Who Should I Start? Xavier Legette or Luther Burden III

Saturday, August 9, 3:36 PM

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette was ejected from Friday's preseason game against the Cleveland Browns after a first-quarter altercation. The 24-year-old did not record any catches or targets before being thrown out of the 30-10 loss. Legette was a first-round pick in last year's draft, with a rookie stat line of 49-49-4 on 84 targets. Panthers head coach Dave Canales acknowledged that while the play was physical, Legette's response was a liability. "You can't do that... both guys got ejected, rightfully so," Canales said, per Darin Gantt of panthers.com. The incident occurred while Legette was downfield blocking and got tangled up with Browns cornerback Rayshawn Mitchell. RotoBaller projects Legette as WR69 with a slight uptick in catches, yards, and TDs this season. He is most likely to be behind rookie stud Tetairoa McMillan and veteran Adam Thielen in targets. Still, he could emerge as an upside WR4/5 if anything happens to Thielen as the season progresses.

Monday, September 15, 5:04 PM

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson said the team wants to get more packages on offense for rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III, according to Sean Hammond of the Chicago Tribune. "Going into this week, we're going to have a lot more competition," Johnson said when asked about Burden and rookie first-round tight end Colston Loveland. Johnson wasn't pleased with the offense's performance, particularly some of the veterans, in the 52-21 blowout loss to the Lions in Week 2, which could lead to more opportunities for both Burden and Loveland in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys. Burden had just one catch for five yards on two targets on Sunday, while Loveland didn't catch his only target. The 21-year-old Burden has been the clear WR4 through two weeks and has drawn just three targets in two games. Until further notice, he belongs on the waiver wire in most redraft leagues.