There is optimism in the Bears organization that Odunze (foot) will be available to play against the Browns on Sunday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Odunze did not play against the Packers in Week 14 due to a foot injury. He earned the questionable tag for Sunday's game after failing to log a full practice during Week 15 prep, but it appears the second-year wideout is on track to return against Cleveland. Odunze's official status may not be known until the Bears announce their list approximately 90 minutes before the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, which would give fantasy managers time to explore their options in case the 2024 first-rounder is not cleared to suit up. DJ Moore, rookie second-rounder Luther Burden, Olamide Zaccheaus and tight ends Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet would all be slated for more targets from quarterback Caleb Williams in the event that Odunze doesn't play.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Questionable after limited practice
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Odunze (foot) remained limited at practice Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Cleveland.
Odunze was a limited participant Wednesday through Friday after missing last week's loss to the Packers. His failure to progress to full participation could set up a game-time decision ahead of the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday, with Olamide Zaccheaus (hamstring) set for a big boost in playing time if Odunze is inactive.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Puts in limited practice
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Odunze (foot) was a limited practice participant Thursday.
Chicago had estimated Odunze as a limited participant for Wednesday's walk-through session, but Thursday marked the first time the second-year wideout had actually taken the field for a practice in more than two weeks. Odunze, who is working his way back from a stress fracture in his foot, is a candidate to play Sunday versus the Browns, but he may have to upgrade to full participation in Friday's practice to avoid taking a designation into the weekend. The potential return of Odunze this Sunday would leave fewer reps to go around for rookie Luther Burden, who drew six targets and played a career-high 71 percent of the offensive snaps in a Week 14 loss to the Packers.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Listed as limited Wednesday
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Odunze (foot) was listed as limited on Wednesday's estimated injury report, Sean Hammond of the Chicago Tribune reports.
After missing all three Week 14 practices and being ruled out for this past Sunday's game at Green Bay, Odunze was revealed to be dealing with a stress fracture in his foot that left him week-to-week, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Such a prognosis, even from an NFL insider, typically results in a multi-game absence, but Odunze's listing to start Week 15 prep indicates he has a chance to return Sunday against the Browns. How he fares in practice Thursday and Friday likely will be key in that regard.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Considered week-to-week
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Odunze, who was ruled out for Sunday's game against Green Bay, has been playing with a stress fracture in his foot and is considered week-to-week, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
The report suggests Odunze should return at some point in December, with the expectation being that rest will help (he didn't practice at all this week) .The stress fracture helps explain his drastic downturn in production after a fast start to the season, though other factors contributed there as well. In Odunze's absence, the Bears figure to deploy DJ Moore, Luther Burden and Olamide Zaccheaus as their top three WRs against the Packers.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Ruled out for Sunday
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Odunze (foot) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at Green Bay.
There was no clear sign of trouble during last week's 24-15 win over the Eagles, in which Odunze handled an 80 percent snap share and 87 percent route share but finished with just two catches for eight yards on six targets. He likely was injured at some point during that game, as he hasn't practiced since and will now miss a contest for the first time in his NFL career. Luther Burden and Olamide Zaccheaus figure to get more playing time in Odunze's absence, with DJ Moore, Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet also among the potential beneficiaries in terms of target volume.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Odunze is struggling heading into Week 14 at Green Bay, and he's only worth starting in three-receiver leagues. He has scored 8.3 PPR points or less in four of his past five games, including three in a row, and it's not for a lack of targets. Odunze has at least six targets in each of his past three games, but he's just not connecting with Caleb Williams. The run game has also been dominant for the Bears, and Odunze has a difficult matchup against the Packers, who have allowed just five touchdowns to receivers in their past six games. And only seven receivers have scored more than 12 PPR points against Green Bay this season. I still consider Odunze a low-end starter in two-receiver leagues, but it's hard to expect a dominant outing from him given his recent level of play.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Does little with six targets
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Odunze brought in two of six targets for eight yards during the Bears' 24-15 win over the Eagles on Friday.
Odunze tied Luther Burden and Colston Loveland for the most targets on the Bears on Friday, but Odunze was unable to do much with his limited touches on a day in which Caleb Williams completed just 17 of 36 passes (47.2 percent). Odunze has cooled off from his hot start to the regular season, when he logged a 20-296-5 line on 35 targets through the first four games. In the eight games since Chicago's Week 5 bye, the second-year wideout has caught just 24 passes (on 55 targets) for 365 yards and a score. Odunze will look to get on track Week 14 during the Bears' NFC North clash against the Packers on Sunday, Dec. 7.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Good to go
Rotowire
Odunze (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Vikings.
Odunze and DJ Moore (shoulder) both have been cleared to play after logging full practices Friday. They should fill their usual roles, with Olamide Zacheeaus working as the No. 3 receiver while Luther Burden subs in for Odunze/Moore at times.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Misses practice Wednesday
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Odunze (ankle) did not practice Wednesday.
Odunze has regularly had his reps managed by Chicago to begin practice weeks, so as long as he's able to resume handling at least limited activity during Thursday's session, it will bode well for his odds of gaining clearance for Sunday's road matchup against the Vikings. The second-year pro bounced back with six grabs for 86 yards and a touchdown (on 10 targets) during the Bears' win over the Giants in Week 10, proving that he retains a valuable fantasy ceiling despite the unpredictable nature of Chicago's passing attack. He had previously been held without a catch Week 9.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Rebounds in Week 10 win
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Odunze caught six of 10 targets for 86 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-20 win over the Giants.
Odunze bounced back from a Week 9 goose egg against the Bengals, leading the Bears in targets, catches and receiving yards Sunday. He accounted for Chicago's lone aerial score with a two-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. Odunze could stand to improve his game-to-game consistency, but the 2024 first-round pick leads the Bears across the board with 37 catches, 559 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns on 69 targets heading into a Week 11 road game against the Vikings.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: WRs to Start
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Odunze had no Fantasy points in Week 9 at Cincinnati on just three targets, and he comes into Week 10 against the Giants having scored 5.2 PPR points or less in three of his past four games. But he should snap out of his slump against the Giants, who are No. 7 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. For the season, 12 receivers have scored at least 14 PPR points against the Giants, with eight touchdowns. Caleb Williams should lean on Odunze in this matchup, and he's worth starting in all leagues despite last week's disappointing performance.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: No practice Wednesday
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Odunze (ankle/heel) did not practice Wednesday.
Odunze logged a DNP/LP/FP practice slate prior to being cleared to suit up for Chicago's narrow win over the Bengals in Week 9, so as long as he's able to put forth similar activity ahead of Sunday's game against the Giants he should be able to take the field. Versus Cincinnati, Odunze failed to haul in any of his three targets. DJ Moore (hip/groin) also missed practice Wednesday while Luther Burden (concussion) was a full participant.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Contrarian DFS Play
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I can not understand how Odunze only had three targets in Caleb Williams' biggest game of the season. But I can help you profit from it. The Bears play the Giants this week, and the Giants secondary is in shambles. Expect a bounce-back week from Odunze and hopefully a lower roster rate because of his Week 9 dud.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Expects to play Sunday
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Odunze (heel) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
A spectator for the Bears' first practice of the week Wednesday, Odunze's ability to increase his activity a day later is an encouraging sign as Sunday's game against the Bengals approaches. The Bears will wait until after Friday's practice before deciding whether Odunze carries a designation into the weekend, but the second-year receiver told Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times after Thursday's session that he expects to be good to go for Sunday's contest.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Misses practice Wednesday
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Odunze (heel) did not practice Wednesday.
Odunze and fellow top wideout DJ Moore (hip/groin) were both held out of practice Wednesday, as were rookie Luther Burden (concussion) and veteran slot option Olamide Zaccheaus (knee). Given the plethora of injuries facing Chicago's wide receiver corps, it's possible the team is simply taking a cautious approach to the beginning of Week 9 prep. Odunze will have two more chances to get back on the practice field before receiving a tentative game-day injury designation ahead of Sunday's road contest against the Bengals. He brought in seven of 10 targets for 114 yards during the team's Week 8 loss to Baltimore, Odunze's second 100-yard game of the season.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Contained in Week 7 win
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Odunze brought in two of six targets for 31 yards in the Bears' 26-14 win over the Saints on Sunday.
Odunze's target tally led the Bears on the afternoon, and he also finished with the second-highest receiving yardage total on the team. The latter particularly speaks to what a quiet day it was for the passing attack overall, as Caleb Williams threw for only 172 yards. Odunze put together a productive three-game stretch between Weeks 2 and 4 where he posted 14 receptions for 259 yards and four touchdowns, but he's netted just a 4-63-0 line on 11 targets in the subsequent pair of contests. Odunze will next face an inconsistent Ravens defense on the road in a Week 8 matchup next Sunday afternoon.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Top DFS Play
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Odunze is underpriced on FanDuel at $7,200. He is a top-12 wide receiver for me this week as the clear top option for an ascending Caleb Williams in a dome game in Las Vegas. Odunze is one of the few wide receivers who have scored at least 15 PPR Fantasy points in all three games this season, making him an excellent selection in cash games and tournaments alike.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Breakout continues
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Odunze recorded three receptions on seven targets for 62 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-14 win over Dallas.
Odunze made an immediate impact, hauling in a 35-yard touchdown on Chicago's first offensive possession. He was relatively quiet thereafter, though he still managed a pair of additional receptions for 13 and 14 yards. Odunze has found the end zone in every game this season while surpassing 60 yards in each of his last two contests.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: WRs to Start
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Odunze has become the go-to target for Caleb Williams, and Odunze should be started in all leagues until further notice. Through two games against Minnesota and Detroit, Odunze has 13 catches for 165 yards and three touchdowns on 20 targets, and he scored at least 15.7 PPR points in each outing. This week, he gets a dream matchup against the Cowboys, who just allowed Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson to combine for 17 catches for 309 yards and three touchdowns on 23 targets in Week 2. D.J. Moore is also in play this week as a borderline No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues given the matchup.
