Fantasy Football Week 17 Sleepers: Luther Burden III is poised to shine in return from injury

Dec 26, 2025

at

7:32 pm ET

•

1 min read

Luther Burden III (ankle) will play in Week 17 at San Francisco after missing Week 16 against Green Bay, and I like him as a borderline starter in all leagues. He has the chance for a big game against the 49ers.

Rome Odunze (foot) is out again, and Burden will have a big role alongside D.J. Moore. The last time we saw Burden before he missed the Packers game, he was having a breakout performance against Cleveland in Week 15 with six catches for 84 yards on seven targets in just over a half.

Burden also played well in Week 14 at Green Bay with four catches for 67 yards on six targets, and this should be a high-scoring game against the 49ers. San Francisco has allowed 19 receivers to score at least 11.2 PPR points this season, including Alec Pierce and Josh Downs in Week 16.

I still like D.J. Moore the best of Chicago’s receivers, and he has scored at least 21.9 PPR points in two games in a row and in three of his past five outings. Moore is worth trusting as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues.

But Burden will be ranked just behind Moore, and I expect Burden to play well in this game. He has the chance to help plenty of Fantasy managers in Week 17.