When it came to the projected distribution of targets in the Chicago Bears' passing game heading into this season, it was Luther Burden, Colston Loveland, and Rome Odunze, in some order, then everyone else. Of course, opposing defensive coordinators were keenly aware of that idea too, and would pay plenty of attention to Burden and Loveland in particular.
Over the first three games this season, wide receiver Kalif Raymond had 19 receptions (on 21 targets) for 214 yards with a touchdown. The only one of the aforementioned trio who was producing close to him was Burden, with 15 catches for 156 yards on 23 targets over that span.
Burden was also seeing less work in some situations and formations compared to Raymond, likely as a nod to Raymond's history with Ben Johnson in Detroit. It was also a lock that Raymond would not be able to sustain his early production pace over the full season.
After a catchless outing on two targets in Week 7 against the New England Patriots, Raymond has seven catches for 30 yards on 10 targets over the last four games.
In concert with that, and not coincidentally, Loveland has 21 receptions on 33 targets over the last four games. The Bears' target tree is now back in the anointed order, and fantasy managers who invested in Loveland have been rewarded for their patience.
Kalif Raymond's overall role in the Bears' offense is probably not going away
Raymond continues to play plenty, including six more snaps than Burden against the Patriots and at least a 68 percent share of the offensive snaps in two of the last three games. He's just not getting the target volume he had in the first three games, which was always bound to happen and the dramatic correction we've seen was always a likely outcome.
With tight end Cole Kmet suffering a possible season-ending knee injury against the Patriots, the Bears may lean toward using less "12" and "13" personnel in favor of having two and three wide receivers on the field. That would help Raymond maintain a heavy snap share, while possibly leading to more snaps for Burden.
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Raymond's impact on the Bears' offense will not always be reflected in the box score, and it just happened that he got opportunities to shine in that way early this season. Even if things are back in the expected order for the passing game until further notice, it's nice to know someone else can step up if need be.
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