Caleb Williams. Perhaps new Bears head coach Ben Johnson can help promote better chemistry between Williams and Moore, but another concern is that the Bears now have an abundance of pass catchers, with rookies Luther Burden and Colston Loveland joining Moore, Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet.

A chalky breakout pick for 2025, Rome Odunze is coming off a rookie year that wasn't awful but didn't exactly give us visions of impending superstardom either. The ninth overall pick in last year's NFL Draft, Odunze had 54 catches for 734 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie. It's understandable that Odunze wasn't a high-volume receiver when he had to share targets with D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen. Plus, rookie QB Caleb Williams didn't exactly the world on fire. Allen is now out of the picture, Caleb Williams has a year of experience under his belt, and the Chicago offense is now going to be choreographed by Ben Johnson, widely regarded as one of the better playcallers in the league. But there's still ample target competition for Odunze. Moore is still around, and the Bears selected TE Colston Loveland and WR Luther Burden with their first two picks in this year's draft. If you're inclined to bet on talent and fade "too many mouths to feed" narratives, Odunze should appeal to you.

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.