Bears' Luther Burden: Scores TD on productive night
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Burden secured seven of 11 targets for 61 yards and a touchdown while rushing once for seven yards in the Bears' 27-7 win over the Eagles on Monday night.
The second-year wideout led the Bears in receptions and targets in the impressive win with totals that also qualified as season highs, while checking in second only to Kalif Raymond in receiving yards. Burden also scored his first touchdown of the season on a nifty shovel pass that he took eight yards to the house while breaking multiple tackles near the goal line to cap off Chicago's opening possession. Burden's ability to click with fill-in signal-caller Case Keenum bodes well for the receiver's fantasy prospects, considering Caleb Williams (hamstring) is still projected to miss several more games. Burden will look to carry over the momentum into a Week 4 home matchup against the Jets on Sunday.
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Bears' Luther Burden III: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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It's been a bad start to the season for Burden and Rome Odunze, and I would prefer to sit both in Week 3 at the Eagles with Caleb Williams (hamstring) out. We don't yet know whether Case Keenum or Tyson Bagent (concussion) will start against Philadelphia, and maybe the quarterback change will help Burden and Odunze. Through two games against Carolina and Minnesota, Burden has eight catches for 95 yards and no touchdowns on 12 targets, and Odunze has five catches for 95 yards and no touchdowns on seven targets. Kalif Raymond (13 catches for 124 yards on 14 targets) is Chicago's leading receiver, and this is a tough matchup against the Eagles, who should harass the backup quarterbacks. Hopefully, Williams isn't out long, and we can still get great production down the road from Burden and Odunze. But in Week 3, they are just No. 3 Fantasy receivers at best in the majority of leagues.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Leads Chicago in targets in Week 2 loss
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Burden caught three of seven targets for 32 yards in Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Vikings.
On a wet and windy day at Soldier Field, Burden led all Bears in targets, but that volume didn't result in much production. The second-year wideout has had a slow start to the season, posting an 8-95-0 line on 12 targets through two contests, and his outlook in the short term won't be improved if the hamstring injury that knocked Caleb Williams out of Sunday's contest proves to be serious. Burden could be catching passes from Tyson Bagent instead in a Week 3 home tilt against the Eagles.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Five grabs in huge Week 1 win
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Burden caught all five of his targets for 63 yards and added two yards on his only carry in Sunday's 59-37 win over the Panthers.
In the highest-scoring Week 1 game in NFL history, Burden didn't make a huge impact but did the most he could with the targets he got. The Bears' running game was the engine of the offense in this one -- six of their eight TDs came on the ground -- and that balance will tip toward the pass catchers sooner or later. Burden will look for more volume in Week 2 at home against the Vikings.
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Bears' Luther Burden III: WRs to Start
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We don't know if Rome Odunze (leg) will play in Week 1, and his status is worth monitoring with this matchup against the Panthers. If Odunze is in, then Burden remains a good Fantasy option. But if Odunze is out, then Burden has top-10 upside. Last year, Odunze missed the final five games of the season with a foot injury, and Burden averaged 6.5 targets per game over that span. He also had two games with at least 14.4 PPR points and averaged 15.2 PPR points per game when Odunze was injured. Burden missed most of training camp with a groin injury, but he's fine now and is expected to be a big part of Chicago's offense. This should be the start of a big year for Burden in 2026.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Practicing Tuesday
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Coach Ben Johnson said Burden (groin) will participate in Tuesday's practice, Zack Pearson of BearReport reports.
After suffering a groin injury during an Aug. 8 practice, Burden was expected to be sidelined for about one month, putting his availability for Week 1 in question. Since then, he missed the Bears' entire preseason slate but returned to individual drills last Wednesday. Chicago takes on the Panthers on the road in their regular-season opener Sunday, Sept. 13.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Runs routes Saturday
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Burden (groin) did not suit up for Saturday's preseason victory over the Titans but did run routes pregame, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Burden resumed practicing Wednesday following a multi-week layoff, so it's not a surprise that he sat Saturday. The report indicates he may not yet be moving at full speed, but coach Ben Johnson said after Saturday's game that the wideout "looks 100 percent," per Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times, so the expectation is that he'll be ready to go for Week 1 of the regular season versus the Panthers.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Back at practice Wednesday
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Burden (groin) returned to practice Wednesday, but he was contained to individual drills, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.
Since exiting practice Aug. 8 due to a groin injury, Burden was given a prognosis of roughly one month, meaning preseason action was off the table. However, his ability to mix back into some drills Wednesday generally is a positive sign in his recovery. The Bears open the regular season Sunday, Sept. 13 at Carolina, a contest for which Burden will continue to ramp up for.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Coach optimistic for Week 1 availability
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Coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday that Burden (groin) is going to "hopefully" be ready by the start of the season, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.
Burden is already expected to sit out all three of the Bears' preseason games, but the hope is that the wideout will be available for the team's Sept. 13 regular-season opener against the Panthers. In any case, based on the wording of Johnson's comments Tuesday, Burden isn't necessarily a lock to be ready for Week 1 action.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Set to miss preseason, should play Week 1
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Burden (groin) is expected to sit out all three of the Bears' preseason games, but the team believes the wideout will be available for the Sept. 13 regular-season opener against the Panthers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Burden sustained a groin injury during a 1-on-1 drill in Saturday's practice and will need around a month to make a full recovery, but the Bears are optimistic that he'll be able to get enough on-field work in prior to Week 1 to avoid missing any games that count. While the 2025 second-round pick is out for the rest of training camp and the preseason, the Bears will have added reps available at receiver behind Rome Odunze and Kalif Raymond. Zavion Thomas, Jahdae Walkerand Scotty Miller are all candidates to see extra opportunities in the next few weeks as they compete for roster spots as depth options in Chicago's wideout corps. When healthy, Burden will have an opportunity to make a mark from a fantasy perspective in 2026, while operating as a key target for quarterback Caleb Williams in a Chicago passing attack that will also feature Odunze and tight end Colston Loveland.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Expected to miss one month
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Burden (groin) is expected to be sidelined for roughly one month, Matt Zenitz of CBSSports.com reports.
Burden suffered a groin injury at practice Saturday, and he is now set to be unavailable for the entirety of the preseason. The hope from the organization is that the wide receiver will be back and available for the Bears' regular-season opener Sunday, Sept. 13 against the Chargers. If Burden is forced to miss any regular-season action, offseason addition Kalif Raymond and third-round pick Zavion Thomas (undisclosed) would stand to see an increase in targets while operating opposite of No. 1 wideout Rome Odunze in Chicago's offense.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Exits practice with apparent injury
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Burden left Saturday's training camp practice due to a lower-body injury, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times reports.
Burden sustained the injury after colliding awkwardly with Tyrique Stevenson during a one-on-one drill in Saturday's practice. Burden went with a trainer to the team's facilities to undergo further tests to determine the severity of the injury. The 2025 second-rounder has been a standout in offseason programs and training camp and is lined up for an expanded role in his sophomore campaign following the departure of DJ Moore, who was traded by the Bears to the Bills in early March.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Draws praise from head coach
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Speaking with the media Thursday, coach Ben Johnson said he's "buying Burden stock right now" after a strong start to the Bears' offseason program, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.
"Yesterday, he had numerous explosive plays," Johnson continued. "I'm really happy with him." Burden has had one of the biggest hype trains of the offseason after Chicago traded DJ Moore to the Bills back in March. As a rookie last season, Burden averaged 2.69 yards per route run over 15 regular-season games, the highest mark for a first-year player since 2016, and only Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba posted better yards-per-route numbers in 2025. With Moore out of the picture, Burden is expected to play in all two-wide sets alongside Rome Odunze this season. In one of the league's more explosive offenses, Burden's arrow is pointing upward in a big way.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Primed for key role
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Burden has less competition for playing time and targets after the Bears traded DJ Moore to Buffalo, Patrick Finley of The Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Burden would've been a popular 2026 breakout candidate even if the Bears had kept Moore, who was targeted on just 16.0 percent of his routes last season. Burden had a team-high 26.1 percent target rate while ranking fourth among all qualified pass catchers with 2.83 yards per route, but with a mere 41 percent route share across 15 regular-season games. His playing time and production improved as the season progressed, with Burden catching at least three passes in each of his final 10 appearances (including two playoff games). With Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus (Falcons) no longer playing for Chicago, the passing attack figures to flow through Burden, WR Rome Odunze and TE Colston Loveland.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Quiet end to impressive rookie year
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Burden secured three of seven targets for 24 yards during Sunday's 20-17 overtime loss to the Rams in the divisional round. He also ran the ball once for a gain of zero yards.
Burden drew the third-most targets of any Bears' skill-position player Sunday, trailing only Colston Loveland (concussion) and DJ Moore, but he struggled to get much going versus Los Angeles' stout defense and finished fifth on the team in terms of receiving yards. While Burden was relatively quiet in his two postseason showings, he's decidedly coming off an impressive rookie campaign. Across 15 regular-season appearances Burden tallied a 47-652-2 line on 60 targets, including two 100-yard games. He also rushed six times for 37 yards and compiled 223 yards as a kick returner. Burden's YAC ability, chemistry with Caleb Williams and fit in head coach Ben Johnson's offense promise to make him a popular Year 2 breakout candidate.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Three catches in loss
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Burden caught three of four targets for 35 yards and rushed once for 10 yards in Sunday's 19-16 loss to Detroit.
Burden went without a catch in the first half before reeling in three passes after the break. The wide receiver was unable to build off of his recent momentum, recording his fewest catches since Week 12 and his lowest yardage total in four weeks. Burden will finish his rookie campaign having caught 47 of 60 targets for 652 yards and two touchdowns while also turning six carries into 37 yards over 15 regular-season contests, and he'll now make his postseason debut in the wild-card round against the Packers next weekend.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Elevated role projected for Sunday
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Burden is in line to serve as the Bears' No. 2 receiver again in Sunday's Week 18 matchup against the Lions due to Rome Odunze (foot) being ruled inactive for the contest.
Burden has taken ample advantage in the three games he's played during Odunze's current absence, posting an 18-289-1 line on 22 targets in that span. The rookie is coming into Sunday fresh off a career-best eight-catch, 138-yard, one-touchdown effort against the 49ers last Sunday night, and he'll look to exploit a Lions secondary that's been significantly impacted by injury.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Practices in full Thursday
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Burden (quadriceps) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.
Burden was limited in Wednesday's practice due to the quad injury he suffered on the last play of Chicago's loss to San Francisco in Week 17, and it now appears he's fully recovered in time for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Lions. Meanwhile, fellow wideout Rome Odunze (foot) remained sidelined at practice Thursday and seems an unlikely candidate to play Week 18, given that the Bears have already clinched the NFC North but do not have a path to claiming the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture.
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Bears' Luther Burden III: WRs to Start
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We're keeping an eye on the injury report for the Bears leading up to Week 18 because we hope Burden will play after he was injured on the final play in Week 17 at San Francisco. We also want to see if Rome Odunze (foot) will play against the Lions. If Burden plays and Odunze is out then Burden is worth starting in all leagues. Against the 49ers, Burden was a star with eight catches for 138 yards and a touchdown on nine targets, and he now has at least 14.4 PPR points in each of his past two games. Detroit is No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, and D.J. Moore would be a high-end No. 3 receiver in all leagues as well if Odunze is out.
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Bears' Luther Burden: Logs limited practice Wednesday
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Burden (quadriceps) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday.
Burden suffered what eventually was called a quad injury on the final play of this past Sunday's loss at San Francisco. Coach Ben Johnson told Chris Emma of 670TheScore.com on Wednesday that the Bears are "hopeful" that Burden will be able to play Sunday versus the Lions. Ultimately, how Burden fares in practice Thursday and Friday will determine if he enters the weekend with a designation for Week 17 action. Meanwhile, fellow WR Rome Odunze (foot) remained sidelined at practice, while Olamide Zaccheaus (illness) practiced in full, so the latter, DJ Moore, Jahdae Walker and Devin Duvernay are the healthy options at the position on the Bears' active roster.
