Rome Odunze's career is off to a bit of a bumpy start. He didn't look particularly bad in the Bears' Week 1 matchup against the Titans; his outlook just looks a bit murky due to an injury. Odunze left the game last week late in the fourth quarter after tweaking his knee while blocking.
Odunze was held to a modest stat line of 1/11/0 in his NFL debut. This might be a bit discouraging for Bears fans and fantasy managers, but it's pretty clear that the Bears' offense is adjusting to an offense that features a new playcaller, quarterback, running back, WR2, and WR3.
The future of football in Chicago is in good hands, it will just take some time for the adjustments to be made. But Odunze's development within the offense may be put on hold for a week. The knee injury that knocked him out of last week's game may keep him sidelined in Week 2.
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Will Rome Odunze play this week? Injury update on Bears' WR
UPDATE: Odunze is officially active for SNF.
Odunze could very well suit up for the Bears' "Sunday Night Football" contest in Week 2. According to Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz, there is "optimism" he will be available.
Sources: There’s optimism this morning that #Bears rookie WR Rome Odunze (knee) will play in tonight’s Sunday Night Football game vs. the #Texans.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 15, 2024
The No. 9 overall pick suffered a low-grade MCL sprain in Week 1 vs Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/FYhYrPwW8D
The injury was originally considered to be somewhat serious, with Odunze drawing a week-to-week designation following the game last Sunday. Thankfully, his MRI provided some encouraging signs. Oduzne has since been considered day-to-day.
Odunze was unable to get onto the practice field on Wednesday or Thursday, but he was a limited participant on Friday. He has been officially designated as "questionable" for Sunday Night Football against the Texans. According to head coach Matt Eberflus, Odunze is a game-time decision.
This is a situation to keep an eye on as Eberflus has indicated that the Bears will push it all the way up to game time before they make a call on his availability. Check back here often, where we will be providing updates as they become available.
Bears' WR Depth Chart: Who is Rome Odunze's Backup?
The Bears are in a unique situation this week. Oduzne is a tough player to lose, but teams can typically get by without their WR3. However, Odunze isn't the only starting WR who is a game-time decision this week. Keenan Allen is also in jeopardy of missing this game with a heel injury. If neither are able to play, the Bears will feature an interesting cast of characters at receiver.
Behind Odunze and Allen, the Bears have second-year receiver Tyler Scott who they drafted out of the University of Cincinnati in the 4th round of last year's draft. Scott will be asked to step up if either misses time, but could realistically function as the team's WR2 if both are unavailable.
Outside of Scott, Chicago has DeAndre Carter and Velus Jones Jr. on the roster at receiver. Both are also candidates to see an increased workload if Allen and/or Odunze can't play. Of these two veterans, Carter is the other candidate to step up and play the WR2 role. Chicago also elevated Collin Johnson from the practice squad on Saturday, a sign that they anticipate being without at least one of their starters on Sunday night.
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Rome Odunze fantasy outlook Week 2
Ideally, you weren't planning to start Odunze in the first place. He is a rookie in an offense with strong target competition. Odunze can be a legitimate fantasy producer this season, but that production is likely to come in the later stages of the season as he gets acclimated to the NFL and Chicago's offense.
If it's not possible to leave Odunze on your bench, managers should be prepared with a backup plan. The Bears play on Sunday Night Football which complicates things if his availability is unclear until the main slate of games are already underway. A strong candidate for an emergency option is Falcons WR Ray-Ray McCloud. He plays on Monday and led Atlanta in targets last week. McCloud is by no means someone you want to be starting, but he should be available in the majority of leagues and can be started in a worst-case scenario.
