Odunze caught three of four targets for 43 yards in Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Vikings.
The 2024 first-round pick led all Bears wideouts in receiving yards on a wet and windy day at Soldier Field. Odunze has had a slow start to the season, managing just a 5-95-0 line on seven targets through two games, 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. Odunze could be catching passes from Tyson Bagent instead in a Week 3 home tilt against the Eagles.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Little volume in Week 1 rout
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Odunze caught two of three targets for 52 yards in Sunday's 59-37 win over the Panthers.
In the highest-scoring Week 1 game in NFL history, Odunze didn't get much of a chance to contribute, with Kalif Raymond (8-84-0 on nine targets) and Luther Burden (5-63-0 on five targets) getting more looks from Caleb Williams and the ground game accounting for six of the Bears' eight TDs. Better days should be ahead for Odunze, perhaps as soon as Week 2 at home against the Vikings.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Ready to go for Week 1
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Odunze (calf) is active for Sunday's game against the Panthers.
Despite being a limited participant throughout Week 1 prep while managing the calf injury that first cropped up Sept. 3, Odunze has received the green light to play in the Bears' season opener. Odunze should handle his usual starting role, and the Bears haven't provided any indication that he'll have his snaps limited as a result of the injury.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: In line to play Week 1
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Odunze (calf), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Carolina, is expected to play, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Odunze made an early exit from practice Sept. 3 due to a right leg injury that was confirmed as a calf issue upon the Bears posting their first Week 1 practice report Wednesday. He proceeded to log three consecutive limited sessions, and Rapoport's report implies Odunze won't be among the team's inactives for the regular-season opener. Chicago will post such a list approximately 90 minutes before a 1 p.m. ET kickoff, and if he's active, Odunze will join Luther Burden as the top wide receivers available to quarterback Caleb Williams.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Listed as questionable for Week 1
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Odunze (calf) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Carolina.
Odunze suffered a right leg injury in practice last Thursday, Sept. 3, but after logging three straight limited sessions this week, he has a chance to suit up Week 1. His status for Sunday will be clarified about 90 minutes before Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, and assuming he's able to suit up, as he relayed to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic on Friday, Odunze and Luther Burden will be the top wide receivers available to QB Caleb Williams.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Will practice Friday
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Odunze (calf) will practice Friday, and the training staff will assess him afterward before deciding next steps, Sean Hammond of The Chicago Tribune reports.
Odunze was limited the previous two days, and Friday's session gives him one last chance to upgrade to full participation (or at least make a positive impression on coaches and the training staff). Coach Ben Johnson didn't mention expectations for the extent of Odunze's participation Friday. If Odunze ends up inactive Sunday at Carolina, the Bears will be left with a shaky WR group alongside Luther Burden. The top alternatives are Kalif Raymond, rookie Zavion Thomas and Jahdae Walker.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Limited again Thursday
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Odunze (calf) was listed as a limited participant for Thursday's practice.
Odunze was limited for a second day in a row as his status remains unclear going into Week 1. Friday's injury report should provide some clarity, but even then, the Bears may not make a final call on Odunze until Sunday. An absence from Odunze this weekend would open playing time for Kalif Raymond or Zavion Thomas.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Not practicing Monday
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Odunze (leg) is not practicing Monday, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.
After Odunze exited Thursday's practice with an apparent right leg injury, the wide receiver is opening the Week 1 practice week with an absence. The Bears will release an official practice report Wednesday, and it will be a situation to monitor heading into the weekend for Sunday's season opener against the Panthers. If Odunze can't go against Carolina, Luther Burden (groin) and Colston Loveland would likely see expanded target shares, while Kalif Raymond and rookie Zavion Thomas would be in line for elevated snaps.
Odunze "should be all good" after leaving Thursday's practice with an apparent right leg injury, Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Odunze exited in the first hour of Thursday's session, but despite attempting to stay on the field, he was escorted off of it with team trainers. Wiederer's report seems to back up that Odunze's new health concern isn't a serious one, but he'll still enter Week 1 prep with a question mark regarding his status. With fellow WR Luther Burden also tending to a groin injury, the Bears currently have only Kalif Raymond, Zavion Thomas and Jahdae Walker as healthy options at the position on the active roster.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Sustains apparent leg injury
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Odunze sustained an apparent right leg injury during Thursday's practice session, Sean Hammond of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Per the report, Odunze did not seem overly concerned about the injury and attempted to stay on the field, but the training staff decided to bring his day to an early end. His status will be updated again when more details are released, but as things stand both Odunze and Luther Burden (groin) are less than 100 percent. Kalif Raymond, Zavion Thomas and Jahdae Walker are next in line on the depth chart.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Last year's foot injury behind him
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Coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday that Odunze has had no issues this summer with the foot injury that plagued him last season, Larry Mayer of the Bears' official site reports.
Odunze was able to play through listed ankle and heel injuries through Week 13 last season, but a stress fracture in his foot sidelined him Weeks 14-18 before he returned for Chicago's two postseason contests. In 14 appearances including playoffs, he posted a 48-749-6 line on 102 targets, recording 13 receptions of 20-plus yards along the way. As the ninth overall pick in the 2024 Draft, Odunze has a 51.3 percent catch rate (98 for 191) in his two-year career, but he's made up for it with 14.2 YPC. If the aforementioned foot injury is a thing of the past, Odunze will remain a key target for QB Caleb Williams along with TE Colston Loveland and WR Luther Burden (groin) in 2026.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Says foot feels great
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Odunze said Thursday that his foot "feels great" at the beginning of training camp, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.
Odunze also used the word 'amazing' to describe how he feels, perhaps looking to set the record straight after his June comments about a "new normal" led to some panic from Bears fans and fantasy managers. He suffered a stress fracture in his foot last season, derailing what had the look of a breakout year through September and the first half of October. Odunze returned for the playoffs and avoided surgery in the offseason, with no hint of any trouble (besides the one quote) during OTAs and minicamp. He, Luther Burden and TE Colston Loveland are locked in as Caleb Williams' top three targets, in some unknown order.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Bothered by foot still?
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Odunze said Wednesday that his foot feels different after suffering a stress fracture last year, but the wideout doesn't think his "new normal" will be "anything that's going to prohibit (him) from making plays," Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.
"I feel like with the break, it's just like when you tear your ACL, it's never really back to normal," Odunze said. This obviously isn't what fantasy managers want to hear, even if it's mostly just Odunze being overly honest about something that a lot of players deal with after significant injuries. He got off to a hot start in 2025 before the stress fracture torpedoed his season, and while he didn't need offseason surgery, the injury still adds an extra layer of risk to his fantasy profile for 2026 (and beyond?). Odunze seems to be a full participant at spring practices, handling his usual workload while adjusting to the different feeling in his foot. With DJ Moore gone, there's not much doubt about Odunze, Luther Burden and TE Colston Loveland serving as Chicago's top three pass catchers this coming season, in some order.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Won't require offseason surgery
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Odunze said Monday that he will not require surgery this offseason to address the foot injury that forced him to miss the final five games of the regular season, Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Odunze retook the field for both of Chicago's postseason contests, managing an identical 2-44-0 line on six targets in each game, though he initially was listed as questionable for both the wild-card and divisional rounds. Across 12 regular-season appearances, the 2024 first-round pick secured 44 of 90 targets for 661 yards and six touchdowns, with injuries seemingly hampering his ability to emerge as a true leader in a Bears pass-catching corps that also features wideouts DJ Moore and Luther Burden, as well as tight ends Colston Loveland (concussion) and Cole Kmet, all of whom remain under contract for 2026.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Duplicates last week's line
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Odunze (foot) had two receptions on six targets for 44 yards in Sunday's 20-17 overtime playoff loss to the Rams.
Odunze interestingly managed to duplicate his receiving line from last week's wild-card round win over the Packers (2-44-0 on six targets). Unlike last week, the Bears were unable to clutch out a victory against the Rams, bringing the team's 2025 campaign to a close. The 2024 first-round pick wound up missing the final five games of the regular season due to a foot injury, finishing his sophomore campaign with a 44-661-6 receiving line across 12 regular-season starts. Odunze was likely playing through that same injury in his two postseason appearances, so fantasy managers shouldn't scrutinize those performances when evaluating the talent for the 2026 season.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Active versus Rams
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Odunze (foot) is active for Sunday's divisional-round game against the Rams.
Odunze was listed as limited in Wednesday's walkthrough as well as Thursday's practice before being deemed a full participant in Friday's session and listed as questionable to face Los Angeles. The wideout returned from a five-game absence in this past Saturday's wild-card win over the Packers, en route to recording a 69 percent snap share and catching two of his six targets for 44 yards. With his active status this Sunday confirmed, Odunze is on track to maintain his key role in a Chicago WR corps that also features DJ Moore and Luther Burden. On the season, the 2024 first-rounder made his mark from a fantasy perspective by putting up a 44/661/6 receiving line on 90 targets over the course 12 regular-season outings.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Status in question for Sunday
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Odunze (foot) is listed as questionable for Sunday's divisional-round game against the Rams.
Odunze followed up a limited walkthrough Wednesday with a capped practice Thursday due to a lingering foot issue, but despite returning to a full session Friday, the Bears will wait to make a final decision on his availability for Round 2 of the playoffs. Meanwhile, fellow WR DJ Moore, who followed the same practice regimen this week due to a knee injury, doesn't have a designation for Sunday's contest. Ultimately, Odunze's status will be clarified about 90 minutes before a 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Limited on practice estimate
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Odunze (foot) was limited at Wednesday's walkthrough.
In his return from a five-game absence in this past Saturday's wild-card win against the Packers, Odunze started and played the second-most offensive snaps (54 of 78) among Bears wide receivers behind DJ Moore (knee), but the former managed just two catches (on six targets) for 44 yards. Both wide receivers were estimated as limited to begin preparation for Sunday's divisional-round game versus the Rams, with Odunze dealing with his lingering foot injury and Moore his nagging knee issue, so their statuses bear watching as the weekend approaches.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Two grabs in return from injury
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Odunze brought in two of six targets for 44 yards in the Bears' 31-27 wild-card win over the Packers on Saturday.
Making his return from a five-game absence due to a foot injury to close out the regular season, Odunze finished second in both receiving yards and targets among Chicago's wideouts on the night. The second-year pro delivered noteworthy gains of 17 and 27 yards on his pair of grabs, making it an encouraging performance following the month-plus layoff. Odunze's conditioning and stamina should take another step forward during the forthcoming practice week ahead of next weekend's divisional-round clash.
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Bears' Rome Odunze: Clear for wild-card round
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Odunze (foot) doesn't have a designation for Saturday's wild-card game against the Packers.
Odunze previously was deemed active for a Week 15 matchup with the Browns, but a late setback with his lingering foot injury spurred the Bears to rule him out not long before kickoff. To cap the regular season, he ended up missing five consecutive contests due to what has been termed a stress fracture in his foot. With a full practice under his belt Thursday, Odunze is in the clear to suit up Saturday, but how many snaps he'll be able to handle remains to be seen.
