May 4, 2026

After an up-and-down rookie campaign, Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze came out with a blazing start to the 2025 season, scoring five touchdowns in his first four games and going into the Bears' early bye week as the WR3 in Half-PPR formats. Coming out of the bye, the 2024 ninth overall pick started showing up on the injury report with foot and ankle issues, and while he continued to play through the nagging injuries, his production dropped, and he was eventually shut down for the final five games after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his foot. Despite playing in only 12 games, Odunze's 87 targets led a talented group of Chicago pass catchers, and his six receiving touchdowns tied for the team lead. By year's end, five different Chicago players saw at least 60 targets, but with DJ Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus no longer on the team, Ben Johnson's passing offense is expected to funnel through Odunze, Luther Burden III, and Colston Loveland in 2026. With the thinning of the receiver room likely to produce an uptick in targets, and quarterback Caleb Williams expected to take a step forward in his second season with Johnson, Odunze has a chance to produce WR1 numbers from the mid-round range of drafts. In 2025, only Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy had a higher off-target throw percentage than Williams, and no receiver was impacted more than Odunze. Williams completed at least 60% of his passes in only six games, and on the four such occurrences when Odunze was active, the second-year receiver averaged 18.4 fantasy points per game. When the connection is working, Odunze is capable of winning weeks, and at RotoBaller's WR36, that upside can still be had for a bargain in 2026.--Patrick McGrath