LutherBurden III

News: 1 day agoCoach Ben Johnson said Tuesday that Burden (groin) is going to "hopefully" be ready by the start of the season, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Spin: Burden is already expected to sit out all three of the Bears' preseason games, but the hope is that the wideout will be available for the team's Sept. 13 regular-season opener against the Panthers. In any case, based on the wording of Johnson's comments Tuesday, Burden isn't necessarily a lock to be ready for Week 1 action.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Burden enters his second NFL season as one of the most popular breakout candidates in fantasy. The 2025 second-round pick played sparingly during most of his rookie season, but flashed elite efficiency when called upon, ranking in the top five among wide receivers in catch rate (77%), yards per target (10.8), RAC (7.3) and YPRR (2.9). Burden is obviously an unproven commodity (he has two career top-20 fantasy outings, after all), but with DJ Moore no longer on the roster, he's a lock for a larger role and very well could lead Chicago in targets. He could cost a pretty penny on draft day, but Burden, 22, is a fine WR3 target with upside for more.