The Chicago Bears will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, specifically regarding WR Rome Odunze.
Is Rome Odunze Playing in Week 12?
Odunze is not on the injury report and, barring a surprise, he is expected to play.
We’ll continue to monitor the Bears’ injury report leading up to kickoff for any changes. You can also visit and bookmark our Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Odunze in Week 12?
Odunze came blazing out of the gates this season with five scores in September, resulting in four straight top-20 finishes at the position, and “Ben Johnson is a magician” talks reaching a fever pitch.
Times have been a little more challenging since. After that first month, he had just two top 50 weeks and one touchdown. The efficiency has fallen off a cliff in November (eight catches on 19 targets) due to a vertical role that sees him running almost exclusively deep routes.
Against Minnesota last week, his aDOT (23.3) and percentage of looks that came 15+ yards downfield (83.3%) were both season highs. He has cleared 135 air yards in three of his past four games, and while this is great for ceiling games, it also introduces the type of low floor that we’ve seen displayed over the past two months.
So what do we do now?
I think we rank him as a middling WR2 with the knowledge that we will adjust based on the matchup. Home games stand to be tricky for the Bears this time of year, but given the role change and the fact that the Steelers are the seventh-worst YPA defense on deep throws, I’m comfortable giving Odunze a bounce-back look in DFS and ranking him as a top 15 option at the position.
I think the days of consistent high-end production are gone, though I have a similar ceiling projection for him today as I did one and two months ago.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Cheat Sheet.
Odunze’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 12
Odunze is projected to score 14.5 fantasy points in PPR formats.
We project Odunze to have five receptions for 72 yards and 0.3 touchdowns. Odunze could also add two rushing yards.
Check out the free PFSN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Week 12 Weather Impact: Steelers at Bears
The forecast for kickoff is 48 degrees Fahrenheit with 6 mph winds. These are ideal conditions for fantasy production.
