With all the news surrounding wide receivers like AJ Brown and George Pickens, other news involving wideouts has been decent but not exciting. The Buffalo Bills sought to change all of that when they sent the Chicago Bears an offer they could not refuse. Per Adam Schefter, the Buffalo Bills sent over a 2026 second-round pick for Bears wide receiver DJ Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick. With this kind of trade kicking off before the start of free agency, fantasy values are sure to change between DJ Moore and the Bears’ receivers in the wake of his trade. And you can believe that the fantasy community will react to this deal.
🚨BREAKING: The Chicago Bears are finalizing a trade that would send WR D.J. Moore to the Buffalo Bills, per @AdamSchefter.
Compensation still is being discussed, and the trade cannot be processed until the new league year begins, but both sides are pushing to make it happen. pic.twitter.com/XXHcAueR6E
— Zero Gravity (@zgsportsmedia) March 5, 2026
The Bills were in the market for a wide receiver after a season of Keon Colemans’ inconsistencies and Khalil Shakir as the de facto “WR1”. The possibility of Coleman being traded in the offseason was also on the table by some prior to Joe Brady being made head coach. The Bills knew they had to get Josh Allen another weapon on the outside. There was a belief that the Bills would address the wide receiver position through the draft. Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans was suspected to have the Bills as a potential landing spot once the start of free agency began. In terms of fantasy football, this trade works out for everyone involved.
Fantasy Implications for the Chicago Bears
Rome Odunze Injury
Jan 10, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (15) leaves the field following a game against the Green Bay Packers in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
First, let us look at the fantasy implications of moving DJ Moore has on the Bears’ skill players. Moore finished second among the Bears’ wide receivers in targets for the 2026 season with 85. Rome Odunze led all Bears receivers with 90. That amounts to a 14.8% target share for Moore and a 22.4% target share for Odunze. With Moore gone, those targets get sent back to the pool, moving Rome Odunze as the undisputed top wide receiver for the Bears in 2026. This move is also good for the now-second-year receiver Luther Burden, who came on strong towards the end of the season last year. Burden now moves up as the “Robin” to Odunze’s “Batman”, forming a new wide receiver tandem in the league.
Last season, Burden got off to a rocky start, seeing just 18 targets over the first 10 weeks of the season. Over the final seven games, Burden would see an increase in targets, jumping from 18 to 38. Burden averaged just 8.5 fantasy points per game on the season, but the increase in targets down the stretch showed that the Bears were trusting him with the increased workload. With the extra targets, even Colston Loveland should be more involved in the offense in year two. Loveland was another player who came on strong as the regular season closed. Loveland was the TE7 over the final seven games of the season, averaging 11.2 fantasy points per game. He also saw 40 of his 82 targets over that stretch.
If there is one area of concern, it is with Caleb Williams. Williams’ overall numbers look solid. Williams finished as the QB7 in total fantasy points and finished as the QB7 in fantasy points per game with 18.2. He threw for 3,982 yards (ranked seventh) and tossed 27 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. That is pretty good considering it was his first year in Ben Johnson’s offense. While the fantasy production is good, Williams still managed to leave a lot of meat on the bone. Despite finishing with 568 pass attempts (fifth-most among quarterbacks), Williams only completed 58% of his passes. That is a significant chunk of production that was left out on the field. If Williams can bring that number up in his second year with Ben Johnson, Williams could be on his way to being a top-5 drafted fantasy quarterback in years to come.
Now The Buffalo Bills
Khalil Shakir led all Bills receivers in targets (95) and receiving yards (719). Keon Coleman was second on the team in both categories with 59 targets and 404 receiving yards. Needless to say, the Bills’ addition of DJ Moore will shake up the receiving room as the new “top dawg”. It may be plausible to expect the passing game to open up with Moore being featured in the passing game. That means a redistribution of targets should come down. Shakir held a 20.4% target share among the Bills’ wide receivers. He won’t see that in 2026. Shakir also led the team in fantasy points per game with 10.4. Moore wasn’t much better last season with the Bears under Caleb Williams at 8.5 FPPG, but it looked like the Bears’ offense benefited from spreading the ball around as opposed to focusing on one receiver to lead the pack. Rome Odunze finished with just five more targets than DJ Moore last season.
Another item that fantasy managers may want to keep in the back of their minds is the possibility of the Bills adding more receivers in free agency. Moore is a great start and fits with what Joe Brady wants to do, as they have familiarity with their days with the Carolina Panthers. But Keon Coleman is still unproven. Adding another wide receiver could change the scope of the Bills’ receiver hierarchy. Moreso if it is another big-name receiver like Mike Evans. If it is a slightly lesser receiver that is added, Moore would remain the undisputed WR1 in the Bills offense. Until that happens, DJ Moore’s fantasy stock should climb to new heights in 2026 if he can be a reliable target for Josh Allen. Don’t be surprised if Moore comes off the board around the 4th or 5th round as a low-end WR1. Josh Allen can raise talent to the top, and Moore could see a resurgence with target volume on his side.
The Bills know that their offense runs through two people, Josh Allen and James Cook. They need to get the passing game more involved if they want to have success. Last season, Allen threw for just 460 pass attempts, the second-lowest pass attempts since his rookie season back in 2018. While Allen was highly efficient with his pass attempts and added the threat of rushing, having a receiver he can trust to bail him out during games is a nice thing to have. More volume from the passing game with Allen able to complete passes at a high clip (69% in 2025), Moore could be a nice fantasy grab that could be overlooked due to his age and his mid-performance in his final season with the Bears, sticking in the front of fantasy managers’ minds.
Main Image: David Banks-Imagn Images