Player
Luther Burden III
WR · Bears
Luther Burden III: facts drawn from the play-by-play.
From 1 target in Week 1 to 9 in Week 17 — Burden's usage climbed every stretch of the 2025 season.
TrendBurden III, 2025 target ramp (regular season)
| Wk | Opp | Tgt | Rec | Yds | WOPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MIN | 1 | 1 | -3 | 0.03 |
| 2 | DET | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0.07 |
| 3 | DAL | 3 | 3 | 101 | 0.32 |
| 4 | LV | 2 | 2 | -4 | 0.02 |
| 6 | WAS | 4 | 4 | 51 | 0.17 |
| 7 | NO | 2 | 1 | 22 | 0.22 |
| 8 | BAL | 1 | 1 | -1 | 0.02 |
| 10 | NYG | 3 | 3 | 51 | 0.22 |
| 11 | MIN | 5 | 3 | 27 | 0.34 |
| 12 | PIT | 5 | 3 | 46 | 0.33 |
| 13 | PHI | 6 | 4 | 33 | 0.37 |
| 14 | GB | 6 | 4 | 67 | 0.46 |
| 15 | CLE | 7 | 6 | 84 | 0.52 |
| 17 | SF | 9 | 8 | 138 | 0.55 |
| 18 | DET | 4 | 3 | 35 | 0.24 |
Week 11 through Week 17 is an unbroken escalator: 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 9 targets, with WOPR climbing from 0.33 to 0.55. A WOPR above 0.50 is WR1 territory. Burden got there by late November and stayed.
The Week 17 finale — 8-for-138-and-a-TD against San Francisco — was the loudest proof point, but the ramp started seven weeks earlier. That's not a hot game; that's a role change.
Target share more than doubled in the second half: 7.1% through Week 8, 18.2% from Week 10 on.
SplitBurden role share, first half vs second half
| Span | Games | Tgts | Tgt share | Yds/g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1-8 | 7 | 15 | 7.1% | 24.4 |
| Wk 10-18 | 8 | 45 | 18.2% | 60.1 |
The Bears spent the first two months barely targeting him — 7.1% of team looks across 7 games. From Week 10 on the offense gave him 18.2% of team targets and over 60 receiving yards per game, with a 138-yard ceiling game in the back half.
That second-half line — 45 targets, 33 catches, 481 yards — projects to roughly an 1,000-yard pace over a 17-game season. The rookie growing into a starting role in real time is the story of the year.
3rd among 2025 rookie WRs in receiving yards (652) despite the slowest first 4 weeks of the top 5.
Comparison2025 rookie WR leaders (regular season)
| Player | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tetairoa McMillan | 122 | 70 | 1014 | 7 |
| Emeka Egbuka | 127 | 63 | 938 | 6 |
| Luther Burden III | 60 | 47 | 652 | 2 |
| Jayden Higgins | 68 | 41 | 525 | 6 |
| Elic Ayomanor | 89 | 41 | 515 | 4 |
McMillan and Egbuka had ~120-target volume; Burden produced 652 yards on just 60 targets — a 10.9 yards-per-target average that's the highest among the top 5 rookie WRs.
The efficiency hint is real: when Caleb Williams looked his way, the ball came back as yardage. The volume case will follow if the second-half target share holds in Year 2.
Two 100-yard rookie games — joined only McMillan and Egbuka in the 2025 class to clear that bar twice.
Milestone2025 rookie WR 100-yard games
| Player | 100-yd Games | Best game |
|---|---|---|
| Emeka Egbuka | 3 | 163 (Wk 5) |
| Luther Burden III | 2 | 138 (Wk 17) |
| Tetairoa McMillan | 2 | 130 (Wk 11) |
| Travis Hunter | 1 | 101 (Wk 7) |
Only three 2025 rookie WRs posted multiple 100-yard receiving games: Egbuka (3), McMillan (2), and Burden (2). Burden's two came on opposite ends of the season — the Week 3 flash against Dallas, then the Week 17 confirmation against San Francisco.
Bookending the year that way is the cleanest possible 'this is real' signal a Year 1 receiver can give.
In Week 17, Burden out-targeted DJ Moore 9-to-4 and out-produced him 138-to-7 — a de facto WR1 game in the season finale.
AnomalyBurden vs DJ Moore, final 4 games
| Wk | Opp | Burden Tgt | Burden Yds | Moore Tgt | Moore Yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | GB | 6 | 67 | 3 | -4 |
| 15 | CLE | 7 | 84 | 5 | 69 |
| 17 | SF | 9 | 138 | 4 | 7 |
| 18 | DET | 4 | 35 | 3 | 11 |
DJ Moore entered 2025 as Chicago's WR1. By the final stretch, Burden was taking over the key target share: in 3 of the final 4 games, he out-produced Moore in receiving yards.
Week 17 was the definitive statement: Burden's 9 targets and 138 yards vs Moore's 4 targets and 7 yards. That's not depth-chart fluidity — that's a hand-off.
Among 2025 rookie WRs born in 2003 or later, Burden's 10.9 yards-per-target leads the group — and he has by far the most yards.
Rare2025 rookie WRs born 2003 or later (youngest cohort)
| Player | Born | Yds | Tgt | YPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luther Burden III | Dec 2003 | 652 | 60 | 10.9 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | Apr 2003 | 1014 | 122 | 8.3 |
| Elic Ayomanor | Jun 2003 | 515 | 89 | 5.8 |
| Matthew Golden | Aug 2003 | 361 | 44 | 8.2 |
| Isaiah Bond | Mar 2004 | 338 | 44 | 7.7 |
Burden (born December 2003) is the 2nd youngest meaningful contributor in the 2025 WR class — only Isaiah Bond (March 2004) is younger among players with 300+ yards. Among that youngest cohort, Burden's 10.9 yards-per-target is the highest, outpacing McMillan (8.3), Golden (8.2), Bond (7.7), and Ayomanor (5.8).
Efficiency at age 21, on limited volume, in a run-heavy offense — that's the profile that projects to a breakout Year 2.
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