In three seasons with the Chicago Bears, tight end Cole Kmet has established himself as one of the team’s more reliable offensive players. He’ll have more help this season, too, and the expectations are for this offense to improve, with Kmet being a key piece of that puzzle. Will that be enough to make him a reliable weekly option in fantasy football lineups?
2023 Fantasy Football: Cole Kmet Profile
Recap of 2022 season
Kmet didn’t see as many targets last season, but he still managed to lead the Bears in all the receiving categories. He had 50 catches on 69 targets for a very respectable seven touchdowns.
Updated Bears outlook
The Bears offense didn’t exactly pass the ball with great frequency last season, and while it’s unlikely that they’ll suddenly flip the switch to a pass-first offense, there are signs that they plan to employ more of quarterback Justin Fields’ passing ability this year.
They brought in DJ Moore in the blockbuster trade that sent the first overall pick in the draft to the Carolina Panthers, giving Chicago the first bona fide No. 1 wideout it’s had in a long time. He joins Darnell Mooney to give the Bears a solid 1-2 punch at receiver. Chase Claypool gives them a No. 3 with upside. Throw Kmet into the mix, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Bears capable of having a consistent offense through the air.
Best-case scenario
With Moore in the house, there’s going to be more competition for targets. Still, with the team signaling that it wants to pass more, there could still end up being more work for the pass catchers. And just because the wide receiver room is better, don’t overlook the connection Fields has with Kmet now.
He’s a reliable end-zone threat and someone that Fields will look to in order to keep the chains moving. That could all point to better numbers for Kmet in 2023 than what we’ve seen so far, nothing Kelce-esque, but it could be enough to make him a reliable TE1 option if you miss out on one of the big-timers at that position.
Worst-case scenario
Kmet could slide into some relative level of obscurity with more passing options in the house, especially if the Bears don’t end up passing that much more this season. It could mean Moore and Mooney dominate the looks from Fields, leaving Kmet the scraps.
Prediction
A top-10 finish among tight ends is probably a little too optimistic for Kmet, but his red-zone ability and role as someone who can exploit shorter routes as a safety blanket for a second-year signal-caller should at least give him a decent floor on par with what we’ve seen so far.