It took a little time, as it often does for rookies, but Luther Burden eventually took on a notable role in the Chicago Bears' offense this season. If not for missing a game in Week 16, his closing stretch would have looked even better than it already did.
As it was, Burden was WR23 in full PPR fantasy scoring from Week 11-17. From Week 14-17, he was tied for WR8 in full PPR scoring. For fantasy managers who were willing to take a bit of risk, he surely helped cash in some winnings with that finishing stretch.
Over the final seven games of this season, including the playoffs, Burden drew at least six targets six times. Looking toward next season, in real or fantasy football terms, the arrow is pointing straight upward for him.
The Luther Burden fantasy bandwagon is about to run out of space
Narrowing to dynasty leagues, Burden leads Jonathan Macri of Pro Football Focus' list of players whose value is set to skyrocket in that format.
"Heading into Year 2, fantasy managers should only expect Burden to build on his momentum gained as a rookie, especially as he gets more acclimated to the Bears’ offense. The primary expectation will be that he earns a much larger role in the offense across an entire season this time, potentially even over DJ Moore and/or Rome Odunze, as he was simply more effective with his opportunities in 2025. Combined with Burden’s high-end prospect profile, coming out of college, fantasy managers could see him earn a WR1 dynasty evaluation coming out of the 2026 season, making now still a great time to invest in him with a low-end dynasty WR2 price tag."
As expected, Macri's evaluation of Burden's current value in dynasty leagues aligns perfectly with the rankings out there. Keep, Trade, Cut has Burden as WR20 in its dynasty rankings right now, and he sits at WR22 in Fantasy Pros' current dynasty rankings.
Any dynasty league manager who drafted Burden last year won't give him up easily, if at all. But depending on someone's circumstance in a league, he could also be an asset worth trying to cash in on this offseason. For a non-Burden dynasty manager, it can't hurt to make a viable trade offer and see what happens.
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Regardless of fantasy format, Burden's bandwagon is set to fill up very quickly as we move through the offseason.