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Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet is coming off a career year, and he did it despite not exactly having Joe Montana and Brett Favre throwing to him.
Kmet enters the 2024 NFL campaign as one of the most valuable tight ends in fantasy football, especially in dynasty formats since he is only 25 years old, entering the prime of his career, and ready to enjoy the fruits of a probable quarterback upgrade. He has always had to struggle with inconsistent quarterbacking and an offense that relied more on designed runs for its speedy quarterback than it did on passing the ball to its top tight end.
So, where does Kmet stand among other tight ends in terms of his fantasy worth in dynasty leagues heading into the upcoming season? Here is a look:
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Cole Kmet’s 2023 Season Review
Kmet suited up for all 17 games for the third season in a row and has not missed a game in his four-year career. He thrived as the second-best option in Chicago’s passing attack behind top target DJ Moore as the Bears had depth problems in their receiving corps for the third year in a row. Kmet parlayed his opportunities into a career-high 73 receptions for 719 yards while he hauled in a half-dozen touchdown tosses.
What makes Kmet’s 2023 so impressive is that he was able to post above-average tight end numbers even though the underwhelming quarterback duo of Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent was throwing dying quails his direction. He also made fantasy managers forget the 2021 campaign where he failed to score a single touchdown. Kmet has now scored 13 touchdowns over the past two seasons, making himself a bona fide red-zone threat.
Cole Kmet’s Fantasy Football Outlook
Kmet’s fantasy future is so bright that his fantasy managers are going to need windshield screens. He has shown a lot of growth over his first four seasons and seems ready to ascend to the next tier of tight ends. Kmet was arguably a top-10 or top-12 fantasy tight end with subpar passers throwing his way. Now, in 2024, he might finally have a true franchise quarterback putting passes right in his hands or his bread basket.
Cole Kmet on the Justin Fields trade 👀 pic.twitter.com/OiKXCD9ivL
— BFR Podcast (@bfr_pod) March 18, 2024
USC standout Caleb Williams is the odds-on favorite to be Chicago’s first pick overall in the NFL Draft. The highly-touted dual- threat QB has been thought of as a surefire No. 1 pick overall since the end of the 2022 college football season. Williams will definitely be better at throwing the ball to Kmet than the scattershot, scramble-happy Fields was.
New Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron will undoubtedly call more pass plays than former OC Luke Getsy did during the Fields era. Between additional passes and an improved passer, this will translate into Kmet’s target totals and scoring opportunities going up -- unless newly signed veteran Gerald Everett sinks into his snaps and target total. Everett is not as talented of a pass-catcher as Kmet, but he has a history with Waldron (played on two of his teams), so he will get some of the tight end targets now that he is in town.
Another drawback with Kmet is that Chicago traded for longtime L.A. Chargers superstar Keenan Allen to keep Moore from being double-teamed by defenses. We all know how Allen monopolized the targets with the Chargers. Allen and Moore could both top 100 targets each in 2024, so Kmet will go from being the No. 2 option to the No. 3 option in Chicago’s passing attack.
What is Cole Kmet Worth in Fantasy Football?
Chicago’s franchise tight end could be ranked as high as seventh or as low as 15th on fantasy football cheat sheets entering the 2024 campaign. How well Williams does off the bat will determine a lot of Kmet’s fantasy worth. If Williams is throwing curve balls and sliders in the dirt like Fields used to, then Kmet’s value will take a hip-drop hit. But if Williams turns into a mini Patrick Mahomes, than Kmet could become a fantasy force for the next decade.
Kmet projects to be a low-end TE1 or a high-end TE2 on fantasy squads this year due to the uncertainty with Williams and how his role might be affected by the presence of Allen. But he has a better chance of ending up as a midrange TE1 or higher if Williams becomes what everyone thinks he will be and Allen and/or Everett gets dinged up and does not take targets from Kmet.
Kmet’s fantasy value in dynasty leagues is even more intriguing and exciting, though. If Williams is as advertised, than Kmet could turn into the next Travis Kelce and be a top-three tight end in fantasy leagues for the next decade. He could be a cornerstone of a dynasty roster and provide a huge advantage at the tight end position for fantasy managers for many years to come (if he stays in Chicago).
Allen will not be in Chicago more than a year or two, and who knows how long Moore will be on the roster, either. Kmet should be the first or second option for Williams from 2025 on if the two stick together. That makes Kmet as attractive as a 14-karat diamond is to a willing fiance. Draft Kmet this year and hold onto him for the coming years in dynasty leagues. All signs are pointing that you will have a tight end to build your dynasty roster around if you do.
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