Ben Johnson: Burden (hammy) ‘looks 100 percent’

Burden erupted on the scene with a 58-yard, catch-and-run reception on a crosser in the first quarter to set up a four-yard score for D’Andre Swift. He would tack on another 24 yards and his touchdown late in the second quarter to push him over the century mark in yards on an improbable touchdown reception, taking a quick screen to the house on third-and-17 with only 14 seconds remaining before the break. Burden would largely fall victim to a more reserved offensive stance after the Bears pushed their lead to 13 points on their first possession of the second half, adding just one additional reception in the final 30 minutes of play. That matters not to fantasy managers that had been waiting for a marquee performance from a player they chased up draft boards this summer. Burden appears to be heating up now further removed from the offseason injury he carried into the start of the regular season and can continue to be started as an upside WR2 ahead of a difficult matchup against the Seahawks in Week 8.

With Caleb Williams back from a hamstring injury, Burden led the Bears with eight targets and a season-high 95 yards, mostly on short over-the-middle passes from Williams. Burden’s long play was a 25-yard catch and run. That he ran a route on just 19 of the Bears’ 45 drop backs is something of a concern going forward. With that little route involvement, Burden will have to be hyper efficient if he’s going to be a WR2/3 in fantasy formats. He should remain in lineups next week against the Patriots.

Burden “led” the Bears in receiving, but the fact that 47 yards was the team’s high-water mark tells you all you need to know about their offensive effectiveness this afternoon. Today was actually the first time in three games without Caleb Williams that Burden finished under 60 yards receiving, but he is still in dire need of his starting quarterback’s return. It appears that will be Week 6 against the Falcons, keeping Burden in the low-end WR2 mix despite his lack of spiked weeks through the season’s first five contests.

It was a fine outing for Burden after he showed signs of life in Week 3’s win over the Eagles. Burden was second on the team in targets, trailing Rome Odunze’s seven looks from Tyson Bagent. He ran a few more pass routes than Kalif Raymond, who had two grabs for six yards. Chicago operating as a run-first team is going to necessarily limit Burden’s opportunities, but he should suffice as a WR3/4 in the coming weeks. That includes next week against a middling Green Bay secondary.

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.

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.