Loveland catchless while Bears score 59 points

It was an injury report addition, which is never a great sign. We don’t have a lot of smoke on this one yet, though we imagine Ben Johnson will get some questions about it on Saturday. The MNF timing could make this a tricky fantasy lineup decision if Loveland is questionable; the only reasonable pivots would be AJ Barner or — maybe — Sam Roush.

Unfortunately it’s not much of a surprise based on the reporting or the carting. Sam Roush will take over as Chicago’s TE2 and likely have fringe TE2 value. Kmet will be in the final year of his four-year, $50 million extension in 2027. The 28-year-old will be a potential cap casualty with a $15.425 million cap figure and $10 million in savings on release without getting into post-June 1 cap machinations.

Head coach Ben Johnson said after the game that Kmet’s injury didn’t look “very good,” breaking from his normal tendency to avoid talking about injuries. Kmet’s knee buckled from under him in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game, and he had to be carted from the field after the play. This looked like a potential season-ender when it happened, but tests will confirm the severity of it in the near future. Kmet’s absence could open up more opportunities for Colston Loveland, who has caught 26 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns this season.

Loveland found himself dancing in the end zone for the second consecutive week when he muscled his way in for a score from 12 yards out in the third quarter. The team-leading 12 targets also came on only 33 Caleb Williams pass attempts, with no other player on the team recording more than five targets to their ledger. Furthermore, backup tight end Cole Kmet departed in the fourth quarter with an apparently serious knee injury as he had to be carted off the field, potentially setting Loveland up for more consistent volume moving forward. Loveland finally appears to be making good on his lofty draft capital from the summer after returning fantasy TE1 weeks in two straight games, something managers hope will continue in another difficult matchup on paper against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football in Week 8.

Kmet was sandwiched by two defenders on a hit in the fourth quarter and remained down on the field. He immediately grabbed at his knee as he remained on the turf. The cart was summoned and he was taken to the locker room, giving a thumbs up to the crowd as he went. Fantasy managers in deep leagues will want to track his status in the coming days, but it did not look good. Kmet managed to catch all three targets for 28 yards prior to departing.

It was Loveland’s first score of the 2026 season, and it came with Caleb Williams back under center for Chicago after three weeks on the sideline with a hamstring injury. Loveland couldn’t quite come down with a second touchdown grab in the second half on a poorly thrown green zone pass from Williams. Loveland was second on the team in targets behind Luther Burden III, who had eight looks from Williams on the day. A relative lack of pass volume in the Bears offense could limit Loveland’s overall opportunity, though a concerted effort to get the tight end involved in the red zone could make him a 12-team league option going forward. Loveland gets the Patriots in Week 7.

Everyone’s favorite breakout tight end is now sitting on an unseemly 110 yards receiving through five games played. It’s an inconceivable outcome after Loveland’s stretch-run and postseason dominance last season, but now very much a trend. Loveland’s “rates,” while good, just haven’t been good enough, and he is not compensating with the off-the-charts efficiency he would need to produce on that kind of usage, a la a Dalton Kincaid-type. It’s hard to throw in the TE1 towel since Loveland has only finished one game alongside QB Caleb Williams, but Williams’ likely Week 6 return against the Falcons could be something of a “last stand.” If Loveland can’t get it going with Williams back in the lineup, we might have to accept Loveland’s TE2 fate.

Colston Loveland, meanwhile, led the Bears with nine targets in Tyson Bagent’s first start. Kmet has had solid route participation numbers thanks to the Bears’ heavy use of two tight end sets. Even so, he should be left on waiver wires unless or until Loveland misses time. Kmet now has four receptions on the season.

Loveland led the Chicago offense in targets and was third — behind Rome Odunze and Luther Burden — in receiving yards with Tyson Bagent under center. Bagent found Loveland on a couple pinpoint middle-of-the-field throws in the first half before the Bears turned hard toward the run in the second half. Loveland now has ten receptions over his past two games after a miserable start to the year. You probably won’t find a better waiver wire tight end in Week 5, when Loveland takes on the Packers.

Loveland matched his to-date season total of one reception on the second play from scrimmage and narrowly missed his first touchdown of the young season after replay assist ruled him down inside the one at the start of the second quarter. The offense would turn the ball over on downs four plays later after failing to punch it in, allowing the Eagles to remain in the game for longer than they otherwise should have been. Either way, it’s a step in the right direction for the talented youngster, although the absence of Caleb Williams could further dent his fantasy upside in the immediate future. Loveland continues to be a TE1 in fantasy circles despite the slow start, which holds for when the Bears play host to the Jets in Week 4.