Zaccheaus off the radar after another 1-catch day

Zaccheaus was on the field for 18 of the team’s 61 snaps and ran a route on 11 of their 29 dropbacks. Rookie Zachariah Branch ran a route on eight dropbacks. Neither player appears to be a major factor on an offense that really wants to run the ball, especially with Cooper Rush at quarterback.

Branch was a screen game dominator in college, with speed to spare. Raimondi thinks the Falcons will attempt to replicate his Georgia game early on, but Branch has a chance to become “the No. 3 guy, maybe even the No. 2 guy at some point.” Falcons WRs Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus sit in those two spots. Branch is unlikely to contribute meaningfully in fantasy early in the year, but he is worth keeping an eye on in-season.

It’s far from a splashy free agent signing, but the Falcons have work to do to shore up a receiver room that is glaringly thin behind Drake London. Zaccheaus caught 39 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns in his lone season with the Bears while playing on 580 snaps — his most since 2022. Zaccheaus’ ability to play both out wide and in the slot will give some versatility to the Falcons’ offense, but we would expect more receivers to join the mix in the coming days.

Zaccheaus signed a one-year deal with the Bears this offseason and wound up being a thorn in the side of Luther Burden’s fantasy managers for the first half of the season. The veteran receiver occupied his normal role in the slot early in the year, but later saw more work on the outside. Zaccheaus caught 39 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season, and finished the year with the third most routes run (335) of any Bears receiver, per PFF. Whether he’s back with the Bears in 2026 or playing elsewhere, Zaccheaus seems destined to play out the rest of his career on one-year deals and will likely ink another deal similar to his current one this offseason.

Zaccheus came down with just the one catch, but it was a big one; a touchdown over the middle that got the Bears to within three points. The wideout is well behind the other targets in the Chicago passing attack, and likely won’t be a big factor against the Eagles or Rams next week.

Zaccheaus was sidelined by the illness in Week 17. Fortunately, he is now on track to play. Whether Zaccheaus warrants long-shot FLEX consideration depends largely on his teammates’ health and availability. Bears WR Luther Burden (quad) was limited today, while WR Rome Odunze (foot) remains sidelined.

Moore was one of many Chicago players to come down with the flu that has been ripping through the league this week but he ultimately felt well enough to suit up for Sunday Night Football. The same can’t be said for wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, who is inactive. Also inactive for the Bears are QB Case Keenum, WR Rome Odunze, CB Dallis Flowers, OL Luke Newman, DB Nick McCloud, and LB Ruben Hyppolite II.

The same is true of Olamide Zaccheaus, who is also dealing with an illness. It certainly seems like something is going around the Bears’ locker room. Players tend to play through illnesses, and the Bears are taking on the 49ers in a game that has massive implications for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. We expect both players to play, but fantasy managers will want to have a backup plan in place. Luther Burden would be in line for a sizable uptick in targets if one or both of Moore and Zaccheaus are ruled out.

Burden injured his ankle in Week 15 and was completely unable to practice this week. He and WR Rome Odunze (foot) have both been ruled out, while RB D’Andre Swift (groin) and TE Cole Kmet (ankle/knee) are listed as questionable to play. Bears TE Colston Loveland and WRs DJ Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus stand to benefit.

Odunze was listed with heel and ankle injuries in October and November. On December 5th, he was reportedly considered week-to-week with a stress fracture in his foot. The Bears held him out of their Week 14 game on December 7th, but allowed him to resume practicing in Week 15. He then aggravated the stress fracture during pre-game warmups. It’s an extremely unfortunate series of events. The Bears will also be without WR Luther Burden (ankle) against the Packers on Saturday, reducing target competition for TE Colston Loveland and WRs DJ Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus. Bears RB D’Andre Swift (groin) and TE Cole Kmet (ankle/knee) are questionable to play.