Who Should I Start? Chase Brown or Colston Loveland

Thursday, January 29, 3:17 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown said his representation is in talks with the team about a new long-term contract extension, according to Ben Baby of ESPN. Brown, 25, is eligible for an extension after completing his third year in the NFL in 2025. "I would love to do something and be a part of this team," Brown said. "I don't want to go anywhere else." The 25-year-old finished 11th in the NFL last year with a team-high 1,456 scrimmage yards. He was also sixth among all RBs with 437 receiving yards, and he had his first 1,000-rushing campaign (1,019 yards). Given all of the other financial commitments to key players on the offensive side of the ball in Cincy, and the fact that the Bengals' defense needs a lot of help, it remains to be seen if the Bengals will extend Brown going into the final year of his deal. Regardless of his contract going into the 2026 season, Brown should at least be viewed as a low-end RB1 target as the team's No. 1 backfield option in a high-scoring offense.

Tuesday, January 27, 2:36 PM

The Athletic's Dan Wiederer writes that it's not hard to envision Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland becoming an "even more complete weapon" and a "major force" in the offense in his second season in 2026. "He's going to be a weapon for a long time," head coach Ben Johnson said. The 21-year-old Loveland, who was taken 10th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Michigan, is overflowing with talent. But what makes him even more intriguing for the long term is that he's united with quarterback Caleb Williams and Johnson, one of the smartest play-callers in the league. Williams continues to point out how Loveland is a very friendly target because of his size, catch radius, fluidity, and ability to separate. Loveland got off to a slow start in his first year in the NFL, but he came on strong at the end of the year and finished as the TE12 in half-PPR scoring with a 58-713-6 slash line in 16 regular-season games. Going into Year 2 in 2026, Loveland will have high-end TE1 upside for fantasy managers.