Kalif Raymond is fantasy's WR12. He's one of only eight wideouts to score 9.0+ points in each contest. He's also a 32-year-old who entered this season averaging 4.5 points per game—11.0 points below this year's average. Here's why fantasy managers should not put their faith in Raymond.
One of my favorite Bears stats in years is playing out right now: Raymond has outscored Luther Burden, Rome Odunze, and Colston Loveland in each game. The improbability of this occurring is staggering, yet it's also understandable given the context.
Entering Week 1, Luther Burden was still ramping up after being sidelined for several weeks in August. Odunze suffered a calf injury in early September and was firmly questionable for Chicago's season opener. As for Loveland?
Who knows. That's still a mystery. But the Bears began this season with their two "best" wide receivers recovering from injuries. Raymond seized the moment.
"Seized" doesn't do justice to what he's accomplished. Heading into 2026, Raymond had only seven outings with at least five catches; he's done it in all three games this month. Two of his six highest-yardage efforts also occurred this month. The 2016 undrafted free agent didn't reel in his third career reception until his fourth season... playing on his fourth team.
To be clear, Raymond is one of the most fundamentally sound NFL receivers. QBs have averaged 100+ passer ratings when looking his way each year since 2021. He's dropped only two passes since 2022, spanning 171 targets. His upper-tier catch rate hit a new high last season (80.0%) and now sits at 90.5%, which is almost unheard of.
The most likely scenario going forward is Burden continuing to ascend in Year 2, a healthy Odunze recapturing his early-career magic, and Loveland averaging more than 2.8 points per game. That combination will push Raymond down to single digits more often than not.
For more insights into the risks of chasing Raymond's fantasy production, check out this recent podcast.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Kalif Raymond: amazing fantasy story, and wildly unsustainable
