Windy City Gridiron
With the fantasy season upon us, draft preps ramping up, and most fantasy drafts underway or will be soon, self-proclaimed “Fantasy Head” Bryan Orenchuk and WCG’s official Fantasy Guru Jack R Solo touch on the top ten Chicago Bears for this upcoming fantasy season. Next up, we have numbers 6, 5, and 4. It is unlikely any new names will be added after the final roster cuts to alter these rankings, so these should hold true. Jack and Bryan have included the rankings from ESPN, Fantasy Pros, Yahoo!, and NFL.com for your reference and have averaged their own rankings to construct this list. Enjoy.
4. Colston Loveland (ESPN – 12, Fantasy Pros – TE15, Yahoo! – TE14, NFL.com – 10)
What they love:
Bryan Orenchuk: Ben Johnson. Aside from deploying the second most 21 personnel (two-tight end formations) across the league last season, Ben Johnson is a creative play caller who schemes his players open. Even rookies. See LaPorta, Sam.
Jack R Salo: Volume. With DJ Moore and Rome Odunze commanding attention from defensive secondaries, it shouldn’t take long for Loveland to adjust to the NFL and find open spots on the field. Loveland should be targeted downfield as much as any other tight end in the league save for the very best, so the main question is whether Caleb Williams can take a step forward and get the ball out on time.
What they like:
Bryan Orenchuk: I like how Loveland is entering an offense with playmakers at every level, including a solid QB, which he did not have during his final season at Michigan. For a top ten pick, Loveland should have more single coverage looks than most.
Jack R Salo: I expect Loveland will have plays where he generates good separation against the matchup. At 6’6”, 240, he’s big enough to go get a baller against a smaller corner. He’s also fast enough to burn a linebacker a few times per game. This is no exaggeration; Loveland could have stretches that completely change a fantasy football matchup. For a tight end, that’s huge.
What they worry about:
Bryan Orenchuk: From a fantasy perspective, I worry about Cole Kmet’s involvement most, but having so many mouths to feed in this offense is a real concern as well.
Jack R Salo: Obviously, Cole Kmet is the established starter at tight end for the Bears, and the one who should see more snaps in single tight end formations. There’s no reason to think Loveland and Kmet won’t see the field together regularly, but Loveland’s touchdowns could be lacking this year as Kmet and others are trusted more in the redzone. Also, if the entire offense comes out flat again this year, that’s another worry for any player with “GSH” on their shoulder. Sure, there’s plenty of optimism about the Bears’ offense, but nothing is real until these games count.
Draftable?:
Bryan Orenchuk: Absolutely. I like him better in Dynasty formats than Re-Draft, but Loveland is one injury away from being...
