Who Should I Start? Cole Kmet or Tucker Kraft

Friday, September 12, 11:25 PM

Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet had a quiet season opener, catching just one of four targets for 31 yards in the 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. His lone grab came on the final drive, a highlight-worthy one-handed diving catch over the middle. While rookie Colston Loveland has entered the rotation, Kmet still dominated usage, logging 90% of the snaps compared to Loveland's 56%, and handling 77% of one-tight-end sets versus Loveland's 23%. The volume and role remain encouraging, but the matchup is a major concern in Week 2. The Bears face a Detroit Lions defense that allowed the fewest fantasy points to tight ends in 2024. With a difficult opponent and a reduced ceiling due to Loveland's presence, Kmet is better left on fantasy benches this week.

Thursday, September 18, 6:11 PM

Updating a previous report, Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (knee) suffered a "little knee tweak" in practice on Thursday, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Kraft checked out OK after the injury scare. It's still a bit unclear if Kraft is in danger of missing the Week 3 contest this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, but it sounds like the Packers and Kraft's fantasy managers dodged a bullet. The 24-year-old broke out in the Week 2 win over the Washington Commanders last Thursday night with 124 receiving yards and a touchdown. If Kraft is available this weekend, he's a must-start, high-end TE1, especially with receivers Jayden Reed (foot, collarbone) and Christian Watson (knee) out. Through two weeks, Kraft is the fantasy TE1 with eight grabs for 140 yards and two scores. If he's out in Week 3, Luke Musgrave would immediately become a TE1 streaming option against Cleveland.