Who Should I Start? Luther Burden III or Emeka Egbuka

Wednesday, May 21, 3:29 PM

Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III (undisclosed) is not practicing on Wednesday as he deals with a soft-tissue injury, according to head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson said, "It remains to be seen" when the rookie from Missouri will return to action. Burden was selected in the second round of last month's draft after compiling 192 receptions for 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns in 38 career games. He added 34 carries for 234 yards and four scores as a runner. While Burden is an exciting player with the ball in his hands, it's tough to get too optimistic about his fantasy outlook in 2025. Caleb Williams is unproven at quarterback, and the Chicago pass-catching group is crowded with DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, and D'Andre Swift. He's a solid dynasty rookie draft pick at cost, but it would be a surprise if he's a consistent producer for redraft leagues in Year 1.

Friday, May 9, 12:17 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed first-round rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka to a four-year, $18.1 million contract on Friday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Despite the fact the Bucs still have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin (ankle), they elected to take Egbuka out of Ohio State with the 19th overall pick in this year's NFL draft. The 6-foot-1, 202-pound 22-year-old is versatile and can move around the field, but he could struggle for volume in his rookie season in 2025 as long as both Evans and Godwin stay on the field. The addition of Egbuka is bad news for second-year pass-catcher Jalen McMillan. Egbuka was highly productive for the Buckeyes, setting a school record of 205 career catches for 2,868 yards and 24 touchdowns in 49 games. He should be the favorite to be Tampa's WR3 this season and will be a very attractive dynasty/keeper draft pick for the long term.