RADIO
Rome Odunze start 'em, sit 'em fantasy football picks for Week 1 of 2026. Should you start or sit Rome Odunze for fantasy football lineups in Week 1?
BALLER MOVE: Start in 12+ Team Leagues If Healthy
POSITIONAL VALUE: WR3
ANALYSIS: The Chicago Bears will start their 2026 season with much the same pass-catching corps they had in 2025 -- WR Rome Odunze (calf), tight end Colston Loveland, and wide receiver Luther Burden III will be the team's primary receiving options, with a few other names sprinkled in.
Odunze is currently dealing with a calf injury he suffered recently. He struggled through a foot injury last season that caused him to miss multiple games and reportedly caused the bone structure to heal differently, leading to a permanent "new normal" that should be at least somewhat concerning.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson said Odunze's calf injury wasn't related to the foot injury. There is some worry about compensation injuries, but regardless, whether No. 15 plays this week is in question.
Rome Odunze clarifies his “new normal” comment.
Rome says his foot feels great and he probably didn’t articulate his thoughts well with that comment. Said he doesn’t even think about his foot anymore.
Here’s his full answer. pic.twitter.com/UC0oeXErHM
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) July 30, 2026
The third-year pro had a mini-breakout stretch in 2025 before his production crashed hard. And that was at a time when both Loveland and Burden were hardly involved in the offense -- both dealt with injury issues that caused them to miss a significant portion of the offseason program that year.
Loveland and Burden were also selected by the new regime, while Odunze was a pick made for the ousted former coaching staff. Additionally, they both excel in areas that help compensate for quarterback Caleb Williams' lack of downfield accuracy -- Burden is great after the catch, and Loveland is a mismatch weapon with a huge catch radius.
These factors, combined with the new injury, would make me more apt to put Odunze on the bench if I had drafted him. It may be better to wait and see how his health plays out, and perhaps give him some time to recover.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Rome Odunze. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 1. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Rome Odunze. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 1.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 1 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 1 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 1 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 1 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Rome Odunze compared to others:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
