The Chicago Bears will debut their No. 1 overall draft pick, quarterback Caleb Williams, on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
The Bears are expected to give Williams plenty of weapons to work with on offense, especially at the wide receiver position.
But which of the Bears’ wide receivers — DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze — should fantasy managers start in Week 1?
Here are the fantasy outlooks for Moore, Allen, and Odunze heading into Week 1.
Week 1 Fantasy Outlook for DJ Moore
Moore enters this season as the WR24 in Pro Football Network’s consensus fantasy football rankings.
Moore enjoyed the best year of his career in his first season with the Bears in 2023 after five seasons with the Carolina Panthers. He set career-high marks in receptions (96), receiving yards (1,364), touchdown catches (8), and, most importantly for fantasy managers, fantasy points per game (16.9).
Keep in mind that Moore put these numbers up with quarterbacks like the wildly inconsistent Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent throwing him the ball.
And for Williams to be able to deliver just a little on the hype of being a No. 1 overall draft pick, it stands to reason that Moore will be his main target, starting in Week 1.
Week 1 Fantasy Outlook for Keenan Allen
Allen is the WR39 in PFN’s consensus rankings, but injury issues put his debut with the Bears in question.
Allen is listed as questionable with a heel injury, even though he was a full participant in practice Friday. The injury bug has been a thorn in Allen’s side in recent years, as he’s missed 11 games combined over the last two seasons.
But if Allen is good to go, as head coach Matt Eberflus believes, he is a worthy candidate to be in any fantasy manager’s lineup.
Last season with the Chargers may have been Allen’s best. He had a career-high 108 receptions in just 13 games and 95.3 receiving yards per game, which was also a career-high.
Keep in mind, it was Allen — not Amon-Ra St. Brown or Justin Jefferson — that was the third-biggest scorer among wide receivers in fantasy last season, averaging 21.5 fantasy points per game. Only CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill ranked higher.
Week 1 Fantasy Outlook for Rome Odunze
Odunze is WR42 in PFN’s rankings. For perspective, Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy checked in at No. 41 in the rankings, so there are expectations that Odunze could be a contributor for fantasy managers out of the gate.
Odunze enjoyed a stellar collegiate career at Washington, earning consensus All-American honors in 2023. Last season with the Huskies, Odunze had over 1,600 receiving yards (1,640) and 13 touchdown receptions.
But perhaps the stat that has the Bears — and fantasy managers — most excited is Odunze’s yards per reception. For his collegiate career, Odunze averaged 15.3 yards a catch, and last season he averaged almost 18 yards per reception (17.8), which is even more impressive when you consider he had over 90 catches (92).
Who Should I Start in Week 1?
According to Pro Football Network’s Fantasy Football Start/Sit Optimizer, Moore is the best choice of the three to start in Week 1. He is projected to finish with four receptions for 60 receiving yards and 12.7 fantasy points.
Allen is projected to finish with 10.2 fantasy points, with four receptions for 46 yards, while Odunze is projected to have three catches for 47 yards and 9.5 fantasy points.
I agree with the optimizer in this scenario. Moore is a player coming off his best season, and he should be Williams’ main target on Sunday.
Kyle Soppe’s Fantasy Outlook for the Bears’ WRs in Week 1
DJ Moore: This is a loaded offense, but the competition for looks seems destined to be at the WR2 role. Moore came to Chicago last season and earned targets at an elite rate in an offense that carried significant aerial risk – why can’t he excel again this season now that he has a year of experience under his belt and is paired with a better thrower of the football?
Moore is unlikely to dominate the target share the way he did last season due to the increase in talent around him, though I don’t think it’s risky to label him as the top earner. The Titans allowed the ninth-most yards per pass last season, and that’s more than enough to land Moore as a rock-solid WR2.
Keenan Allen: The 32-year-old has had a weird offseason. For the first time in his career, he has switched teams, and, likely, for the first time in his life, his athletic ability is being questioned. I’m not overweighing the #FatKeenan narrative, but there is no denying that Rome Odunze has looked quick this summer or that Allen has missed 11 games over the past two seasons.
Allen thrived last season thanks to catching a pass on a career-high 20.6% of his routes. He benefited from the extreme volume, which I think has virtually no chance of repeating this season. I’m taking the patient approach with the non-Moore receivers in Chicago. This offense should be strong enough to support two pass catchers; we just need proof of who that second man is going to be.
By the time bye weeks roll around, I suspect we will have a pretty clear picture of where the targets are going, which will land two Bear WRs inside my top 30 instead of two outside my top 35.
Rome Odunze: This rookie class has a chance to be remembered as one of the best, and I expect Odunze to post a few ceiling weeks. The question coming into the season is that of a floor — will he be the odd man out on a consistent basis, or can he develop a connection with Williams from the jump?
Fantasy is a game that sometimes rewards the aggressive and sometimes the conservative. You have the opportunity to be both when it comes to Odunze – you stuck your neck out to draft him, and now you can wait to cash in on your bet without taking the lumps along the way.
Maybe by Week 2, he’s locked in. Maybe not. I’m willing to miss one good week of production before plugging him in as opposed to chasing the breakout and risking multiple dud weeks in the process.