Who Should I Start? Zach Ertz or Cole Kmet

Monday, February 16, 6:30 PM

Washington Commanders impending free agent tight end Zach Ertz (knee) may be 36 years old, but he has continued to be a productive pass-catching weapon on the offensive side of the ball. Ertz had 50 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns across 13 games, ranking as the overall TE19 in PPR leagues. He has 11 touchdowns over the last two seasons, averaging 10.1 fantasy points per game during that span. His final stat line from 2025 is even more impressive when you remember the quarterback situation he was dealt. Jayden Daniels missed plenty of time due to injury, so Ertz found himself catching passes from Marcus Mariota. He was shut down for the season by the time Josh Johnson earned any quarterback snaps, though. Ertz tore his ACL in Week 14, leaving plenty of question marks about his availability for 2026. Furthermore, he's a free agent this offseason, so we don't even know if he'll end up back in Washington. It's quite possible that a team with an established, young No. 1 tight end signs Ertz, allowing him to recover before filling a depth role. That'd be a rough scenario for fantasy managers, so selling high on him in dynasty leagues might be the right choice this offseason.

Wednesday, February 18, 6:55 AM

Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet's value is declining ahead of the 2026 season. Kmet never really established himself as a top fantasy threat through his first five years in the league, but he did have two top-eight finishes at the tight end position during that span. However, his fantasy production took a major step backward in 2025 (his sixth season in the league) as the Bears shook up their personnel. New head coach Ben Johnson made plenty of changes on the offensive side of the ball, with the most notable being the addition of rookie tight end Colston Loveland. Chicago started feeding Loveland after the Week 5 bye, which resulted in Kmet's snap share dropping from 100% in Week 4 to just 52% in Week 6. Kmet ultimately finished the year with a modest stat line of 30 catches, 347 yards, and two touchdowns across 16 games. The reception and yardage totals both represented his lowest marks since his rookie campaign in 2020. Kmet is under contract for two more years, and while the Bears do have a potential out this offseason, it seems like he'll remain in Chicago through 2027. That would mean he'll nestle into the No. 2 tight end role next season, severely limiting his fantasy value and upside. He's not worth drafting in 2026 redraft leagues, and dynasty managers should absolutely look to trade him within the next couple of months, even though it's too late to completely "sell high."