Player outlook
DJ Moore left Rome Odunze an opening, not a monopoly.
Odunze is healthy after a foot injury erased five games and Chicago's former target leader is gone. Luther Burden and Colston Loveland make the available volume a competition, not an inheritance.
Rome Odunze scored in each of Chicago's first four games last season. He then played through a foot injury, missed the final five regular-season games, and finished fourth on his own team in receiving yards. Now DJ Moore is in Buffalo and Odunze is healthy.
Opportunity rarely arrives more clearly. It just does not arrive alone. Luther Burden III surged late as a rookie, Colston Loveland already led the remaining group in receiving yards, and Ben Johnson has a backfield capable of carrying the offense. Odunze can become Caleb Williams's top wideout without becoming a target hog.
Ball Ranks has him 54th overall and WR26 with 160.8 projected PPR points. His ADP is 51.9, slightly earlier. The breakout remains possible, but drafters are already paying for part of it.
Rome Odunze's depth chart
CHI at WR, using ESPN's published depth chart.
| # | Player | 2025 snap shareAverage share of offensive snaps in the games he played, 2025 regular season. Green = entrenched, amber = rotational, gray = fringe. Check GP: a backup can post a real share in mop-up games while barely playing all season. | GPGames he appeared in, 2025 regular season — the denominator behind the snap share | 2025 finish2025 fantasy finish at the position (PPR) | 2026 projModel One's projected 2026 rank at the position (PPR) | ADPAverage draft position in real drafts this week — whether the market is drafting him at all is its own threat signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rome Odunze | 88%Snap share is averaged over the games he actually played (12). | 12 | WR41 | WR29 | 54.4 |
| 2 | Luther Burden III | 40%Snap share is averaged over the games he actually played (15). | 15 | WR48 | WR34 | 50.6 |
| 3 | Kalif Raymond | 37%Snap share is averaged over the games he actually played (15). Snap share earned with DET, not CHI. | 15 | WR94 | WR130 | undrafted |
| 5 | Jahdae Walker | 15%Snap share is averaged over the games he actually played (6). | 6 | WR142 | WR156 | undrafted |
Snap share and finish are 2025; projections and ADP are 2026 (Model One, PPR). "Undrafted" means no ADP in real drafts this week.
Last year's line was distorted by the foot
Odunze caught 44 of 90 targets for 661 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. He played 88.1% of Chicago's offensive snaps when available, so the issue was not a rotational role. It was availability and diminished production after the fast start.
Across his first six appearances, Odunze scored 89.9 PPR points, caught 24 passes for 359 yards, and reached the end zone five times. His final six produced 56.2 points, 20 catches, 302 yards, and one touchdown. That is a meaningful decline, but the Bears' receiver preview supplies the missing context: the foot problem limited him throughout the season and kept him out of the last five regular-season games.
He returned for the playoffs, then participated fully in Chicago's spring program after spending the early offseason getting back to full strength. A healthy August changes how much weight we should put on the 146.1-point total.
It does not erase two seasons below 750 yards. Odunze has produced 734 and 661 receiving yards since Chicago drafted him ninth overall. The injury and crowded target tree explain much of that, but 2026 is still the year he has to convert traits and draft capital into a complete fantasy season.
Moore's departure creates targets, not ownership
Chicago traded Moore after he led the 2025 team in receiving yards. Odunze and Burden now headline the receiver room, while Loveland enters year two after a strong rookie finish. The available volume is obvious.
The Bears' own preview also shows why assigning all of it to Odunze would be too easy. Ben Johnson said he was “buying Luther Burden stock,” and Burden averaged 4.3 catches and 60.1 yards over his final eight games. Loveland already increased his production after the midpoint. This offense has three young pass catchers capable of leading an individual week.
Odunze's advantages are outside-receiver snaps, first-round investment, and an established red-zone connection with Williams. His six touchdowns in 12 games were not purely a late-season fluke; five came before the foot cost him the end of the year. His challenge is turning those high-value plays into seven or eight weekly targets.
The schedule does not offer much help
Our opponent-based calculation gives Chicago one of the league's hardest passing schedules in 2026. It is a backward-looking measure and defensive strength changes quickly, but it is enough to keep us from adding an easy schedule bump to Odunze's projection.
The Bears also have a Week 10 bye. More importantly, the same coaching structure returns: Johnson calls the plays, with Press Taylor promoted to coordinator. That continuity should help Williams and his receivers play faster in year two of the system.
Chicago's productive rushing tandem can cut both ways. It should keep the offense functional and create play-action chances. It can also reduce passing volume in favorable game scripts. Odunze's fantasy rise needs a larger share of the passing game, not simply a better Bears offense.
A healthy season can beat WR26 without a target monopoly
Model One projects only a modest scoring increase from Odunze's 12-game 2025. A full healthy season with Moore gone can beat that number without requiring an elite target share. At 13 PPR points per game — slightly above his early-2025 pace — he would clear 220 points.
That upside may help explain why drafters have moved his ADP just ahead of the Ball Ranks rank. They are buying the role change and treating the injury-shortened sophomore line as incomplete evidence. They may be right.
Our caution comes from Burden and Loveland, not from a belief that Odunze lacks ability. If the targets spread evenly among all three and Chicago leans on the run, WR26 may be the correct neighborhood even with 17 healthy games.
Early-season usage will be especially informative. Odunze's route participation was already secure, so snap counts alone will not answer the question. First-read targets, red-zone looks, and how often Burden moves inside will show whether Moore's departure created a true lead role or only a more balanced distribution.
Draft the opening, not an empty target tree
Odunze is worth a fifth-round selection near pick 54. We would take him after the clearer-volume receivers in this tier and before lower-ceiling veterans. Do not draft the empty targets alone; draft the healthy player with a plausible claim on them.
See Odunze's live projection and history on his player profile, or compare him on the complete 2026 rankings board.
Sources and data notes
- Ball Ranks board, season history, weekly splits, depth chart, and schedule calculation: August 29, 2026 snapshot.
- Chicago Bears 2026 receiver preview: Odunze's foot injury, full offseason participation, DJ Moore's departure, and Luther Burden's late-season role.