Bears’ Luther Burden III named ‘most overvalued’ fantasy player since Anthony Richardson

With the NFL season just a month away, fantasy football owners are now searching for their magic pick of the year. It’s that time of year when managers try to predict this year’s breakout candidate. One of the most popular picks in this year’s fantasy draft class is Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III.

Burden, the incoming sophomore, is a big candidate to be one of the biggest fantasy steals. With DJ Moore’s departure, many fantasy experts are expecting the Bears wide receiver to become a heavy hitter in fantasy leagues. However, ESPN’s Mike Clay is not quite buying the hype around Burden. Speaking on a recent podcast episode, Clay said that Burden is the most “overvalued” player in fantasy since the Indianapolis Colts’ Anthony Richardson back in 2024.

"[Luther Burden III] is the most overvalued player in fantasy since Anthony Richardson." @MikeClayNFL is out on Burden at his high draft cost this season pic.twitter.com/W65gr98yDb

— ESPN Fantasy Sports (@ESPNFantasy) August 12, 2026

Both Burden and Richardson (back in 2024) were incoming sophomores coming off promising rookie campaigns. Richardson showed promise in his rookie year, giving hope that he was going to be the next great dual-threat quarterback that fantasy football managers love. Meanwhile, Burden was one of the standouts in a crowded Bears wide receiver room that featured Moore and 2024 first-round pick Rome Odunze.

Unfortunately, Richardson completely failed his managers in his second year. Richardson was QB5 or QB6 at the start of the 2024 season, but he finished the year as QB25. His injury history, coupled with his severe accuracy issues, hampered his production.

Clay’s concern with Burden isn’t necessarily his production, but rather the price that managers will have to pay to get him. The Bears wide receiver’s ADP today is at 45.5 according to FantasyPros, with many projecting him to go in the fourth or fifth round. That might ultimately be a tad bit too high for a player like Burden. While Burden will have a bigger role this year without DJ Moore, it’s also hard to gauge how much Moore’s presence impacted the rookie’s performance last year.

Ultimately, taking Burden at his current ADP is a risk that fantasy fans will need to properly assess. Do they trust Burden and the Bears’ staff to fully utilize the wide receiver’s talents?

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