Who Should I Start? Calvin Austin III or Rome Odunze

Wednesday, April 8, 5:38 AM

Through the first two seasons of his career, Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze has failed to consistently deliver on the promise that made him the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He spent his rookie season battling for targets with veterans DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, and by year two, it was the rookie tandem of Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III. With Caleb Williams yet to top 4,000 yards, that division of labor has led to disappointing production from Odunze, but the flashes have been there to support the case that he could still become a fantasy gamebreaker. Through the first four weeks of 2025, Odunze was the WR3 in Half-PPR formats, and reports out of Chicago indicated that new head coach Ben Johnson, figuring out in real-time just how good his young receiver was, loaded his plate with additional responsibilities. Odunze's game slowed, and nagging injuries eventually led to missed time, allowing for the late-season breakouts of Loveland and Burden. Loveland alone saw 25 targets in the team's two postseason games, leading many to believe he will become the focal point of Chicago's passing offense in 2026. While Loveland could realistically lead the team in targets, and Burden's yards per route run had him among the league's elite as a rookie, Odunze's downfield usage should still provide the highest weekly ceiling, especially if he sees an increase in catchable targets in a year that many are calling for a monumental step forward from Williams.