BALLER MOVE: Sit In Most Leagues
POSITIONAL VALUE: TE2
ANALYSIS: Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet is a popular name in the Week 1 start 'em or sit 'em conversation. His ranking right on the fringe between TE1 and TE2 makes him a difficult player to trust, but his track record in Chicago also makes him difficult to bench.
On one hand, Kmet seems to have survived the Bears' plight over the last two years, finishing as the TE7 and TE8 overall. On the other hand, though, he faces a sudden barrage of competition after Chicago added Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, and D'Andre Swift to its passing attack.
Fellow tight end Gerald Everett is another name that bears mentioning. Chicago signed Everett this offseason, and he performed better than expected throughout the summer. There were even some occasions in the preseason where he got the nod over Kmet in single tight end sets.
“Gerald Everett is the Bears' new lead tight end: Everett appears to be ahead of Cole Kmet in the Bears' tight end rotation…Everett started the game with Kmet but then played each of the next two snaps out of 11 personnel. The Bears continued to rotate the tight ends, at times… https://t.co/SIv4VFcmyf
— 32BeatWriters (@32BeatWriters) August 11, 2024
Although Kmet is still the starter in Chicago, he's going to lose opportunities to Everett, as well as the likes of DJ Moore, Allen, Odunze, and Swift.
Kmet also has an unfavorable matchup in Week 1 as the Bears take on the Tennessee Titans. The Titans allowed the third-fewest fantasy points and receiving yards to tight ends last year, as well as the second-fewest touchdowns. That's not great for any of the Bears' tight ends, including Kmet.
If the tight end position wasn't so deep this year, maybe Kmet would be a low-end starter heading into Week 1. But that's not the case, and for now, he belongs on the bench in most leagues with 16 teams or fewer.
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