After the rookie wide receiver required an MRI following the Chicago Bears‘ Week 1 victory over Tennessee, it was determined that Rome Odunze suffered an MCL sprain.
Ahead of Week 2, Odunze was a non-participant in practice up until Friday, when the rookie participated in a limited fashion. Odunze appeared unaffected by the sprain, playing in 94% of offensive snaps against Houston.
Heading into Week 3, Odunze is back on the injury report, showing up as “limited” on Wednesday.
Will Rome Odunze Play in Week 3 vs. the Indianapolis Colts?
The beginning of Odunze’s NFL career hasn’t gone as planned thus far, as the rookie receiver has accumulated just turned nine total targets this season into three catches for 44 yards.
As the No. 9 overall selection in the most recent NFL Draft, Odunze’s production hasn’t followed just yet. However, there’s still plenty of time for him to break out into the receiver many expected coming out of Washington. With his knee playing a factor in the first two weeks of this season, that’s crucial to his lack of productivity.
Rome Odunze drops a touchdown here. Ball hits him in both hands. Second time a #Bears receiver dropped a TD in 2 weeks. Caleb Williams has yet to throw a TD. pic.twitter.com/xNPUhwnCun
— Jordan Sigler (@JordanSig) September 16, 2024
Odunze didn’t participate until Friday last week and still played on Sunday night, missing just four offensive snaps throughout the entire game.
Considering the lack of worry from Odunze and head coach Matt Eberflus heading into Week 2 about the rookie’s knee, along with his usage on Sunday night, it appears Odunze avoided a major injury.
The only reason it seems like Odunze was limited on Wednesday was to remain cautious with one of the key parts of a wide receiver’s body: Their knees.
Should You Start Rome Odunze in Fantasy Lineups?
Compared to veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen, Odunze’s injury status seems to be much lower in terms of severity.
Last week, Odunze had a similar designation as Allen. When it came to gameday, Odunze was ready and had one of the Bears’ highest snap totals on offense.
While he was limited on Wednesday, it appears to be a precautionary action following a physical game on Sunday night.
Regarding his fit into this offense, Odunze has been the third-most targeted receiver through just two games.
- DJ Moore: 2 games, 18 targets, 11 receptions, 89 yards
- Keenan Allen: 1 game, 11 targets, 4 receptions, 29 yards
- Rome Odunze: 2 games, 9 targets, 4 receptions, 44 yards
In fantasy football, target share, or how many targets a player gets compared to the rest of the team, is a key factor in deciding who to start.
With Allen ruled “OUT” due to his nagging heel injury, Odunze could be a strong start against a weaker Colts secondary in Week 3 as the Bears look to form their offensive identity.
Who Are the Other Fantasy Options To Consider on Bears?
While there was optimism last week that second-year receiver Tyler Scott could’ve added to the mix as a speedy deep threat, that didn’t happen on Sunday night.
The Bears relied heavily on journeyman receiver DeAndre Carter, as Carter saw the fifth-most targets (four) for Chicago on Sunday night, totaling three catches for 32 yards.
In a full-point PPR league, Carter’s 6.2 points won’t make fantasy managers eager to start him again this week. However, targets are important in fantasy, and if Carter could come down with one or two of those incompletions, his night would’ve looked much better in fantasy.
Aside from Carter, Scott still provides a deep-threat ability, making each game he plays in a boom-or-bust situation. He’ll either catch a long touchdown after burning the secondary, or he’ll score 1.2 points, making managers angry.
Considering how lackluster Chicago’s offense has been this season, there aren’t many Bears players who should excite fantasy GMs aside from Moore, Allen, and Odunze.
Maybe Cole Kmet, too, if he’s taken out of Shane Waldron’s dog house. That seemed to trend in the right direction from Week 1 to Week 2.