Luther Burden III
Chicago BearsLuther Burden III has 42 catches, 547 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in 8 games for the Chicago Bears this season through Week 8, 14.7 PPR points a game (updated November 4, 2026).
Model Score by season
A career-high 85.4 this season, up from 81.1.
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
STM Take
A talented receiver stuck behind two starters.
The case for
- Two-time first-team All-SEC at Missouri including a 1,212-yard 2023 season; the college ceiling is real.
- Top-50 draft capital plus a 5-star recruit pedigree; the talent profile is among the best in the 2025 class.
The worry
- Rookie 47 catches on 652 yards reflects a part-time role; the carry share never expanded.
- Caleb Williams's tier-5 QB rank capped the team-level passing volume for the entire WR room.
What to watch: Whether D.J. Moore's BUF departure clears a WR2 role for Burden alongside Odunze in 2026; the system fit is the bullish case.
Full take and bio
Burden at STTM #36 tier 5 as a rookie behind the Bears' WR1/WR2 of Odunze and D.J. Moore is the role-share story of a top-50 pick stuck behind two established starters. The college tape (1,212-yard SEC freshman year) is one of the best in the 2025 class. The year-two case opens up if D.J. Moore's Buffalo departure clears a target lane.
Burden was born in St. Louis, attended East St. Louis Senior High in Illinois, and was a top-5 national recruit out of high school. He played at Missouri where he was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection, including a 1,212-yard 2023 season. Chicago took him 39th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. Rookie line: 47 catches for 652 yards and 2 TDs alongside Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore.
Comps
The players whose size, testing and production looked most like his at the same point in their careers. The percent is how close.
Plays like: Terry McLaurin, Webster Slaughter, Ernest Givins. Built like: Kawaan Baker, Jalen Royals, Donald Jones. Coming out: Chris Godwin, Torrey Smith, D.J. Moore.
Of his 20 closest coming out: 4 stars, 8 starters, 4 backups, 4 didn't stick.
Luther Burden III Injury StatusNot listed
Luther Burden III is not on the injury report as of Nov 4. Source: the official NFL injury report, refreshed daily.
This season · 8 games
14.7 fantasy points a game, 118 PPR on the season. Every game on the Game Log, every season on Career. Advanced numbers are EPA and Next Gen Stats.
Fantasy outlookWeek 9
Our rest-of-season board has Luther Burden III at WR20 (the public consensus says WR19); the model has 117 PPR points left for him this season; this week he visits SEA.
Price a trade for him on the fantasy trade calculator, or see the whole board on the Fantasy hub.
Draft & College
Round 2, pick 39 to the Chicago Bears in 2025, out of Missouri (SEC). He went about where consensus had him.
In college, 2022-2024, 37 games: 185 rec, 2,210 yds, 20 TD, 11.9 yds/rec. Coming out: 4.41s 40 yd.
Recruited
Class of 2022 · Receiver · High school: East St. Louis, IL
MissouriHis full list of offers is not on our record yet; offers for the 2022 class are still being added.