Tight End · Chicago Bears
Colston Loveland — 2026 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis by Shawn Childs, from his 2026 guide — his words, unedited.
The case
- · Loveland flashed elite tight end stats in three games (6/118/2, 10/91/1, and 8/137) in three games in his rookie season.
- · The Bears barely used him over their first seven games (2/12, 0/0, 1/31, missed game, 2/11, 3/24, and 3/38), leading to only 11 catches for 116 yards and no scores on 18 targets.
- · Despite his better play over his final 12 matchups (59/790/8 on 89 targets – including the postseason), Loveland scored under 10.00 fantasy points in five other contests (4/55, 3/40, 3/28, and 4/56).
- · Chicago featured him in Week 17 through two playoff games, leading to four consecutive games (10, 13, 15, and 10) with double-digit targets. The Bears gave Loveland more than five targets in only one other start.
- · His best value came in Week 17 (21.40), Week 18 (25.10), and Week 19 (23.70).
- · The Bears downgraded their top wide receiver options by one player by trading DJ Moore to the Bills, which should give Colston more chances in 2026.
Question marks
- · Can Caleb Williams show more accuracy (58.1% completion rate in 2025) in his third year in the Bears’ offense?
- · Is Loveland priced at his ceiling in 2026 fantasy drafts? Or is his opportunity and potential success enough to close the gap to Brock Bowers and Trey McBride?
Shawn's conclusion
Based on his NFFC ADP (48), Loveland drafters can develop their rosters at running back and wide receivers over the first three rounds, while Bowers and McBride teams must figure out if the RB/WR tradeoffs later in drafts are high enough to finish their roster at key positions after the second round.
More on Loveland
Across three seasons and 39 games at Michigan, Loveland hauled in 117 passes for 1,466 yards and 11 touchdowns. His final year was his busiest (56 catches and five scores), both career bests, but his yards per reception dipped notably from 14.4 to 10.4. His standout game came against Oregon, where he put up seven catches for 112 yards. A shoulder injury cut his season short, causing him to miss the final three games in 2024, and he finished with six or more receptions in six of his 10 starts.
Loveland is a physical player who wins with strong, reliable hands. He has a good feel for finding soft spots in zone coverage underneath, but he also has the athleticism to threaten a defense over the middle and down the seam when coverage allows. His route running is above average for his position. Loveland will need to do a better job of winning off the line of scrimmage at the next level, requiring him to get into his routes cleanly and quickly to beat more athletic defenders. His blocking is a work in progress, particularly when asked to engage bigger bodies at the point of attack in pass protection.
It's worth noting that Michigan's offense ran a limited passing game over the past two seasons, averaging fewer than 24 attempts and 16 completions per game, a context that naturally capped his production and target volume. Moving to the NFL, where passing is more central to every offense, opened up significantly more opportunities for him to show what he can do as a receiver.
The Bears gave Loveland minimal looks over his first six games (11/116 on 18 targets) while missing Week 4 with a hip issue. He flashed in Week 9 (8/118/2) against the Bengals, highlighted by a back-breaking, game-winning 58-yard touchdown. Over his final 11 games, including the postseason, Loveland was a winning option at the tight end position. He caught 53 of his 82 targets for 672 yards and four touchdowns (13.09 PPR fantasy points per game), worthy of the second-best tight end output if repeated for 17 games.
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