Rome Odunze

No one should question Odunze's talent. In his final season in college, Odunze ranked 18th in YPRR and 8th in PFF receiving grade. It is fair to wonder about his ability to earn targets in year one, as D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen will flank him. There are reasons to be hopeful for Odunze, though. Unlike Jaxon Smith-Njigba last year, Odunze can still have splash weeks this year because of his ability to stretch the field, as his 15.5 aDOT in 2023 attests, so he can maximize some lost volume with big plays. The volume of this passing attack could surprise us as well, though. In 2021-2023, under new Bears' offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, Seattle ranked seventh in neutral pace and ninth in neutral passing rate. If the passing volume shocks the world and/or Keenan Allen or D.J. Moore misses any time, Odunze could outplay his ADP.

Rome Odunze is reportedly "under consideration" to return punts this season for the Bears.

Fantasy Impact

Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower referred to Odunze as a four-down player. “Rome is an every-down player. Rome’s a first-down player, a second-down player, a third-down player and a fourth-down player,” Hightower said. “He had three returns on the books and one of those three returns was a house call.” It is possible we see a lot of different players return kicks this season with the new rules.