The Bears came up just short against the Packers last week and are in another divisional contest at home in Week 12 as they welcome in the Vikings. On Friday, the team listed veteran WR Keenan Allen ($4,900) as questionable with an ankle injury. If Allen sits, that would open a huge window of opportunity for rookie Rome Odunze ($4,800) to step up in a favorable matchup.
Here’s how Allen got hurt:
Keenan Allen rolled his ankle during friday’s practice so the Bears pulled him from practice. Eberflus is hopeful he can go. Doesn’t think the injury is severe.
— Scott Bair (@ScottBairNFL) November 22, 2024
Odunze’s upside
If Allen is out, or unable to take on his normal workload, Oduze would have a very high ceiling for receiver under $5,000 in DFS contests like the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].
Odunze played 82% of the Bears’ offensive snaps last week and led the team with 10 targets, while Allen finished second with eight and DJ Moore ($5,500) had seven. He converted six of those into catches, finishing with 65 receiving yards for 12.5 fantasy points.
He has been inconsistent from week-to-week since targets have been inconsistently split between the three receivers, but more targets would bring a very high ceiling against the Vikings, who have given up the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season.
The verdict: Start Rome Odunze if Allen is out
Oduze and Moore would both get a boost if Allen is limited or out, but Odunze is a cheaper play to build around, either in tandem with Caleb Williams ($5,100) or on an island. The offense looked much better last week with Thomas Brown calling plays, and Odunze offers good upside relative to his DFS salary if more looks come his way Sunday.
The Bears are 3.5-point home underdogs, and Odunze is +300 to score a touchdown. If Allen is out, that could be great value at that number.
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