Colston Loveland vs Luther Burden

“Mike ended the round taking his fourth different position of this draft and going with Bears TE Colston Loveland .”

“Sleeper lists Trey McBride at $34, Brock Bowers for $27, and Colston Loveland at a shamefully low $18.”

“Round 3: Colston Loveland (TE – CHI) Colston Loveland is currently going closer to the fourth round in ADP, but the case here is that he’ll settle into a firm third-round price by the time draft season peaks, similar to how the market was slow to catch up on Trey McBride ‘s ascension a year ago.”

“Loveland is the type of talent who can win downfield, which is exactly what you want from your fantasy tight end. As Caleb Williams heads into Year 2 of the Ben Johnson era, expect more familiarity with the scheme, which can help Loveland eclipse 1,000 yards.”

“Colston Loveland turned it on down the stretch last year, showcasing impressive production from Week 7 through Chicago's Divisional Round loss with 67% route participation, 6.9 targets per game, 65 receptions, 852 receiving yards, and 6 receiving touchdowns across 14 games. If his 72.4% route participation rate from the playoffs sticks or takes a step forward, Loveland can be less efficient while still posting monster numbers, putting the overall TE1 in his range of outcomes.”

“Loveland clearly won the favor of Ben Johnson as he had at least 15% of the team's targets in each of the final nine games, ending with 713 total receiving yards. It was a strong showing for the rookie TE, who could very likely lead the team in targets in 2026.”

“Colston Loveland was also in a rotational role for the first 7 weeks, but got his first chance at a full-time role due to Cole Kmet's injury in Week 8. He had a breakout game one week later vs. the Bengals and gradually increased his playing time over the remainder of the season, finally emerging as a true every-down player at the end of the year.”

“Even in a split season of work as a rookie, Loveland showcased his weekly upside. He logged four weeks as a top-three scorer at the position. The only player to match that was Trey McBride, who led the position with eight of those weeks.”

“It took a bit for Loveland to get going as a rookie as he worked his way into the lineup and recovered from an offseason shoulder injury, but the wait was worth it. Over the final five games of the season, Loveland was on the field for 80.9% of the team's dropbacks, receiving a target on 30.5% of his routes with 2.34 yards per route run.”

“Even though he managed just 53 receptions and 713 yards as a rookie, Loveland was fourth at his position in air yards and third in deep targets. If that kind of usage on the field keeps up, Loveland is going to be looking at a ton of deep catches and touchdowns.”

“Colston Loveland started his rookie year slowly but was TE2 in fantasy scoring from Week 9 through the end of the regular season. Over his last four games, the hyper-athletic Loveland averaged 12.0 targets, 7.0 catches, and 94.5 yards, with two touchdowns.”

“Colston Loveland is the heavy favorite to be the third tight end to finish above 200 fantasy points (half-PPR). With the league shifting towards TE-heavy offensive sets, we could see snaps across the position skyrocket.”

“This is a reference to a song by The Rolling Stones. It also highlights how Luther Burden III is going to be an absolute beast this season. Don’t be afraid, buy into the hype. He’s a stud in a great situation.”

“08) – Luther Burden (WR, CHI) For the first and only time in this mock draft, Round 5 saw all three Ballers take a player at the same position.”

“Luther Burden III (WR – CHI) | ECR: WR24/ADP: 49 Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of optimism surrounding Luther Burden III and this entire Bears offense.”

“Like most fantasy football enthusiasts, count me among the stans. I am a fan of Burden’s game. I think he is great, but the LTV absolutely loves Burden.”

“Burden averaged 13.9 YPC, which is high when considering his low aDOT. That's attributable to the fact that Burden was a YAC machine in 2025, averaging 7.1 YAC per reception, which ranked 3rd in the NFL among WRs.”

“Burden finished 2025 with a paltry 12.8% target share on the season. This number obviously grew throughout the season, as his snap share increased, but that's still an uninspiring number. Better, though, were his Team Reception % (16%), Team Receiving Yards % (19%), and team WR Points % (26.9%), which shows how efficient Burden was when targeted.”

“From Weeks 10-18, Burden posted a WR5 overall finish with 2.67 YPRR. Burden was highly efficient on a per-route basis, and extrapolating that efficiency across a 17-game season in a full-time role would lock him into a top-12 finish at his position.”

“Rookie WR Luther Burden III started off slow but stepped up when it counted – in the playoffs. He was incredibly efficient with the ball, averaging 2.69 yards per route run, but he only earned a 13% target share on the season.”

“With D.J. Moore now in Buffalo, the table is set for Burden to take on a much larger role. If he builds on a rookie season in which he ranked third in yards per route run (2.79), Burden's value will shoot up higher than a reloadable mortar.”

“Burden lit up the 49ers in Week 17, racking up eight receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers made him the overall WR1 during fantasy championship week.”

“Luther Burden's numbers look incredible but he ran such a low percentage of the team's routes (RT %) that a 2026 leap needs to be contextualized with a new role in the Chicago offense.”

“Burden's Mid-Round 4 ADP is objectively one of the slappiest ADPs in the history of Best Ball. We're talking about a player with 652 career receiving yards being drafted ahead of the likes of Mike Evans and Davante Adams — not to mention two more established pass catchers on his own team. The conviction behind Burden despite stiff competition is driven by a strong college production profile and an elite year 1 YPRR in a part-time role.”