Luther Burden III or Terrance Ferguson: Who Should You Start?

2026 Week 3 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Too close to call — the edges cancel out.

Luther Burden III and Terrance Ferguson grade out even this week. Burden's best edge is the projection (11.2 to 10.6), Ferguson's best edge is the consensus rank (TE22 to WR27) — and they cancel out. Start whichever player's game you trust more this week.

Luther Burden III

Luther Burden III

WR27CHIvs PHI

Projected Points

Toss-Up
Terrance Ferguson

Terrance Ferguson

TE22LARvs DEN

Projected Points

Toss-Up· low

Luther Burden III’s market

REC
O/U 3.5
+103 / -132
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 36.5
-111 / -113
Receiving Yards Props →

Terrance Ferguson’s market

REC
O/U 3.5
-172 / +128
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 48.5
-113 / -113
Receiving Yards Props →

Why Luther Burden III

Toss-Up

WR2 and outside starter opposite Rome Odunze. Explosive yards-after-catch threat with manufactured-touch usage.

Toss-up — WR27 consensus, projects WR37 this week: PHI is the 10th-toughest matchup vs WRs, 24.0 implied team total.

  • PHI ranks 10 of 32 against WRs (one of the tougher matchups, 2-game sample).
  • Vegas implies 24.0 team points as 1.5-point favorites.
  • Listed WR-2 on the latest depth chart with a 65% snap share.

Why Terrance Ferguson

Toss-Up· low

Second-year TE2 and athletic receiving option. Explosive seam threat with big-play efficiency and red-zone scoring value behind the starter.

18% target share and a 24.3 implied total support the start-lean, but TE22 rank, a stingy DEN matchup (8 of 32) and an ankle note cap the upside.

  • DEN ranks 8 of 32 against TEs (one of the tougher matchups, 2-game sample).
  • Vegas implies 24.3 team points as 3.0-point favorites.
  • Listed TE on the latest depth chart with a 55% snap share.

The call

  • Usage is the case for him: an 18% target share on a 55% snap share is starter-caliber volume for a tight end, and the 10.6 PPR projection reflects that.
  • Game environment helps. The Rams are 3-point favorites with a 24.3 implied total, so scoring chances should be there.
  • Matchup cuts the other way. DEN ranks 8 of 32 vs TEs (32 = softest), though that rests on a 2-game sample with 0.00 confidence, so weight it lightly.
  • Risk: Yahoo (2026-09-23) reported he was a surprise limited participant with an ankle injury. He carries no designation now, but at TE22 he sits outside the 12-team starter tier. Start him over a streamer outside the top 15; sit him for anyone ranked there or higher.

Latest on Ferguson

Status

Terrance Ferguson was listed as a limited participant with an ankle injury and was a surprise addition to Wednesday's injury report.

Yahoo Sports · Sep 23, 2026

Odds, bets and analysis to help you bet Rams-Broncos on "Sunday Night Football."

ESPN · Sep 27, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Head-to-head stats

MetricLuther Burden IIITerrance Ferguson
Projected points
Consensus rankWR27TE22
Opponent vs positionPHI · 10 of 322-game sampleDEN · 8 of 322-game sample
Receptions6 of 329 of 32
Receiving Yards13 of 3221 of 32
Receiving TDs14 of 321 of 32
Targets4 of 327 of 32
Anytime TD13 of 321 of 32
Target share21%18%
Reception share20%15%
Implied total · spread24.0-1.524.3-3.0
Depth chartWR2TE2
Snap share65%55%
Start/Sit record0–10–0+1 toss-up

Recent form

Luther Burden III — last 2 weeks

Week 2vs MIN
Week 1vs CAR

Terrance Ferguson — last 2 weeks

Week 2vs NYG
Week 1vs SF

Signal breakdown

  • 11.2 vs 10.6 projected PPR pointsLuther Burden III +
  • Rank 27 vs 22Terrance Ferguson +
  • Opponent DvP rank 10 vs 8 (32 = softest)even
  • Implied 24.0 vs 24.3 team pointsTerrance Ferguson +
  • No injury designationseven
  • 65% vs 55% snap shareLuther Burden III +

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