Who Should I Start? Cole Kmet or AJ Barner

Thursday, May 28, 5:49 AM

Bears tight end Cole Kmet has become the forgotten man in Chicago's uptrending offense, but he's still capable of providing usable dynasty depth, and he profiles as a rare tight end handcuff. Overshadowed in 2025 by a trio of wide receivers and rookie tight end Colston Loveland, Kmet managed two top 12 fantasy finishes, and he led the team in tight end snaps. In his first year as head coach, Ben Johnson deployed heavy personnel usage at a top 10 rate, a trend dating back to his time as offensive coordinator in Detroit, and with veteran receiver DJ Moore and his 84.8% snap share out the door, there's room for that usage to increase in 2026. Prior to the Bears spending first-round capital on Loveland in the 2025 NFL Draft, Kmet had finished as the TE22 or better in four straight seasons, including back-to-back TE7 finishes in 2022 and 2023. Should an injury ahead of him force him back into a primary role, Kmet has proven more than capable of exceeding his current ranking of RotoBaller's dynasty TE50, and he is an under-the-radar trade target tied to a high-powered offense for two more seasons before reaching free agency at the age of 29.