The Chicago Bears are riding high off a surprising beatdown of the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday. One that featured Case Keenum making his first start under center since he was a member of the Houston Texans in 2023.
It’s difficult to predict which version of the Bears will show up against the Jets in Week 4, especially since Ben Johnson hasn’t revealed his starting quarterback. While Caleb Williams is unlikely to get the nod given his reported injury timeline, the uncertainty still presents a bit of a quandary for fantasy managers.
Who on the Bears can they count on for offensive production?
In this edition of Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em, we examine two of Chicago’s top options at wide receiver, Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze, and determine who is more deserving of a start.
Arguments for Burden
For two straight games, Burden has led the Bears in targets, increasing his total on the season to a team-leading 23.
In fact, his 25.6% target share (87th percentile) well exceeds Odunze’s 14.4% (40th percentile), indicating OC Press Taylor’s efforts to get him involved. And with good reason.
Once he catches the football, the slippery, shifty wideout has been adept at evading defenders, forcing the most missed tackles (six) of any wide receiver in 2026, and racking up 63 total yards after the catch on 15 receptions.
In Week 3, Burden hauled in 7 passes on 11 targets for 61 yards. He and Keenum found some nice chemistry, connecting on a mix of underneath passes, screens, and shallow fades, punctuated by a red-zone shuffle pass score.
The duo complements each other well, given Keenum’s below-average arm strength and Burden’s speed and creativity. A similar rationale could explain Burden’s team-high in receptions in Week 2 with Tyson Bagent starting.
Although he’s not a deep route runner, Burden’s quickness, ability to find separation in crowded quarters, and propensity for making people miss make him an intriguing big yardage threat.
He’ll need to utilize every weapon in his arsenal against the Jets, who are third in the league in passing yards allowed.
Arguments for Odunze
Odunze and Burden represent opposite sides of the same coin: both are dynamic receivers, but how they make their bones is vastly different.
Burden is more of a “get him the ball, let him cook” option, while Odunze is “throw the ball up, and let him make a play.”
Plain and simple, the former Washington Husky is a big-pass, downfield threat. See (below): the insane bomb he somehow caught from Williams in Week 1. He’s averaging 17.4 yards per reception and posting an average depth target of 19.6 yards, which are well above Burden’s 10.4 and 7.2, respectively.
Odunze also has a higher snap share (72%) than Burden (63.8%), meaning that the former participates in a larger volume of plays.
Still, those advantages haven’t translated into the most impressive raw stats through three contests: 8 receptions for 139 yards, and zero touchdowns. The last time Odunze scored was Week 9 of 2025. He’s caught one TD in his last 13 appearances.
His end-zone drop in Week 3 against the Eagles extended the drought in glaring fashion. Still, it’s notable that the Bears targeted him in the red-zone, jump-ball situation.
Final Verdict
Over the course of three games in 2026, Burden has been the more productive fantasy player than Odunze. According to StatChasers, in PPR leagues, the former has collected 35.5 total fantasy points (11.8 per game), compared to the ladder’s 21.9 (7.3 per game).
Their stats obviously support those figures, but when it comes down to deciding who to start, consider the context.
Assuming Williams doesn’t play in Week 4, that Keenum or Bagent at the helm. Their arm strength (or, relatively speaking, lack thereof) calls for easier, shorter passes to advance the ball downfield. Advantage Burden.
Their opponent also matters. The New York Jets, who rank second in the league in fewest yards allowed, rarely give up big plays. In fact, they are third in the NFL in explosive pass play rate (2.5%), meaning that they’re exceptional at preventing completions for over 20 yards—an area where Odunze excels.
The Jets are better suited to take away what Odunze does best than to take away what Burden does best.
For that reason, along with QB fit and their individual numbers up to this point, we’re starting Luther Burden III in Week 4.
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