The buzz around Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III is as real as it gets after a stellar showing at OTAs.
When Bears head coach Ben Johnson says to buy stock in Burden, that's a good sign that he'll have a strong 2026 season. ESPN senior NFL fantasy football writer Mike Clay shared projections for receivers who should see more touchdowns, with Burden being projected to catch six touchdowns in 2026.
"As noted earlier, players who score fewer than three touchdowns on 50-plus touches tend to see a boost in Year 2. Burden fits that bill (53 touches as a rookie) and, while he's a near lock for more touches in Year 2, he's going to need a big boost in usage near the goal line. Burden handled only one end zone target and his 1.2 xTD ranked 115th among receivers during the regular season. DJ Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus combined for nine TDs, 15 end zone targets and an 8.6 xTD last season -- and both are no longer with the team, so there's certainly growth opportunity here."
Luther Burden could be on a new level of excellence if he catches six touchdowns
Last season, Burden got off to a slow start, with multiple games in which he finished with negative yards because he was more of a screen-pass receiver. With Odunze missing time and struggling through a foot injury, Burden's role changed, and by the end of the year, he became the deep threat receiver Bears fans were expecting from the second-round pick.
Moore and Zaccheaus are gone, leaving Odunze as the number-one receiver and Burden to be WR2. Some believe that Burden's talents are so good that it wouldn't surprise anyone if he somehow became the number one receiver on the team.
Burden has all the traits to be a great receiver in the NFL, and finally got enough playing time late last year to show that Chicago got a massive steal in the draft. He's been everything they were hoping he would be with his speed.
This Bears offense is completely different when Burden is on the field. He's the best deep threat receiver they have, as they were lacking in that department in 2024, which led to the decision to draft Burden.
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2026 feels like the year Burden will put up massive numbers as he works his way to being an elite talent. If he grabs six touchdowns in 2026, that would be a good step in the right direction.
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