The NFL regular season is in its final week. As happens every year, injuries are rearing their ugly heads. As fantasy football managers prepare to set Week 18 lineups, it’s important to stay informed on the latest injury news. Rome Odunze is working his way back from a foot injury. What is his current status and outlook for this week?
Is Rome Odunze Playing Week 18?
Odunze has been dealing with a stress fracture in his foot since late October, when he first appeared on the injury report with what was initially classified as a heel issue. The wide receiver suited up for all of the Bears’ first 12 games before missing Week 14 against the Green Bay Packers. NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported at the time that Odunze has been playing with the stress fracture for a significant part of the season and would be considered week-to-week going forward.
Odunze surprisingly returned to practice after just one week off, getting in three limited sessions ahead of Week 15. He was activated for that game against the Cleveland Browns but did not play after aggravating the injury during pregame warmups. He was ruled out five minutes before kickoff, leaving many fantasy managers unwittingly starting a zero in their lineups.
The situation did not improve heading into the final weeks of the regular season. Odunze did not practice at all during Week 16 or Week 17 and missed both games. He had not been able to practice in any capacity since December 12, with the injury keeping him out for five consecutive games heading into the regular season finale.
Odunze remained sidelined at practice on Tuesday and Wednesday this week as he continued to manage the stress fracture. The wide receiver finally returned to the practice field on Friday as a limited participant in his first session in three weeks. The Chicago Bears listed him as questionable on the final injury report for Sunday’s matchup against the Detroit Lions.
The Bears need a win in Week 18 to secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Despite those stakes, they also need Odunze healthy, or as healthy as possible, for the playoffs. Head coach Ben Johnson stated earlier this week that the team will “go through the course of here and what his workload is in terms of practice” when evaluating Odunze’s status. While Johnson emphasized the Bears are “playing to win” in Week 18, he also noted that “all options are on the table” for getting Odunze back to full health.
Typically, players returning after missing multiple games need to practice all three days to have a realistic chance of playing. Odunze got in a lone limited practice on Friday after being held out Wednesday and Thursday. This seems unlikely to be enough for him to suit up on Sunday.
The practice feels more like the team getting his feet wet in preparation for a full week’s worth of practices ahead of their Wild Card matchup next week. Fantasy managers should not expect Odunze to play in Week 18.
Odunze’s Fantasy Football Outlook
It’s way too early to call it, but could Odunze be the steal of the first half of drafts this summer?
MORE:Â Free Fantasy Football Start/Sit Optimizer
This foot injury has muddied the end of his season and given the splits, is it possible that the community as a whole sours on the pride of Washington a little bit too much?
Weeks 1-5: 19.9 PPR, 30.2% above expectations, 28.6% red zone target rate
Weeks 6-17: 8.3 PPG, 30.3% below expectations, 19.4% red zone target rate
The target hierarchy in Chicago next season is going to be a fun one to project and if the momentum from late in the season slides to the 2025 rookie class, Odunze could prove to be the most valuable of the trio.
— Kyle Soppe, PFSN Fantasy Analyst
