Joe Burrow
vs Rome Odunze

“Bengals Bengals QB Joe Burrow had 58 passing attempts in the loss to the Jaguars on Sunday, but feels that the team can throw it even more going forward.”

“Burrow had an underwhelming opener, but he’s tallied 489 passing yards (244.5 per game), 7.45 adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A), five passing touchdowns, and zero interceptions in two subsequent contests, scoring 19.88 DraftKings points per game and 19.88 FanDuel points per game in the last two weeks. The Bengals lost a shootout last week, and the Jaguars have the firepower to push Burrow into a ceiling performance through the air. His top passing-game weapon will be featured in the core studs.”

“Joe Burrow may not be a must-start this week, but Chase Brown , Ja’Marr Chase , and Tee Higgins are all auto-starts.”

“According to the Fantasy Points Data Suite 2.0, among 33 quarterbacks with at least 20 dropbacks, Burrow ranks: 13th in passing yards per game (230.5) 19th in adjusted net yards per pass attempt (6.14 ANY/A) Tied for 14th in passing touchdowns (three) 10th in expected passing touchdowns (3.5) 21st in rushing yards per game (9.5) Interestingly, the Bengals are just fifth in pass rate over expected (6.3% PROE) this year. That’s still pass-happy, but Cincinnati tied for first in PROE (7.9%) from 2023 through 2025. Their defense is better, and the washed-up, Aaron Rodgers -led Steelers are unlikely to push Burrow and Cincinnati’s offense into a shootout.”

“Joe Burrow nearly gifted Tampa Bay a pick-six, the Buccaneers heavily guarded Chase, and Burrow simply could not connect with his WR1. That extra attention also opened things up elsewhere: TE Mike Gesicki finished with five catches for 78 yards and a TD as Tampa Bay focused on containing Chase and Tee Higgins . Look, that does not completely let Chase off the hook.”

“Joe Burrow’s health has been a concern in recent years, but I’ll bank on him playing a full season with one of the easiest schedules in football. I believe 4,500 yards and 40 touchdowns are more than doable.”

“But if Bengals QB Joe Burrow, who missed nine games last season, enjoys a season of good health, McPherson should have his fair share of FG and PAT opportunities.”

“When Joe Burrow was healthy, he was a top-three quarterback last season”

“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.”

“Rome Odunze has devolved into the “sacrificial X” for the Bears. He’s behind Luther Burden III and (shocker) Kalif Raymond in targets. I still have hope for him and Colston Loveland , but it’s quickly fading.”

“On top of that, Odunze has played 79.8% of his snaps out wide, where he will lock up with Mitchell and Woolen. Factoring all of that in, Odunze is a touchdown-dependent WR4/FLEX. Kalif Raymond Raymond still is not going away.”

“In the meantime, his departure and the terrible weather overshadowed an important development: Another week removed from a preseason calf strain, Rome Odunze was the Bears’ clear No. 1 WR against the Vikings. Odunze’s 81% route share was 10% higher than that of the next-highest player, Kalif Raymond .”

“Rome Odunze was on his way to a breakout season before he sustained a foot fracture. In Weeks 1-12, he was the WR21 in fantasy points per game despite dealing with a 68.3% catchable target rate (96th out of 127 qualifying receivers). During that stretch of games, among that sample of receivers, he was 21st in target share (22.4%), 20th in receiving yards per game (59.4), 27th in yards per route run (1.95), 25th in first-read share (27.2%), and 16th in first-downs per route run (0.107).”

“Rome Odunze (WR – CHI) After missing several games last year because of a foot injury, Rome Odunze is now dealing with another lower-body injury.”

“Rome Odunze (CHI) Odunze got off to one of the hottest starts last year.”

“Rome Odunze (CHI) – ADP 61.2 | WR27 Odunze got off to one of the hottest starts last year. The former Washington star was the WR3 over the first four weeks, averaging 19.9 PPR fantasy points per game.”

“Odunze fits this mold. While Burden dominates the short-to-intermediate areas, Odunze would win downfield and rule the red zone. This creates an elite WR1 ceiling for Odunze, locking him in as a highly efficient TD machine.”

“Rome Odunze is coming off a foot injury, but he did play in the playoffs.”

“Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III is also dealing with some soft-tissue injuries that could hamper him, and Rome Odunze is coming off a foot injury (though he’s been cleared, it’s still worth noting).”

“Odunze remains a strong positive regression candidate tied to Caleb Williams , especially if the Bears’ passing game takes another step forward under HC Ben Johnson .”