Source + player page
The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast fantasy football takes on Kalif Raymond
Every source-backed podcast insight STACKED has extracted from The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast about Kalif Raymond.
9
Insights
9
Positive
0
Negative
Insight ledger
All The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast insights about Kalif Raymond
PositiveValueOct 3, 2026
JJ Zachariason is 13 spots higher than consensus on Khalif Raymond this week. Raymond has a 23% target share on the season and operates as a middle-of-field player with a lower average depth of target. The Jets allow a bottom-five average depth of target, which should lead to more short looks to Raymond and other slot receivers. Zachariason ranks him around 41-42, still higher than consensus.PositiveBreakoutOct 2, 2026
Raymond's early-season production (15 PPR points per game through three weeks) draws a comp to Russell Gauge in 2020 (Falcons with Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Hayden Hurst), who was drafted late but had early-round teammates and maintained 9–11 PPR points per game as a WR3–5 despite not sustaining his hot start. Raymond likely won't maintain 15 PPR per game but has a realistic path to top-50 WR finish and WR3–4 range if production moderates.PositiveRoleOct 2, 2026
Raymond is at worst a number three receiver in the Bears offense; he's been picked up in all of JJ Zachariason's leagues and is fine to start given the Bears' offensive strength and Ben Johnson's play-calling genius. With Case Keenum getting the ball out quickly, Raymond's low air-yards-of-target and speed profile make him a candidate for short targets similar to Luther Burden's role.PositiveBreakoutOct 2, 2026
Richard calls Kalief Raymond a year-10 breakout. Raymond is running on 70% of Bears drop backs with a 26% target-per-route-run rate and catching over 90% of his targets. Richard attributes Raymond's emergence to his long tenure in Ben Johnson's system, his route-running ability, and his speed. Raymond is at worst a number three receiver and has been picked up in all of Richard's leagues. The preseason narrative around Colston Loveland and Luther Burden being the primary targets was a miscast of their roles.PositiveMatchupOct 1, 2026
Raymond has a 23% target share in the Bears offense and a respectable 68% route share, serving as a nice outlet in the short and intermediate area of the field through three weeks. With Caleb Williams out again, the Bears should employ a similar approach as week three. Against the Jets, who give up the fifth lowest average depth of target and rank 12th worst in completion rate on 0-10 air yard throws, Raymond's short-area role matches up well. The Jets are second best in completion rate allowed on 10+ air yard passes, suggesting the Bears will continue targeting Raymond underneath.PositiveProjectionOct 1, 2026
Kalief Raymond didn't get the game script that JJ Zachariason wanted in week three, failing to deliver on the sleeper pick.PositiveValueSep 30, 2026
JJ Zachariason ranks Khalif Raymond at WR53 rest of season, approximately 15 spots higher than consensus. Raymond's early-season peripherals (67% route share, 23% target share, 15.5 PPR points per game through week 3) exceed his closest comp, Russell Gage in 2020 (60% route share, 19% target share, 13.9 PPR). Zachariason notes Raymond shouldn't be left on waivers despite a crowded Chicago receiver room; historical comps suggest week 4+ production will decline from early pace but stabilize around 9-13 PPR points per game, positioning him in the WR3-WR4 range.PositiveBreakoutSep 29, 2026
JJ Zachariason calls Kalief Raymond's start to the season "one of the most baffling things" he's seen as a fantasy JJ Zachariason. Raymond, a Year 10 player who has never seen 50 catches in a season or reached 650 receiving yards, is currently leading the Bears in receiving on a team with three very good pass catchers. Through three games, he's run just four fewer routes than Luther Burden and is only eight behind Roma Dunze (team leader). By the time Monday's game was out of hand with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Raymond had a 21% target share on a 69% route share—only Burden's 32% target share was better. He's also just two targets off Burden's team lead. Raymond has a 27% targets per route run rate, which exceeds the 20% rate he's only hit once in his entire career. While Zachariason's head says this won't maintain, he notes it's not fluky—Raymond is running productive routes in Ben Johnson's offense and doesn't look bad. He concludes: "There's a difference between expecting this to continue and expecting Raymond to just disappear. Maybe this won't continue, but I don't think he's going away."PositiveUsageSep 23, 2026
Raymond has unexpectedly emerged with a 25% target share and a 67% route share through two games, significantly impacting the target distribution for the Bears' primary pass catchers.