ESPN senior writer Matthew Berry groups new Bears tight end Trey Burton among eight NFL players who have dramatically increased their fantasy football value this offseason.
Burton signed with the Bears March 14 after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he backed up Zach Ertz and Brent Celek. Playing for the Super Bowl champions last year, Burton caught 23 passes for 248 yards and five touchdowns.
"No longer stuck behind Zach Ertz, the talented Burton goes to Chicago to play the Travis Kelce role in new head coach Matt Nagy's offense," wrote Berry, who categorized Burton among the "players I love after offseason movement."
"Now, I'm not saying he's Kelce or that Mitchell Trubisky is Alex Smith, but it's worth noting that in Nagy's two years in K.C. as the offensive coordinator, the Chiefs led the NFL in receiving yards from the tight end position and were second in targets and receptions. Meanwhile, once Trubisky took over last season, Chicago tight ends had a 22.3 percent target share."
Berry included both Trubisky and new Bears receiver Allen Robinson II in a group of "others receiving votes" for increasing their fantasy value.
"This offseason, Trubisky got a new play-caller and a bunch of talented pass-catchers," Berry wrote. "He's a better runner than he gets credit for, making him a high-upside QB2."
Robinson signed with the Bears March 14 after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Jaguars, appearing in 43 games with 41 starts and catching 202 passes for 2,848 yards and 22 TDs.
The 6-3, 211-pounder had 80 receptions for 1,400 yards and tied for the NFL lead with 14 touchdown catches in 2015, earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl. Robinson then caught 73 passes for 883 yards and six TDs in 2016, but he tore his ACL in last year's season opener and was placed on injured reserve.
"Allen Robinson needs to prove he's healthy," Berry wrote, "but going from a run-first offense with an erratic QB to a pass-first one with a young QB who has shown promise is a good thing for Robinson."
