Who Should I Start? Jalen Coker or Luther Burden III

Sunday, October 19, 11:35 AM

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (quadricep) is officially active for Sunday's Week 7 contest against the New York Jets. He had been listed as questionable but was widely expected to play after being a full participant in practice all week long. Coker is making his season debut and should immediately step into a significant role within Carolina's offense. Panthers general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales have both been very clear about their optimism in Coker this season, with the former indicating that the receiver should step into the starting slot receiver role. The team's trust in Coker was most clear when they traded away Adam Thielen this past summer, opening the door for Coker to handle even more snaps. He's still behind Tetairoa McMillan on the depth chart, but he has a chance to carve out low-end WR3/flex value, especially if McMillan is shadowed by Sauce Gardner.

Saturday, October 18, 12:17 PM

Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III continues to struggle to carve out a consistent role in the offense through five games. Burden has just 11 catches for 150 yards and one touchdown, ranking sixth on the team in targets. Despite preseason buzz and speculation that his role would expand after the Week 5 bye, Burden played only 22% of the snaps in Week 6, while Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Olamide Zaccheaus each logged over 85%. He'll face a Saints secondary that's allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to wide receivers in 2025. Although the matchup is favorable, Burden's limited playing time keeps him off the fantasy radar in Week 7.