Bears WR Luther Burden (groin) running on field

Burden got the scoring started with a shovel-pass touchdown on the first possession of the game and continued to be the primary engine of the offense on a night the team was led by veteran journeyman Case Keenum. Head coach Ben Johnson handily outmatched his counterpart in Sean Mannion, keeping the offense in rhythm and unpredictable throughout. Burden should continue to improve upon his early-season returns for fantasy managers that chased him up draft boards this offseason, particularly once Caleb Williams returns to the starting roster in a few weeks. In the meantime, treat Burden as an upside WR2 ahead of a Week 4 meeting with the Jets in Chicago.

For the second straight week, Burden was out-produced by Kalif Raymond, who again led the receiver corps in production. D’Andre Swift “led” the entire team in receiving with five receptions for 54 scoreless yards. Burden is now sitting on eight catches for 95 yards through two weeks. It’s not the worst start anyone has ever seen, but fantasy managers were expecting better. It might not be coming in Week 3 if Caleb Williams’ hamstring injury costs him time against the Eagles, which seems highly likely. We are trying not to overreact to small-sample sizes, but Burden is definitely now more of a WR3 than WR2 heading into next Monday’s contest. That, of course, should still have him in most fantasy lineups.

Burden overcame a first quarter fumble on a bubble screen to finish second on the team in targets behind Kalif Raymond, who saw nine looks from Caleb Williams, just as everyone had predicted. While Burden’s 17 percent targets per route run was well below his 2025 rate, he should be more involved going forward in a Bears offense that might be trying to break the NFL’s single season scoring record, as head coach Ben Johnson mentioned in an August interview. Burden will be a top-30 PPR option next week against the Vikings.

This wouldn’t be news under normal circumstances but takes on additional meaning with Rome Odunze listed questionable for Week 1. It is of particular note that the Bears already have five wide receivers on the active roster and still chose to elevate another. While recent reports seemed to indicate a sense of optimism regarding Odunze’s potential availability, he could be on the wrong side of questionable given the recent transaction. Fantasy managers will want to confirm his status when the team releases its inactives 90 minutes prior to first kick. Luther Burden and Colston Loveland would be in line to benefit greatly should Odunze be unable to go.

Per Hammond, Odunze “came up hobbling during an install period at the start of practice,” with what appeared to be a right leg injury. Apparently, Odunze “wasn’t overly concerned” and tried to continue practicing, but Bears trainers removed him from the field. That last bit is encouraging. Hopefully, Odunze’s Week 1 availability has not been jeopardized. Bears TE Colston Loveland and WR Luther Burden would benefit if Odunze cannot play. Odunze is backed up by WR Kalif Raymond.

This jives with what beat writers reported yesterday, but the coach saying it means we should probably expect Burden to be ready for Week 1. He’s a high-ceiling WR2/WR3 stab in drafts on an offense that Johnson has said wants to set the NFL scoring record.

Burden returned to practice on Wednesday. On Saturday, Biggs conceded that Burden maybe wasn’t 100% but was moving well while running routes and getting in and out of his breaks. It’s another positive update for Burden, who continues to gain momentum that he’ll be available for Week 1, which is just two weeks away.

The Chicago Tribune’s Sean Hammond made it clear that this was the first of many steps toward a full return for Burden, but it’s still a good sign that he’s back on the field. With more than two weeks until the Bears’ first game of the season, Burden appears to be on track to play in Week 1. Burden has been going outside the top 20 wide receivers in Best Ball drafts following the injury. That buying window is likely to close as long as he doesn’t suffer any setbacks. Burden remains a high-risk, high-reward WR2 bet.

It’s not the worst-case scenario, but fantasy managers were likely hoping for a better recovery timeline. The talented second-year player has consistently drawn rave reviews since spring practices. Bears coach Ben Johnson recently compared Burden’s dogged mindset to players he previously coached, including Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and former Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry, noting Burden wants to be “the most conditioned player on the team, and one of the strongest receivers on the team.” Burden will undoubtedly do everything he can to be ready for Week 1, but treating him as questionable to play in the season opener is the prudent move for now. He remains a high-upside pick for 2026, albeit with more built-in risk. Keep it locked to Rotoworld for more updates on Burden’s status in the coming week.

Hopefully, we’ll get a clearer recovery timeline for Burden in the coming days, but it doesn’t sound like things were as bad as people initially feared after he was seen limping off the practice field on Saturday morning. The second-year receiver is expected to see a nice uptick in usage this season after having another year to work with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams, and has an easier path to targets with DJ Moore now in Buffalo. We will be sure to check back in with any updates on his injury.