The Latest Rome Odunze Injury Update Could Open The Door For A Rookie Sleeper To Be A Fantasy Football Breakout

The latest injury update on Chicago Bears' wide receiver Rome Odunze.

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (15) leaves the field following a game against the Green Bay Packers in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We got another injury update on Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze, who is working to get on the field for their matchup on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Unfortunately, the news wasn't great, but there is still some hope he'll be out there.

Odunze was unable to get on the practice field again on Wednesday, but is considered day-to-day. He is dealing with a leg or foot injury; however, it is not believed to have anything to do with the stress fracture he suffered in his foot last season, which negatively impacted the majority of his season.

Bears WR Rome Odunze is "day-to-day", per HC Ben Johnson.

Odunze won’t practice today. The club is “hopeful” he will be good to go on Sunday.

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— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) September 8, 2026

This is an injury that we will have to continue to monitor throughout the week leading up to Sunday. Hopefully, we get a clearer picture of his availability sooner rather than later.

Fantasy Impact

WR Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears

This is tough news for Odunze after a foot injury derailed his season in 2025. This injury doesn't seem nearly as serious, but it's still concerning. Because of this news, we have dropped him significantly in our wide receiver rankings, but he could jump back up if he is able to get a full practice in at some point this week.

For now, we are going to lean towards the side of caution and come up with a backup plan in leagues that own Odunze. This injury situation gets more alarming the closer we get to game day.

What's really concerning is that we don't know how healthy he will be even if he does play at this point. We would view him as a flex option if he's active, but he has become much more of a risky option.

WR Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears

If Odunze is out, it's wheels up for Burden in Week 1. He'll get all the targets that he can handle.

DJ Moore is already gone, so Burden will be the clear and distant WR1 with Odunze off the field. He'd immediately become a must-start WR2 with WR1 upside.

TE Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears

Loveland would also likely see a boost in targets if Odunze were to miss any time. He's already expected to be near the top of his position in targets, and he would be locked in as Caleb Williams' second option in the passing attack if Odunze is out. There is a chance he's the second option even if Odunze is healthy.

WR Zavion Thomas, Chicago Bears

The rookie third-round pick exploded onto the fantasy scene this preseason, and there is a chance that he gets a real opportunity much earlier than we expected. We wouldn't start him in Week 1, but he could be worth a preemptive waiver wire add, or a flier in DFS GPP tournaments.

It's very possible that Kalif Raymond is the next man up at wide receiver, but he doesn't have enough upside that he's worth paying attention to. Thomas is the player to watch as a potential breakout if Odunze misses time.

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