Bears elevate WR Kaden Davis for Week 1

Tyson Bagent, making his first NFL start, locked on to his boundary wideout in the first half, hitting Odunze for a couple long gains, including a nicely-placed 37 yarder. Odunze was second on the team in targets behind Colston Loveland, who saw nine looks on the day. Odunze is leading the Bears offense in air yards and profiles as a high-variance weekly fantasy option in an offense that leans toward the run. Odunze will be a solid flex option in Week 5 against a Green Bay secondary that struggles against boundary receivers.

Loveland led the Chicago offense in targets and was third — behind Rome Odunze and Luther Burden — in receiving yards with Tyson Bagent under center. Bagent found Loveland on a couple pinpoint middle-of-the-field throws in the first half before the Bears turned hard toward the run in the second half. Loveland now has ten receptions over his past two games after a miserable start to the year. You probably won’t find a better waiver wire tight end in Week 5, when Loveland takes on the Packers.

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.

Loveland matched his to-date season total of one reception on the second play from scrimmage and narrowly missed his first touchdown of the young season after replay assist ruled him down inside the one at the start of the second quarter. The offense would turn the ball over on downs four plays later after failing to punch it in, allowing the Eagles to remain in the game for longer than they otherwise should have been. Either way, it’s a step in the right direction for the talented youngster, although the absence of Caleb Williams could further dent his fantasy upside in the immediate future. Loveland continues to be a TE1 in fantasy circles despite the slow start, which holds for when the Bears play host to the Jets in Week 4.

Odunze continues to function as the deep threat in Ben Johnson’s offense, which spells trouble for his fantasy value in the immediate future considering the absence of Caleb Williams. Case Keenum got the start under center against the Eagles, and while he kept the offense on track through veteran savvy, his general lack of arm strength limited the offense to hefty rates of attacking the short-to-intermediate areas of the field. It is unclear whether Keenum or Tyson Bagent will draw the start in Week 4, but the decision could dictate whether Odunze can be inserted into fantasy rosters against the Jets.

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.

It was Odunze’s second quiet statline in as many weeks to begin the season. The difference this time, of course, was the Bears scored only three points after dropping 59 on the Panthers in Week 1. They did attempt 35 passes, 26 of which came from Caleb Williams before he injured his hamstring midway through the fourth quarter. If Williams misses Week 3 against the Eagles as is currently looking likely, it would be difficult to jam Odunze into the WR3 ranks.

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.

This would qualify as Loveland “heating up” after his Week 1 doughnut against the Panthers, which also came on three targets. Alibis abounded this afternoon, as rainy conditions and a blitzing Brian Flores defense frazzled Caleb Williams before he departed late with a hamstring injury, but there’s no real way to sugarcoat one catch for three yards through two games. That’s especially true since one game was a Bears romp and the other a three-point disaster. We assume coach Ben Johnson will make it a point of emphasis to get Loveland going in Week 3 against the Eagles, but: 1. We were hoping Loveland’s production would take care of itself, and: 2. It will likely be Tyson Bagent under center vs. Philly. We are not going to drop Loveland out of the top 12 in fantasy, but a third straight no-show would make it difficult to soldier on in the TE1 ranks.

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.