Who Should I Start? Luther Burden III or Isaiah Bond

Thursday, December 18, 3:12 PM

Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III (ankle) has officially been ruled out for Saturday's divisional matchup against the Green Bay Packers. The rookie second-rounder was unable to practice this week and will be forced to miss his second game of the season with an ankle injury. The Bears will be short-handed at receiver for a critical Week 16 game, with Rome Odunze (foot) ruled out for the third straight week as he manages a stress fracture in his foot. Burden was surging in Odunze's absence, posting his two highest yardage totals since his 101-yard performance in Week 3. He led the Bears in receiving in both games, hauling in four of six targets for 67 yards in Week 14 versus the Packers, and six of seven targets for 84 yards last week against the Browns. DJ Moore, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Devin Duvernay will likely see the bulk of the snaps at wide receiver, with rookie tight end Colston Loveland also in line for more targets on Saturday.

Tuesday, December 16, 11:57 AM

Cleveland Browns rookie wide receiver Isaiah Bond notched his most receiving yards of the season in the Week 15 loss to the Chicago Bears, catching two of his four targets for 89 yards. Bond posted his highest route share (73.8%) since Week 6 and continues to be a dangerous deep threat for rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The undrafted rookie out of Alabama's two deep shots accounted for just over half of Sanders' 177 passing yards for the game. Bond has established himself as a big-play threat in Cleveland's offense and has a growing connection with Sanders, giving him upside as a deep-league boom/bust flex option for the Week 16 game against the Buffalo Bills.