Bears elevate WR Kaden Davis for Week 1

The yardage total goes down as Odunze’s second highest mark of the season as the third-year receiver was held out of the end zone for the seventh straight game to start the 2026 season. He did make three massive catches on third downs to help extend drives, making his mark felt more with quality than quantity. That doesn’t necessarily benefit fantasy managers that chased his big-play abilities this offseason as Odunze has largely been a fantasy dud outside of the Week 4 win over the Jets in which he returned 15.4 PPR points. He remains best left on fantasy benches ahead of another difficult test against the Seahawks in Week 8.

Loveland found himself dancing in the end zone for the second consecutive week when he muscled his way in for a score from 12 yards out in the third quarter. The team-leading 12 targets also came on only 33 Caleb Williams pass attempts, with no other player on the team recording more than five targets to their ledger. Furthermore, backup tight end Cole Kmet departed in the fourth quarter with an apparently serious knee injury as he had to be carted off the field, potentially setting Loveland up for more consistent volume moving forward. Loveland finally appears to be making good on his lofty draft capital from the summer after returning fantasy TE1 weeks in two straight games, something managers hope will continue in another difficult matchup on paper against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football in Week 8.

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.

Odunze, who led the Bears in pass routes on the day, was third in targets while Luther Burden and Colston Loveland had big days with Caleb Williams back under center. Odunze was seeing more targets and air yards with the Bears’ backups QBs under center, though he should remain a high-variance flex in Week 7 against the Patriots. Odunze leads the Chicago offense with a 35 percent air yards share this season.

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.

It was Loveland’s first score of the 2026 season, and it came with Caleb Williams back under center for Chicago after three weeks on the sideline with a hamstring injury. Loveland couldn’t quite come down with a second touchdown grab in the second half on a poorly thrown green zone pass from Williams. Loveland was second on the team in targets behind Luther Burden III, who had eight looks from Williams on the day. A relative lack of pass volume in the Bears offense could limit Loveland’s overall opportunity, though a concerted effort to get the tight end involved in the red zone could make him a 12-team league option going forward. Loveland gets the Patriots in Week 7.

Everyone’s favorite breakout tight end is now sitting on an unseemly 110 yards receiving through five games played. It’s an inconceivable outcome after Loveland’s stretch-run and postseason dominance last season, but now very much a trend. Loveland’s “rates,” while good, just haven’t been good enough, and he is not compensating with the off-the-charts efficiency he would need to produce on that kind of usage, a la a Dalton Kincaid-type. It’s hard to throw in the TE1 towel since Loveland has only finished one game alongside QB Caleb Williams, but Williams’ likely Week 6 return against the Falcons could be something of a “last stand.” If Loveland can’t get it going with Williams back in the lineup, we might have to accept Loveland’s TE2 fate.

Although the Bears were already losing 31-7, Odunze’s fourth quarter giveaway was an ill-advised decision on a fourth down catch-and-run where he had already secured a new set of downs. Odunze seemed to be extending the ball forward. Unnecessary. Like every Bears pass catcher, Odunze is treading fantasy water waiting for the return of Caleb Williams (hamstring). It appears that will be Week 6 against the Falcons, but Odunze’s returns have been uneven enough that not even Williams’ re-insertion under center will be enough to get Odunze above the mid-range WR3 ranks.

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.

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.