Rome Odunze VS Carnell Tate: Which Young Wide Receiver is Set Up For Fantasy Football Success?

Rome Odunze and Carnell Tate are getting selected at fringe WR 2 slots.

The receivers have different roles and situations heading into the season, but who has the better opportunity at a better Fantasy season.

Rome Odunze

Odunze (WR 29, 57 ADP) displayed glimpses of what his ceiling could be in a loaded Chicago Bears offense early on last season.

In the Bears wide receiver’s first four games of the season, Odunze tallied five receiving touchdowns and 296 receiving yards heading into a week 5 bye week.

Odunze would falter after the bye week, tallying only one more receiving touchdown and one more game of over 100 receiving yards before a foot injury kept the former Washington Husky out for the last five games of the season.

Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Odunze will receive a decent target share after DJ Moore’s departure to Buffalo, but will have to fend off two surging sophomores to be the Bears top pass catchers. Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland showcased their Fantasy potential in the second half of the season, particularly the last five games where Odunze was out.

Burden III’s and Loveland’s ascension have them at an earlier ADP than Odunze, but being in the loaded Bears offense makes any offensive weapon Fantasy viable.

Getting a piece of the Bears passing attack a later ADP in Odunze can help with better roster construction for Fantasy managers. Odunze may not have the Fantasy ceiling of Burden III and Loveland, but Odunze will still see a decent amount of targets. Odunze has the highest target share of the trio and if he can stay healthy Odunze will have a high Fantasy floor thanks to the targets.

Odunze gave Fantasy managers a scare recently as the Bears wide receiver left practice with an apparent injury. Initial indications show that nothing serious happened and Odunze, “should be all good,” per Bears beat reporter Dan Wiederer.

Caleb Williams casually flicking it 60+ yards on the move and dropping a dime to Rome Odunze. pic.twitter.com/HrtPX9AZvn https://t.co/hl0s8J60FM
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 29, 2026

Carnell Tate

Tate (WR 30, 64 ADP) was drafted with the intention of solving the WR 1 problem for quarterback Cam Ward, but the connection hasn’t gotten off to a strong start for the duo.

In the two preseason games Ward and Tate played together, Ward targeted Tate five times and no receptions were recorded. Tate would play another preseason game without Ward and it would be much of the same with no receptions off of one target.

The lack of connection shown by Ward and Tate is a worry before week 1.

Cam Ward targeted Carnell Tate 2 times for 0 receptions

They’re 0/5 through two preseason games pic.twitter.com/b0jYf0EejM
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) August 24, 2026

Compared to Odunze, Tate will have less competition for targets. Wan’Dale Robinson is Tate’s main competitor for targets this season.

There is a realm of possibility Robinson outperforms Tate in the former Ohio State Buckeye’s rookie season. Robinson tallied 1,000 receiving yards last season under offensive coordinator Brian Daboll when the duo were together in New York.

The Verdict

With Odunze’s target share in an efficient offense, the choice is clear between the two.

Tate is showing struggles throughout the preseason that are worrying heading into the season. The lack of connection between Tate and Ward is concerning.

Tate does have the claim to undisputed WR 1 over Odunze, but even being the second or third option on the Bears passing attack is more enticing in Fantasy than being the Titans WR 1.

Last season injuries are a concern regarding Odunze, but I’d rather take the known commodity with a high target share in Odunze than the unkown regarding Tate’s regular season connection with Ward.

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