On Sunday versus the Patriots, Bears TE Trey Burton posted his best game as a Bear as a dominant target-hog. The athletic seam-stretcher soaked up 9-of-11 looks for 126 yards and a score. After a shaky Week One, Burton has scored a TD in three straight weeks and topped 10+ FPs in four of his last five games. Despite absorbing a Bye Week, Burton now sits at the TE5 on the season, trailing only Zach Ertz, Travis Kelce, Eric Ebron and George Kittle in fantasy scoring.
The sheer volume was most impressive, as Burton hadn’t topped 6 targets on the entire season before becoming the main focal point of the offense in Week 7. Nearly as important, however, was the creativity in his usage. Burton was used on screens and in the short game, as well as deep down the seams. When Mitch Trubisky needed to scramble, he looked immediately to Burton, who often bailed him out. This was the exact “Travis Kelce Role” we’ve been envisioning under Matt Nagy, and gives Burton a solid spot to blast off from. With Trubisky and Nagy finding their groove, tallying 35.6 points in their last three, Burton will remain a solid Top-6 TE each week moving forward. Only the aforementioned names + Rob Gronkowski belong ahead of Burton on Season Long Big Boards.
