Cole Kmet’s fantasy football outlook next season with the Bears

After being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, we predict Cole Kmet’s fantasy football stats next season.

Former Notre Dame tight end, Cole Kmet, was a feel-good storyline in the 2020 NFL Draft after he was selected in the second round of the draft by his hometown Chicago Bears. Kmet was born and raised in Illinois and will be playing professional football with his in-state team. While his draft story was a positive one, the same might not be true for his fantasy football numbers in 2020.

That isn’t to say that Kmet won’t be a fantasy stud down the road, but there are certainly a number of hurdles for the former Irish tight end to overcome in order for him to be an elite fantasy option next year at the tight end position.

The first major hurdle to the success of Kmet next year will be the fact that the Chicago Bears signed free-agent tight end Jimmy Graham to a two-year $16 million deal this offseason. As a result, Graham will likely be the first option at tight end while Kmet earns his stripes in the league.

The second major obstacle that Kmet may need to overcome in his journey towards becoming an elite fantasy football tight end is having a quarterback who can get him the football. Last season Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had an abysmal year that left many Chicago fans clamoring for him to be replaced, despite being the team’s first-round pick just three years ago.

As a result of Trubisky’s ineptitude, the Bears traded for Super Bowl Champion quarterback Nick Foles this past offseason. They have stated that Foles and Trubisky will battle each other in camp for the starting position. Foles, despite having a magical postseason run with the Philadelphia Eagles that culminated in a championship, hasn’t done much to prove himself as a viable option in the regular season. Perhaps this is the year that one of the two quarterbacks sheds their respective stigmas and takes a major step forward.

While Cole Kmet was by far the best tight end prospect in this year’s NFL Draft, don’t expect him to come into Chicago this year and light the fantasy football world ablaze. Realistically, given the reasons that were just outlined, it is reasonable to expect Kmet to need a couple of years to become an elite fantasy football tight end.

However, once Kmet is the primary option at tight end and the Bears get a viable signal-caller at quarterback in which to move the offense down the field, it is reasonable to believe that the former Irish standout will be amongst the top tight ends in the NFL. One need look no farther than what Kmet was able to accomplish at Notre Dame to know that he has the skillset to become elite.

Fearless fantasy football projection for Cole Kmet in 2020: 40 receptions, 575 receiving yards, 6 touchdowns