Robert

Tonyan

Tonyan capped off his quiet 2023 with just one target in a Week 18 loss to the Packers. He was signed to a one-year deal by the Bears prior to the season and is set to hit free agency again in the offseason. With a receiving line of 11-112-0, Tonyan was off the fantasy radar in 2023 and will depend on his landing spot for fantasy relevancy in 2024. If he is signed by a team without a fantasy TE1 incumbent, Tonyan would enter weekly streamer relevancy.

Kmet managed just 13 snaps in Week 17 against the Falcons, failing to log a single pass route. Meanwhile, Robert Tonyan was second on the team in routes and caught three of four targets for 40 yards. The Bears could rest Kmet in a meaningless Week 18 game against the Packers. Tonyan would become interesting for DFS purposes.

Like all of the Bears’ receiving weapons, their ultimate upside on Sunday was hurt by Justin Fields holding onto the ball too long and the offensive line’s inability to consistently create a safe pocket. However, the Bears also figure to be down often this season, and Kmet has been a frequent target in the passing game. His only competition at tight end, Robert Tonyan, had no catches on two targets, so Kmet’s role on the team seems fairly safe. There will likely be bigger days when the Bears see more garbage time. Perhaps like next week against the Chiefs.

Tonyan is expected to serve a situational role for the Bears after the team extended Cole Kmet this offseason. Tonyan’s addition to the injury report is more a story as the Bears host his former team in the Packers in Week 1.

The deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, includes a whopping $32.8 million guaranteed. It’s quite the contract for a tight end who managed just 50 receptions in 2022, his third season with Chicago. The team values Kmet’s blocking ability, which means he should see plenty of playing time in 2023. His place in the team’s pass-catching pecking order and the run-first nature of the Bears offense mean Kmet will, at best, be a streaming tight end option in 12-team formats. Robert Tonyan could cut into Kmet’s route running participation this season.

Tonyan profiles as a fantasy non-entity in Chicago behind Cole Kmet, where he’ll likely be the No. 2 tight end on usage. It’s a nice real-life signing for the Bears, who could get a little edge here or there up front with two tight-end packages. Green Bay will turn to Josiah Deguara as their TE1 assuming Marcedes Lewis follows Aaron Rodgers to New York.

It’s a deep draft for tight ends, and Tonyan hasn’t really done much since 2020’s 11-touchdown season. He managed just two games over 37 receiving yards last year with just two touchdowns. Tonyan will turn 29 in June. He’ll surface on some depth chart, but the days of him being fantasy-relevant are likely over.

Tonyan burst onto the scene in 2020 with 52 catches and 11 touchdowns but missed most of the 2021 season with a torn ACL. Although he reached 50 catches again this season, his two total touchdowns left fantasy managers with little utility considering low weekly volume. He ends the 2022 season with 50 catches for 441 yards and two touchdowns and becomes an unrestricted free agent in the offseason after playing this year on a one-year deal.

Tonyan’s Week 17 outing qualified as a veritable explosion in a season where he has not held any fantasy value. His touchdown against Minnesota was only his second of the season. Tonyan has more than three receptions in five games this season. Tonyan will be completely touchdown dependent in Week 18 against the Lions.

Tonyan secured his only catch late in the fourth quarter. Marcedes Lewis and Josiah Deguara both saw a target before Tonyan did. Lewis even scored a short touchdown. Tonyan is miles away from the fantasy radar as the end of the season approaches.