Patience was always going to be a virtue when it came to Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden. A soft tissue injury that sidelined him during OTAs foretold a slow start to his rookie season, and in terms of sheer snaps that is what has happened.
In two of the last three games, Burden has become noticeable. He had a team-high 101 yards in Week 3, then coming out of the bye in Week 6 he had a team-high in receptions (four) with more receiving yards (51) than Rome Odunze (32) and DJ Moore (42). He still has not played 20 offensive snaps in a game, but that is line to change (perhaps dramatically) in short order.
Moore landed in the hospital as a precautionary measure after the game against the Commanders. He does not have an injury designation for Sunday, but he might be somewhat limited. Pair that with Olamide Zaccheaus being the dictionary definition of a "JAG" (Just A Guy), and the path for Burden to play more feels like it's being paved.
Fantasy analyst pushes the bar higher for Luther Burden in Week 7
As part of the outlet's round up of bold predictions for Week 7, Yahoo! fantasy analyst Matt Harmon went all-in to predict Burden will finish as a top-20 wide receiver.
"The rookie didn’t get a significant playing time promotion in the first game off the bye, running a route on just 39% of the dropbacks. However, perhaps more importantly, he played some good, confident football for yet another week."
"Burden had a man-coverage, big-boy route win on his deep in-breaking reception, caught the pass confidently away from his body and transitioned to an after-the-catch player immediately. Those are the type of skills stacking together that are critical for Ben Johnson to see out of Burden as he pushes for an expanded role. He may be forced into that spot this week with D.J. Moore looking highly questionable after an overnight stay in the hospital. Burden has a very similar skill set to Moore and will be promoted to the starting flanker spot if Moore is out, not Olamide Zaccheaus."
Harmon mentioned this play from the game against Washington as something of a launch point for Burden. Moore's questionable status for Sunday's game could open up a bigger role, as the rookie also seems sure to usurp Olamide Zaccheaus in the pecking order.
The Saints entered Week 7 allowing the ninth-most fantasy points to wide receivers (28.3 per game; Yahoo! scoring), including the fourth-most touchdowns to the position (eight). Beyond that, Harmon highlighted where Burden is lined up to succeed against the scheme of the Saints' defensive coordinator, Brandon Staley.
"Burden’s after the catch skills will be critical against a Brandon Staley-led defense that wants to limit shot plays down the field. If Burden starts, I expect him to be fed a ton of passes underneath. He’ll be a fantasy starter this week."
Read more: The Bears WR who should lose playing to Luther Burden isn't who everyone thought
Burden is of course very lightly rostered in fantasy leagues right now (15 percent of Yahoo! leagues; 9.7 percent of ESPN leagues). He's gone from being a top waiver wire stash to possibly being a viable Week 7 starter. Fantasy managers who have been hit by injuries or will have inevitable bye week issues at wide receiver should heed the upside potential, as a possible plug-and-play this week and moving forward.