Who Should I Start? Ricky Pearsall or Luther Burden III

Friday, December 5, 8:42 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has not had the second-year breakout that many were predicting back in training camp. Injuries have been a big issue yet again, as he didn't return from a PCL sprain in his knee until Week 11 after getting hurt in Week 4. In three games since his return, the 25-year-old former first-rounder has caught only five passes for 20 yards on nine targets. Overall, he's sporting a 25-347-0 line in seven games. It's not like he hasn't been on the field since his return, as he's played at least 75% of the snaps in all three games. Fantasy managers who have hung onto Pearsall will be hoping that the Niners will devise a plan to get him more involved when they come out of their Week 14 bye to face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Dec. 14. Better days could be ahead, but Pearsall is likely to continue to struggle for a high target share in an offense that has plenty of mouths to feed between Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Jauan Jennings.

Thursday, December 11, 10:11 AM

Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III led the team in receiving in Week 14, hauling in four of six targets for 67 yards in the 28-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers. With Rome Odunze (foot) inactive last week, Burden handled the duties as the lead receiver for the first time in his NFL career and played well against the strong Packers secondary. Burden has increased in snaps in every game since Week 11, playing a career-high 71% in Week 14. The 2025 second-round pick is making his way up the depth chart in Chicago, and fantasy managers should be fully aware of his emergence. He faces the tough Cleveland Browns defense, which has allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this season. Week 15 will be a tough test for Burden, but he's checked every box so far, except for becoming a reliable option for fantasy managers to count on.