Luther Burden III moves into a starting receiver spot on the Bears depth chart

Questionable (concussion). Fantasy football: Burden was promoted to WR1 on Nov 9 after three games averaging 18.0 half-PPR points, but he is on bye this week…

By Fantasy Roundup Staff · November 10, 2026 · Updated November 10, 2026

Luther Burden III was promoted from WR2 to WR1 on the Bears depth chart on Nov 9. The move follows a strong three-game stretch in which he averaged 18.0 half-PPR points a game on 7.3 targets, 6.0 catches and 94.3 receiving yards a game across Weeks 7, 8 and 9. He caught 7 of 9 targets for 97 yards and a touchdown on 56% of snaps in Week 9 against Tampa Bay before leaving with a concussion in the fourth quarter.

Burden is on bye this week and listed questionable with the concussion for Week 11 against New Orleans. Managers should monitor his progress through the five-step concussion protocol during the bye week. If he clears, the promotion to WR1 and his recent efficiency make him a solid weekly starter, though Rome Odunze played 84% of snaps in Week 9 compared to Burden's 56%, and Kalif Raymond also saw 7 targets, so the role is not locked in.

Fantasy impact

Player by player

Luther Burden III

Burden was WR2 on the depth chart before the promotion on Nov 9 and is now WR1. Over his last three games he has averaged 58% of snaps and a 22% target share, with 7.3 targets and 0.3 carries a game for 18.0 half-PPR points a game. That mark is well above his season average of 12.4 half-PPR points across 9 games. In Week 9 he led the receivers with 9 targets, while Rome Odunze and Kalif Raymond each saw 7 targets. Odunze played 84% of snaps and Raymond 70%, both higher than Burden's 56%.

Burden is scoring 7.3 half-PPR points a game above what his usage predicts over the last three games, ranked 2nd of 183 receivers, so some touchdown or big-play luck that may not repeat. Our models project 10.8 half-PPR points a game going forward, with an efficiency subscore of 88 out of 99, 7th of 198 receivers. The promotion is encouraging, but he must clear concussion protocol to play Week 11 against New Orleans. Check the inactive list about 90 minutes before kickoff when he returns from bye.

What to do

• Hold Luther Burden III through the bye and monitor his progress through concussion protocol for Week 11.

• If Burden clears protocol, start him as a WR2 or flex when he returns in Week 11, though the target competition with Rome Odunze and Kalif Raymond keeps the role from being secure.

• Full-PPR managers benefit slightly more from Burden's recent workload of 6.0 catches a game over the last three weeks.