Who Should I Start? Cole Kmet or Theo Johnson

Friday, October 24, 3:31 PM

Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet (back) has been ruled out for his team's Week 8 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens due to a back injury. Kmet suffered the injury during his team's Week 7 win over the New Orleans Saints and did not practice at all this week. With Kmet sidelined, Bears rookie tight end Colston Loveland should have his best opportunity of the season to break out. The 21-year-old rookie has had a quiet start to his NFL career, recording eight catches for 78 yards on 13 targets across five games. Loveland has yet to play more than 67% of the Bears' offensive snaps in any game this season, but that should change in Week 8 against Baltimore. Given his lack of production so far, it will be tough for fantasy managers to trust Loveland as a starter. Still, Loveland may be a player to stash in case he has a big week and Kmet's injury proves to be a long-term ailment.

Monday, October 27, 10:29 PM

New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson had a quiet game in his team's Week 8 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, recording three catches for 20 yards on four targets. Johnson has been a relatively consistent producer so far this season, recording 23 catches for 212 yards and four touchdowns on 37 targets across eight games. He's shown a nice chemistry with Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, as all four of Johnson's touchdowns have come since Dart took over as the team's starter in Week 4. However, Johnson's Week 8 dip in production coincided with the return of Giants wideout Darius Slayton, who had missed the team's previous two games with a hamstring injury. Now that Slayton is back in the lineup, it may prove difficult for Johnson to see consistent target volume. Still, Johnson has proven to be a trusted red zone option in New York. He should be added in all PPR-scoring fantasy leagues with 12 or more teams ahead of a Week 9 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.