Colston Loveland

TE, CHI

Loveland is Chicago's rookie tight end who leads the offense in routes run and plays 85%+ of snaps, but he's buried in the target hierarchy behind Khalif Raymond and Luther Burden, with a quarterback situation (Bagent's concussion, Case Keenum starting) that hasn't helped. Right now he's a touchdown-dependent, low-end TE1/TE2 who profiles as volume without the targets to match.

Through Weeks 1-2, shows like FantasyPros, The Ringer, Establish The Run and Dynasty Nerds pushed a unified buy-low case built entirely on his route share, even as box scores stayed empty. That consensus started cracking by September 30: Yahoo's Josh & Hayden and Matt Harmon pointed to his target share collapsing from 31% to roughly 10% as Raymond and Burden eat easy looks, arguing the door to a LaPorta/Warren-tier outcome is closing, while Fantasy Football Today flatly called him a bust. The Ringer, FantasyPros and The Audible are still doubling down on talent and route participation as reasons to buy the dip, pointing to a Monday-night uptick (4-4-31) and red-zone flashes as proof the breakout is coming.

The line: Hold him as a buy-low on talent and routes, but keep him benched until his target share actually climbs. · updated Oct 01

Thursday, October 1

▼ Yahoo Fantasy Forecast with Matt Harmon: Recommended as a sit vs. the Jets; his routes break too far downfield (less 'gimme' usage) and the Jets haven't allowed a big tight-end game yet. listen ↗

Wednesday, September 30

Split verdict: The Ringer says buy the dip, pointing to heavy route participation as evidence he's still a LaPorta-caliber breakout waiting to happen, while Yahoo's Josh & Hayden say his target share has collapsed from 31% to 10% as Raymond and Burden siphon looks, closing the door on that top tier. If you're deciding whether to hold or sell, know you're betting on route share translating to targets versus a crowded Chicago passing attack that's already moved on.

▶ Establish The Run Fantasy Football: Target share per route run has been cut more than half from his rookie season; hosts still rank him TE7 and call him a hold/buy-low, betting talent eventually wins out over Khalif Raymond's early usage. listen ↗

▶ Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast: Hosts expressed concern he isn't the clear No. 1 target in Chicago's offense, making him a riskier hold than Tucker Kraft. listen ↗

▼ Fantasy Football Today: Named a bust so far due to QB injury and emergence of Kalief Raymond stealing target share; not worth rostering in shallow leagues. listen ↗

▲ FantasyPros Dynasty Football Podcast: Averaging only 2.8 PPG but playing 85%+ snaps with 7th-most routes among TEs; hosts say frustrated managers are selling too cheap and compare him favorably to Isaiah Likely plus a second-round pick. listen ↗

▲ The Audible: Finally got more involved Monday night (4-4-31) but still low overall production; hosts remain patient/bullish given talent and Ben Johnson's offense, viewing him as a top buy target and dynasty hold, with Juwan Johnson as a short-term bench fill-in. listen ↗

▲ The Audible: Flashing red-zone ability, close to breaking out with a touchdown. listen ↗

▲ The Ringer Fantasy Football Show: Hosts double down on him as a buy-low, citing heavy route participation and belief he'll be a top-tier fantasy TE (compared to Sam LaPorta) once given more chances, despite frustrated owners after a dropped TD. listen ↗

▼ Yahoo Fantasy Football with Josh & Hayden: His target share has cratered (31% to 10%) as Khalif Raymond and Luther Burden eat easy targets; hosts say the gap to Sam LaPorta/Tyler Warren tier is now closed off, though some rebound to a lower TE tier is possible. listen ↗

Tuesday, September 29

▶ Establish The Run Fantasy Football: Running 77% of routes but only seeing a handful of targets as the offense funnels first reads to Kalif Raymond and Luther Burden instead. listen ↗

▶ Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry: Trending upward in targets/receptions/yards but still has a sub-12% target share and is being labeled a touchdown-dependent TE2 in the 12-16 range. listen ↗

▶ FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast: Almost scored a touchdown, getting down to the one-yard line before Roman Dunzey's drop. listen ↗

▼ Rotoworld Football Show – Fantasy Football: Extremely low ADOT (0.7) and came close to a touchdown but didn't reach the ball out; frustrating for dynasty managers heavily invested in him. listen ↗

▼ Yahoo Fantasy Forecast with Matt Harmon: Talented but not getting targeted enough behind Raymond/Burden underneath looks; TE rankings overall are so deep he's droppable-adjacent for now. listen ↗

Sunday, September 27

▼ Fantasy Football Today: Heath says he's sitting Loveland this week given the Bagent situation. listen ↗

Saturday, September 26

▶ FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast: Hosts are uncertain how to value him given Chicago's dysfunctional passing offense, though Fitz calls him a great buy-low and expects things to normalize once the run-heavy stretch ends. listen ↗

Friday, September 25

▶ Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast: Hosts believe in his long-term talent but don't expect a breakout against Philadelphia this week or for a few weeks. listen ↗

▶ Fantasy Football Today: Hosts said they'd start him over Pitts or Kraft this week given Case Keenum's more on-schedule passing style. listen ↗

▼ The Audible: Projected around TE18 with Keenum under center; hosts suggest sitting him if you have a better tight end option. listen ↗

Thursday, September 24

Route share and target rate dipped in Week 2 as blocking duties rose, and a possible Keenum start against Philly has The Audible fading him short-term, but Establish The Run and Fantasy Life both still call him a buy on talent and long-term role.

▶ Establish The Run Fantasy Football: Route count dipped in Week 2 with more blocking usage, and Caleb Williams' injury is a concern, but hosts still view him as a buy given his talent and playing time. listen ↗

▶ Fantasy Focus Football: Advised to hold given scarcity at tight end despite mixed production. listen ↗

▼ Fantasy Football Today: Sit this week with backup QB Case Keenum starting against a tough Eagles pass rush; don't drop him long-term. listen ↗

▶ Fantasy Life Show: Route share dropped from 89% to 69%, targeted only 8% of routes, downgraded to low-end TE1; hosts still see long-term upside and call him a buy/hold, not a sell. listen ↗

▶ Fantasy Life Show: Snap share stayed high even as route share dipped due to blocking duties; hosts remain comfortable starting him against Philadelphia despite a tough matchup. listen ↗

▶ FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast: Dropped to TE11-13 after two disappointing games, largely blamed on Case Keenum at QB, bad weather, and a blitz-heavy Eagles/Flores-style defense; hosts still view him as a buy-low/trade target long term. listen ↗

▲ FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast: Named as a top buy-low target multiple times; hosts noted he doesn't even need to start this week against Philly if you can bench him after acquiring. listen ↗

▼ The Audible: Could be faded this week with Keenum likely starting against a tough Eagles matchup. listen ↗

▲ The Audible: Praised as an improving blocker who could be used to spring runs and release into routes with Case Keenum starting at QB. listen ↗

▲ The Audible: Despite just one catch through two games, hosts view him as a strong buy-low given his draft pedigree and standout college tape; expect him to eventually take over as Chicago's go-to guy. listen ↗

Wednesday, September 23

Route share is strong across the board, but the catches aren't coming — FantasyPros and The Ringer see a clear buy-low on elite talent, while Late-Round is genuinely worried he won't live up to his draft slot.

▶ Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry: Hosts admit they were too high on him after two quiet games, but Berry reluctantly keeps him as a low-end TE1 given his route/target share and lack of better options. listen ↗

▶ FantasyPros Dynasty Football Podcast: Explained away his slow start due to weather and bad QB play, but now faces a third straight tough game with Case Keenum likely starting after Tyson Bagent's concussion. listen ↗

▲ FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast: Production has been nearly nonexistent (outproduced by Greg Dulcich) but hosts still view him as an elite talent and a buy-low. listen ↗

▼ The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast: Leads the team in route share but production hasn't converted; JJ is more concerned about him living up to draft expectations than about Burden or Dunze. listen ↗

▲ The Ringer Fantasy Football Show: Despite just one catch for three yards through two weeks, his route participation is strong (75% of routes on dropbacks); hosts call him an emphatic buy-low given owners may be ready to drop him. listen ↗

Tuesday, September 22

Snap share and route participation stay near 85%, but the target share (9%) hasn't followed, splitting the podcasts on whether this is a real problem or noise—Fantasy Life is ready to sell-low on the bust, while FantasyPros, The Audible, and Yahoo all see a buy-low TE1 whose role hasn't actually shrunk. Hold if you can stomach one more quiet week, since the workload argument still outweighs two bad box scores.

▲ Dynasty Nerds Podcast | Dynasty Fantasy Football: Hyped rookie has produced almost nothing (0 points Week 1, 1.8 points Week 2 in the rain), but hosts expect a rebound once Caleb Williams returns and view him as a buy amid league-mates devaluing him. listen ↗

▶ Establish The Run Fantasy Football: Only 1 catch for 3 yards in a brutal Vikings matchup; hosts view him as a buy-low given tough defensive matchup context, would value him around round 5-6 in rest-of-season rankings. listen ↗

▶ Fantasy Focus Football: Still viewed as a top-10-ish tight end even with Bagent, but hosts say he's benchable if better tight end options are available; his value has fallen due to lack of big plays. listen ↗

▼ Fantasy Life Show: Massive bust through two weeks (1 catch, 3 yards); Scott Turner attributes poor output partly to weather/rain and Tyson Bagent struggling with a wet ball, but hosts say sell-low/trade him if possible since floor is extremely low. listen ↗

▲ FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast: Despite just one catch through two weeks, he's playing 85% of snaps and running the most routes among Bears pass catchers, so his lack of production looks like random target variance rather than a real role decline; he's still a TE1 but moved down to a low-end TE1 in rest-of-season rankings. listen ↗

▶ Rotoworld Football Show – Fantasy Football: Continues to be a major fantasy disappointment (one catch for three yards type games) but hosts are stubbornly keeping him in the top 12 tight ends, expecting positive regression. listen ↗

▶ The Audible: Ran a route on 87% of pass plays in Week 2 but only has a 9% target share through two games, trailing Khalif Raymond, Luther Burden, and Dunsley in targets. listen ↗

▶ Yahoo Fantasy Forecast with Matt Harmon: Route participation dropped in Week 2 due to blocking duty against heavy Vikings blitz; hosts see him as a buy-low target but no longer project him as a target hog like McBride. listen ↗

Monday, September 21

Nearly every show flagged the same red flag: minimal target share, blocking duty over routes, and back-to-back near-invisible box scores against tough defenses, with Caleb's absence not helping. Consensus is don't panic-drop yet since he's a buy-low dynasty asset, but he's unstartable in 12-team leagues until the usage actually changes.

▼ Dynasty Nerds Podcast | Dynasty Fantasy Football: Running high route share but under 10-15% target share in a confusing Bears passing hierarchy; considered a sell/fade for now. listen ↗

▶ Fantasy Focus Football: Posted under 8 fantasy points again, though he did get an end zone look that was thrown at his feet. listen ↗

▼ Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast: Only 1 catch on 3 targets through two weeks (9% target share); hosts call it a disaster and say it's a hold, not a cut, but concerning especially with Caleb Williams now out. listen ↗

▶ Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry: Leads Bears in routes and end zone targets but has almost nothing to show for it (5 targets on 63 routes); hosts see it as a systemic offensive issue, still a low-end TE1 for now. listen ↗

▼ Fantasy Football Today: Route rate dropped from leading the team in Week 1 to 71% amid blitz-heavy defenses; hosts flagged him as a top-12 TE 'panic meter' concern. listen ↗

▼ Fantasy Football Today: Named the week's biggest loser after just 3 targets in bad weather against a tough Vikings defense; hosts say hold in dynasty but he's in 'purgatory' and could be droppable if this continues with Caleb out. listen ↗

▼ FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast: Scored just 0.8 half-PPR points in a rough weather game against a strong Vikings defense; hosts say don't panic-drop but consider benching or trading him before cutting. listen ↗

▼ RotoWire Fantasy Football With Theo Gremminger: Followed a scoreless Week 1 with another quiet game despite being drafted as a breakout tight end; hosts are done hyping him until usage improves. listen ↗

▼ Rotoworld Football Show – Fantasy Football: Targeted on just 8% of routes through two games, a massive drop from his 31% late-season target share last year, raising real concern about his 12-team-league viability if it continues. listen ↗

▼ The Ringer Fantasy Football Show: Has just one catch for three yards through two games; hosts call him the easiest fantasy buy-low but say nobody should start him until usage improves. listen ↗

▼ Yahoo Fantasy Football with Josh & Hayden: One catch for three yards on the day, used mostly as a blocker rather than a receiver, including getting beaten for a game-ending sack; Ray is in full panic mode. listen ↗

▼ Yahoo Fantasy Forecast with Matt Harmon: Only 1 catch for 3 yards through two weeks, getting out-snapped by Khalif Raymond and even blocking on the game's final play instead of running a route; hosts are in near-panic mode. listen ↗

Sunday, September 20

▲ The Audible: Phil likes him to exploit Minnesota's zone coverage soft spots over the middle, calling him a potential problem for their defense this week. listen ↗

Saturday, September 19

▲ FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast: Recommended as the start over Isaiah Likely in a tight-end flex debate, favored due to matchup. listen ↗

▲ FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast: Backed at close to plus-190 anytime TD, expecting more red-zone/heavy personnel usage vs. a Brian Flores-led Vikings defense after a quiet Week 1. listen ↗

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