FlurrySports discusses the Luther Burden III fantasy outlook for the Fantasy Football Playoffs following the Rome Odunze injury update. Go pick him up!
We have officially reached the Fantasy Football Playoffs! Congratulations, if you are still alive in the quest for a championship, but rest assured, the job is not finished. It becomes more important now than ever to track injuries and player news to ensure the best possible lineup. One trend that routinely plays out in the NFL is the emergence of any number of rookie wide receivers down the stretch of the season. The Luther Burden III fantasy performance last week fits that bill, making him well worth a waiver wire pickup ahead of the fantasy playoffs.
Rome Odunze Injury Update
Early on in the season, it was second-year pro Rome Odunze who looked to be the alpha in the Chicago Bears’ wide receiver room. However, he has been in a tailspin as far as fantasy production is concerned ever since the team’s Week 5 bye. Since then, Odunze has been held to three receptions or fewer in six of eight games played. That lack of efficiency correlates precisely with Odunze’s ability, or lack thereof, to provide managers with double-digit PPR points over that span.
It is interesting to note that Odunze still saw at least six targets in four of those dud performances. Of course, it’s fair to question how solid several of those targets were with Caleb Williams still not being the most precise QB at times this season. However, in Week 14, a Rome Odunze injury (foot) led to increased usage for other receivers, and the Luther Burden fantasy stock rose in a big way.
At the time of writing, there hasn’t been any Rome Odunze injury update of substance for Week 15. However, it is typical for a stress fracture in the foot to be a multi-week absence. This correlates with the Bears designating him as week-to-week prior to last week’s game. Add it all up, and there is a very real possibility that Odunze is in line to miss another game or two, at a minimum, which means that managers will need to make alternative arrangements for the Fantasy Football Playoffs.
Luther Burden III Fantasy Outlook
With Odunze sidelined last week, many Luther Burden III fantasy football owners expected a breakout performance. In reality, savvy fantasy managers have had Burden on their radar for a number of weeks now, given the evolution of his snap counts and target share over the last several games. After failing to play 30% of the team’s offensive snaps at any point through the first nine weeks, Burden has been on the field for at least 44% in each of the five games since. His snap share bumped north of 50% three weeks ago and topped out at 71% (50 snaps played) with Odunze out of the lineup in Week 14.
More importantly, Burden has been actively involved in Chicago’s passing attack as opposed to just being on the field running around. The former Missouri star has now seen at least five targets in four consecutive games and six in each of the last two weeks. With Odunze sidelined last week, Burden caught four of six targets for 67 yards. Over the last month and change, Burden actually leads all Bears pass catchers in yardage and is right up there in terms of receptions as well.
The Odunze injury will continue to impact the deployment of the Bears’ other pass-catchers. Burden was actually third on the team in snaps played at the WR position last week behind both D.J. Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus. While the latter caught a touchdown pass, neither player presents near the fantasy upside that Burden does. Tight ends Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet will also factor in. By and large, managers should expect Chicago to continue prioritizing the ground game, but that could be easier said than done against the Cleveland Browns’ defense in Week 15.
Fantasy Football Players to Drop for Luther Burden
We all have a tendency to be loyal to the guys that are already on our roster. In the Fantasy Football Playoffs, that bias MUST be tested and overcome. Overhauling how you approach your roster construction is paramount to best positioning yourself for a championship run. Furthermore, a player like Burden who carries immediate start-worthy upside is much more significant this time of year than a bench stash. Last I checked, there is no payout awarded to the team with the best bench!
With this in mind, the following is a list of wide receivers with at least 50% ownership in ESPN leagues that managers could consider dropping to pick up Luther Burden for the Fantasy Football Playoffs:
Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos (66.3%)
Let’s be honest, when will you ever feel good about starting Franklin in the do-or-die setting that is the fantasy playoffs? That sentiment only rings more true with Pat Bryant coming on in recent weeks. Outside of Courtland Sutton, it remains difficult to trust anyone in the Broncos’ passing attack with regularity.
Alec Pierce (58.3%) and Josh Downs (50.6%), Indianapolis Colts
The Colts lost Daniel Jones to a season-ending Achilles injury this past week. Backup Riley Leonard also picked up an injury in the game. As painful as it may be, the entire Indianapolis passing attack is a hard sell heading into the fantasy playoffs. Alec Pierce sustained an injury of his own late in last week’s game and Josh Downs has been irrelevant on the fantasy front for weeks in this offense.
Keenan Allen (85.0%) and Quentin Johnston (73.5%), Los Angeles Chargers
This might be a major stretch for some, but the Chargers’ passing attack has become unpredictable for fantasy purposes with so many mouths to feed. Since Week 5, Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston have combined to top 15 PPR points just two times! That’s a sample size of eight games for those keeping score at home, and it doesn’t exactly bode well for either player to reliably deliver a big performance moving forward.
Justin Herbert is banged up and L.A. also has to face the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans in two of the next three weeks, making for an overall difficult schedule in the fantasy playoffs. Add it all up, and it’s tough to get excited about starting either player in a win-or-go-home playoff setting. A Week 17 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys is the lone exception.
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