Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet’s fantasy football outlook in 2024 is certainly looking a bit murkier than last season with the additions of Gerald Everett, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze, but his name still allows for some of the best fantasy team names, like Kmet the Frog. In fact, I may have to use that one this season.
That said, we tend to name our fantasy teams after players we actually roster, so should you roster Kmet? More on that and his fantasy outlook in 2024 below.
Cole Kmet’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
Kmet was an excellent tight end target last season if you deployed a fantasy football strategy that involved waiting on the position. He finished as the TE7 in PPR leagues and was the TE8 in average points per game.
According to TruMedia, Kmet was a popular first- and second-down option, with 56 of his 73 receptions coming on those downs. However, on third down, he somewhat disappeared, catching 16 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown despite running more routes than he did on second down.
As for the target distribution, 57 of Kmet’s 90 targets came on passes that sailed 0-9 yards downfield. He caught nearly 90% of these passes.
However, no team likely changed more from one year to the next than the Bears. The 2023 Bears had DJ Moore, but that was about it for notable pass-catching weapons. They also had Justin Fields at quarterback.
The 2024 Bears said goodbye to Fields, took Caleb Williams No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, signed Moore to an extension, traded for Allen, signed Everett, and drafted Odunze No. 9 overall.
Whew, that’s a lot.
For the Chargers in 2023, Allen was used pretty consistently on first, second, and third down, but 83 of his 150 targets came on passes 0-9 yards, which will conflict with Kmet.
Is Cole Kmet a Good Fantasy Pick?
Right now, Kmet is going as the TE16, and that’s a respectable range.
Flat out: There are just too many cooks in the kitchen here for the Bears, and I think that can be said about any pass-catching option not named Moore or Allen.
After Kmet, there are some tight-end options that could even finish above him, like Luke Musgrave, Mike Gesicki, and even Chig Okonkwo.
The TE16 spot is No. 135 overall, which is somewhere in the 12th round. Even in leagues where you can use a tight end as a flex, I’m hard-pressed to recommend Kmet because of how many options there are for a rookie quarterback.
He could manage to post some respectable touchdown numbers to prop up his fantasy finish, but I anticipate a lot of headaches if you depend on him.
If you wait on the tight end position, that’s OK, but still, aim higher than Kmet. I sense a lot of five-point or less performances regularly from him in PPR formats.
