Joe Burrow vs Rome Odunze

“Lamar Jackson , Jayden Daniels , Joe Burrow , Baker Mayfield , and Kyler Murray all were selected as top-12 players at the position and finished double-digit slots behind expectations in terms of points per game.”

“Round 1: Joe Burrow (QB – CIN) To kick things off at No. 4 overall, I went with Joe Burrow .”

“Even with a modest target share, Higgins maximizes his opportunities in one of the NFL’s premier passing offenses led by Joe Burrow .”

“The pivot to more under-center passing won’t be as natural and certainly might not be anywhere near as successful for the Bengals, because Burrow clearly isn’t as comfortable and doesn’t perform as well. In fact, if we go back the last three years, Burrow’s under-center dropbacks average just 3.6 air yards, which ranked dead last: #69 out of 69 qualifying QBs. His time to throw of 2.81 seconds was the #5 fastest out of 69 QBs, and he threw just 17% of passes 10+ yards downfield, also ranking dead last.”

“Zac Taylor wants the Bengals to play more from under center in 2026. Unfortunately, Joe Burrow under center is precisely where this offense struggles most, which is why the Bengals haven't used it often of late. How much the Bengals choose to pivot to under-center passing and how much Burrow can improve on these dropbacks might have a large impact on their fortunes in 2026.”

“Overvalued: Joe Burrow, Quarterback (QB4, Pick 59 OVR) Now, this isn’t to say that I don’t like Joe Burrow, or that I don’t think that Joe Burrow is a talented player; I just think that Joe Burrow is capped insofar as he doesn’t rush at all, and the Bengals’ offensive line isn’t strong enough for him to be a consistent top-four player without the rushing.”

“Of the top-10 quarterbacks based on LTV, Burrow is the one quarterback with little to no rushing upside, making him the quarterback I would want to trade away.”

“Burrow was once again impactful when on the field, completing 66.8% of his passes for a 6.6% touchdown rate. Burrow is the only quarterback with a touchdown rate of 6% or higher in each of the past two seasons.”

“Despite finishing the season as the QB29 last season due to missed games, Burrow finished the season red hot. Through the final six weeks of 2025, Burrow was on pace for 4500+ passing yards and 43 passing TDs. Since 2023, Burrow in Week 1 has been atrocious.”

“Over the last four seasons, Burrow has established himself as one of the NFL's premier fantasy quarterbacks even without the rushing upside of the Allen/Lamar types. He finished as the overall QB3 or better for 14 weeks in that span. What's wild is he missed 17 games in that span!”

“Joe Burrow's health has been the biggest hurdle for this team in recent seasons. If he remains healthy, Burrow will put up MVP numbers, and the Bengals will be in the thick of the playoff hunt in a loaded AFC field of contenders.”

“Seeing Joe Burrow go ahead of quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and Drake Maye is quite shocking, but Burrow is firmly going as the QB2 on Fantrax. If Burrow were to have another season like 2024, with 45 total touchdowns and almost 5,000 passing yards, he would be worthy of this selection. But we also have to consider the possibility of a repeat of his 2025 season, in which Burrow played only eight games and threw 17 passing touchdowns while finishing with fewer than 2,000 yards in half a season.”

“The Bears appear confident Odunze will bounce back from the injury in 2026, having traded durable starting receiver D.J. Moore to the Bills. After shipping out Moore, the Bears made modest free agent investments in Kalif Raymond (one year, $3.5MM) and Scotty Miller (one year, $1.3MM), who are not starting-caliber receivers, and spent a third-round pick on former LSU wideout Zavion Thomas.”

“Over his first four games of last season, Odunze was the fantasy WR3 behind Puka Nacua and Amon-Ra St. Brown. That's when he suffered a foot injury and never seemed to fully recover.”

“Last year Rome came in hot right out of the gate, averaging 17.4 points through the first four games…then the bye week hit. It was a full 180. He was inconsistent and unreliable and then he was injured, missing the last five games. Now we wonder, were the first four games a fluke?”

“Rome Odunze started his sophomore campaign red hot, but faded over the second half while playing through and eventually missing time with a stress fracture in his foot.”

“Odunze got off to one of the hottest starts last year, ranking as the WR3 over the first month, averaging 19.9 PPR fantasy points per game. Odunze could easily have a Jameson Williams-like top-12 finish if he gets seven targets per game, and he averaged 7.5 targets per game last season.”

“Rome Odunze didn't meet expectations either, but he had a good excuse: playing on a crowded team.”

“Prior to the injury, Odunze was the clear No. 1 WR in the offense. With DJ Moore out the door, the passing offense will run through Odunze, Burden and Colston Loveland, with Odunze operating as the downfield target. Odunze hit an aDOT of 13.9, good for the 12th-highest mark in the league, with his 23 deep targets ranking eighth.”

“Odunze is a talented, big-bodied receiver on a powerful offense. Unless we see this team forget about defense and turn into the Bengals, it will be tough for Burden or Odunze to crack the WR1 mix.”

“After an electric start to his 2025 campaign, it was looking like Rome Odunze was everything we hoped Marvin Harrison Jr. would be. However, from Week 6 on, he was the WR70 in points per game.”

“With DJ Moore traded to the Buffalo Bills and Caleb Williams entering Year 3, a massive target vacuum has opened up. Odunze isn't just fighting for a role anymore; he has a direct, unimpeded path to become the primary vertical threat in an explosive, modernized passing game in Chicago. Odunze is one of the sharpest buying opportunities on Sleeper.”

“The players going in this range just do not offer the same kind of elite, lineup-altering advantage as Daniels at this cost. We are talking about guys like Rome Odunze, Bhayshul Tuten, Jadarian Price, and Marvin Harrison Jr.”

“Get a season outlook and range of outcomes for Rome Odunze.”