The Chicago Bears‘ complete overhaul of the roster on the offensive side of the football makes pinpointing fantasy projections for each player a tricky venture with a rookie quarterback under center.
This becomes even more difficult when trying to set firm expectations for a talented rookie wide receiver like Rome Odunze, who is entering a depth chart with highly productive veteran pass catchers already on the roster.
What can fantasy football managers expect from Odunze in 2024?
Rome Odunze’s 2024 Fantasy Outlook
- Total Fantasy Points: 147.9
- Receptions: 58.6
- Receiving Yards: 878.5
- Receiving TDs: 4.9
These are PFN’s consensus projections, correct as of August 15. The most up-to-date projections can be found in our Who Should I Draft Tool.
Should You Draft Odunze This Year?
Let’s start with the good, shall we?
Odunze is a blue-chip WR prospect whose final two years at Washington were outstanding with 167 receptions, 2,785 receiving yards, and 22 total touchdowns.
Odunze is an excellent athlete, evidenced by his 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash. He possesses a prototypical X-receiver frame (6’3”, 215 pounds), exhibits fluidity as a lateral mover and accelerator at the breakpoint, and is an absolute bully at the catchpoint in contested catch situations.
Furthermore, Odunze’s formation versatility and route-running nuance — tempo variation, stem IQ, and great hip sink for a prospect his size — make him an incredibly well-rounded prospect who should contribute immediately to an NFL passing attack.
Now, here’s the bad news: The Bears have arguably the best collection of pass catchers in the NFL.
DJ Moore was finally unleashed after years of disappointing usage and production in Carolina. His 96 receptions for 1,364 yards and eight TDs were both career highs, which helped him earn a four-year contract extension worth up to $110 million.
Moore was among the best fantasy performers against man coverage last season. In 2023, he scored 113.8 fantasy points when facing man coverage, the second-highest mark at the WR position behind only CeeDee Lamb.
If Moore wasn’t enough to contend with, then the acquisition of veteran WR Keenan Allen also isn’t doing Odunze any favors. Allen is a route-running savant who does the majority of his damage in the short-to-intermediate range of the field.
Allen lined up in the slot 434 times (58.2% of his total snaps), which helped him produce 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven scores in just 13 games.
Moore only lined up in the slot 18.6% of the time last year, which makes Allen the betting favorite to secure that role in Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s scheme — which makes it difficult to pinpoint exactly what Odunze’s role will be in this offense.
Fortunately, Odunze’s versatility is a big strength of his game. The fact we haven’t even mentioned Cole Kmet or D’Andre Swift yet speaks to just how talented this group is on paper.
Being in a crowded receiver room and relying on catching passes from a rookie quarterback could lead to some frustrating weeks for Odunze early in the year as this offense (and Caleb Williams) irons things out.
Odunze’s ADP at No. 101 overall in the ninth round as WR44 off the board almost feels disrespectful in relation to a prospect of his caliber. For some additional context, Odunze is currently being selected after fellow rookie receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Ladd McConkey, and Xavier Worthy.
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One could make a very plausible argument that Odunze is the best rookie receiver entering the league this year. Unfortunately, his fantasy outlook in 2024 feels significantly capped due to the elite target competition on the roster.
I still believe Odunze will have his fair share of big games this year, but those weeks are going to be tough to predict with Moore and Allen gobbling up targets with a first-year QB under center.
Odunze’s talent alone warrants consideration in this range, but I think he’ll be a bit difficult to trust in your starting lineup in 2024.