There has been one clear-cut fantasy winner on Bears during 2026 offseason

NFL free agency obviously impacts players signing new deals, and the cuts and trades during this period also have a strong impact. However, players who did not see their job status or contract change can also be winners and losers of free agency. Pro Football Focus sees Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden as one of the winners.

Nathan Jahnke of PFF went through the big winners and listed Burden as one of his top choices.

"The Bears traded away the one wide receiver who was consistently ahead of Burden on the depth chart, DJ Moore, and Zaccheaus agreed to terms with the Atlanta Falcons. This should allow Burden to play in a full-time role. He finished fifth on the team in targets in 2025 but should be the favorite to lead Chicago in targets this year. Burden will be a top-30 wide receiver heading into fantasy drafts, as long as the Bears don’t make multiple moves to add to their wide receiver room."
Nathan Jahnke

Why Luther Burden is a fantasy winner of NFL free agency

Everything stated makes sense, and the hype train for Burden is going to explode in a couple of months. Not only is Moore gone, but Zacchaeus is as well. The team still has Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland, so it's not like the cupboard is bare when it comes to targets.

Still, they are losing a lot of receiver work, and signing Khaliff Raymond is not going to replace that. In fact, it reinforces the idea that Ben Johnson wants this offense to resemble his Detroit-style look. Raymond was the third receiver on those units. In this mold, Odunze would be Jameson Williams, as both can stretch the field from the outside.

Sam LaPorta and Colston Loveland have been tied together for a while, as both have had excellent rookie seasons under Johnson, playing positions that do not call for early-career production.

That would leave Burden to be the Amon-Ra St. Brown. This makes sense as well, as both can move into the slot, both make tough catches, and both are hard to bring down with the ball in their hands. St. Brown went from 119 to 146 between his first and second seasons. Burden has only 60 targets, but even with the same type of increase, it would result in a massive number.

It would not be wise to fade Ben Johnson, and everything he did in his first season as head coach would back that up. So, the team not adding much at receiver and leaving a heap of targets for Burden to take on should be a clear buy sign for all Bears fans and fantasy football players.