If not for a down final college season at Missouri, which was driven by regression from his quarterback, Luther Burden might have been a first-round pick last April. As it was, the Chicago Bears got a first-round caliber talent with the 39th overall pick, and Burden was plenty motivated by his draft fall.
After a blowout loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 2, head coach Ben Johnson revealed some intention to get Burden and fellow rookie Colston Loveland more involved. In the following game against the Dallas Cowboys, that came to some fruition for Burden despite still not seeing a lot of snaps.
Despite how effective he was when he got opportunities, with a missed game due to a concussion mixed in, Burden's remained lackluster. In Week 10 against the New York Giants, as Olamide Zaccheaus unignorably showed how unplayable he is and with DJ Moore suffering an injury during the game, Burden played a clear season-high 33 offensive snaps. He also topped 50 yards for the third time this season, matching the number of times Moore has done so (Zaccheaus has done it once).
Luther Burden has (finally) fully arrived as a fantasy asset
Heading into Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings, with no excuses left, Johnson sounded ready to give Burden the role he has earned.
"You've slowly seen his rep count go up,"Johnson said. "He's a guy who is starting to get more targets. It's a trust level between the coaches and the player. It's a trust level between the quarterback and a receiver. It continues to ascend. He has been every productive when he's about to get the ball in his hands and there's a strong argument that we should get it to him more."
Burden didn't light up the stat sheet against the Vikings, with three catches for 27 yards. But played 33 offensive snaps again, to Zaccheaus' 10. His route participation (61 percent) and target share (18 percent) were season-highs, compared to Zaccheaus' 19 percent route participation (seven routes) and zero targets.
Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus offered the full reveal of how Burden overtook Zaccheaus as the Bears' No. 3 wide receiver against the Vikings, while also revealing the potential for more going forward.
"This week, Burden was the third receiver on the depth chart, playing 100% of the snaps in three-receiver sets. He also received some snaps in single-, two- and four-receiver sets. Chicago played a season-high 38 snaps in two-receiver sets and a season-low 21 plays in three-receiver sets this week. Expect that to return to normal, which would mean even more playing time for Burden."
Going back a few weeks, with the idea he would eventually get the role in the Bears' offense his performance showed he deserved, Burden had some appeal as a waiver wire stash in fantasy. Despite not having outstanding numbers against the Vikings, that role has come to fruition, and production is in line to follow.
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Burden is on the upswing at the most critical time on the fantasy schedule. He's also available in the vast majority of leagues, rostered in 8% of Yahoo! leagues and 5.9% of ESPN leagues. There's a solid case for him as the No. 1 add at wide receiver as Week 12 waiver wire plans start to be shaped.