Rome Odunze News: Reduced competition for targets
Odunze and Luther Burden are Chicago's unquestioned top WRs after the team traded DJ Moore to Buffalo, Patrick Finley of The Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Moore might've only been the No. 3 receiver anyway if he'd returned to Chicago, after plummeting to a 16.0 percent target rate in 2025 while easily leading the team in routes run (512). The Bears also lost WR Oladime Zaccheaus (305 routes), who is signing with Atlanta. There's plenty of time to add competition behind Odunze and Burden, but it does seem clear that those two and TE Colston Loveland will lead the team in targets in 2026 if they stay relatively healthy. Odunze said in January that he didn't anticipate needing surgery for the foot injury that cost him five games at the end of the regular season (he returned for two postseason games, posting 2-44-0 receiving lines in both). He failed to maintain a hot start in 2025, his second pro season, but there were still some promising signs overall, including a 24.4 percent rate and six TDs in 12 regular-season games. Odunze, Burden and Loveland are all popular fantasy breakout candidates for 2026.