Luther Burden
vs Ladd McConkey

“Burden has played 55% of his snaps from the slot, but he has been targeted on only 12.5% of his slot routes (0.75 yards per route), compared with 32% of his routes outside (2.84 yards per route). The Eagles obviously have awesome boundary corners in Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen , so it is hard to play through Burden's splits outside. Philadelphia has allowed 10 catches for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns to slot receivers so far, which likely plays a role in adding Kenny Moore this week and potentially giving them more flexibility to move Cooper DeJean around more like they did last week.”

“Luther Burden steps into a much larger workload in 2026. Last year (including the playoffs), Burden had only five games in which he played at least 53% of the snaps. In those games, he had a 15.5% target share and 61.2 receiving yards per game, which is concerning, but his per-route metrics were outstanding, with 2.30 yards per route run, a 23.6% first-read share, and 0.120 first downs per route run.”

“Luther Burden was just as buzzy as Parker Washington within the fantasy community this summer. Like Washington, Burden did some things late last season that whetted our appetite for a full breakout in 2026.”

“Luther Burden of the Chicago Bears is my pick for league-winner at receiver. With DJ Moore now in Buffalo, Burden steps into a much larger role alongside Rome Odunze and should command a significant target share in an improving Bears offense.”

“Shifting Burden into this alpha role makes perfect sense. Burden is an elite YAC monster, and Ben Johnson would use him as an offensive weapon all over the formation. In a record-breaking year, Burden’s ceiling isn’t just a low-end WR1 – it is an overall top-5 standard/PPR finish fueled by manufactured touches and explosive chunk plays.”

“The hype around Burden has gotten out of control. He averaged fewer PPR fantasy points per game than Theo Wease Jr. last season (8.6 vs. 8.5).”

“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.”

“McConkey played only 45.2% of the snaps last week and saw an 11.1% target share while dealing with a rib injury, which helps explain why we are getting him at just 6.34% pOwn. Add on the Chargers are the NFL’s biggest letdown in 2026, and there is reason for concern. The matchup is the reason to buy the dip, as BUF has allowed the sixth-most yards per target and eighth-most fantasy points per target to slot WRs.”

“Through two games, Ladd McConkey has been underwhelming. Yes, his rib injury is part of the entire equation, but the entire Chargers offense has been a rollercoaster so far. Last week, despite having a 45.2% snap share, he had a 67.7% route share.”

“The reason McConkey was limited to only 18 routes was that he left the game early after getting lit up. His absence tanked the offense. Looking into what really went wrong for the Chargers, and when McConkey went out things fell off a cliff On/Off McConkey splits per @NextGenStats On: 8.9 Yards per pass Off: 3.9 Yards per pass On: 0.12 EPA/Play Off: -0.61 EPA/Play Whole different offense — Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) September 14, 2026 Quentin Johnston corralled two of his six targets for 17 scoreless yards on 27 routes, tying with Tre’ Harris for the team lead in routes.”

“Hampton was Andy’s start of the week, and Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey are must-starts against the Cardinals’ defense.”

“He’s the No. 1 receiver for Justin Herbert , and now Mike McDaniel is the offensive coordinator for the team. Last season, when Keenan Allen wasn’t on the field, Ladd McConkey led the Chargers in target share at 20%.”

“That leaves a sizable hole in the offense, and McConkey should be the biggest beneficiary of those vacated targets.”

“Ladd McConkey is my bet for Herbert’s pass-catcher who will benefit the most from better health along the offensive line.”

“There's no denying Ladd McConkey was a massive fantasy disappointment last season. He saw a drop from 15.1 PPR points per game as a rookie down to 11.3.”