After a bad loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 2, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson had some plans to get the team's first two picks in April's draft more involved in the offense. In Week 3 that came to fruition for wide receiver Luther Burden, while a promising start for tight end Colston Loveland was derailed by an injury.
Loveland missed the following game against the Las Vegas Raiders with that hip injury, and coming off the bye in Week 6 against the Washington Commanders he was back to splitting snaps with Cole Kmet.
With that fellow rookie tight end Tyler Warren has been doing for the Indianapolis Colts, Bears fans have wondered if general manager Ryan Poles made another draft mistake. But on the bright side, opportunity seemed sure to eventually knock for Loveland.
Kmet suffered a back injury during Week 7, which set Loveland up for season-highs in snaps (46), catches (three) and targets (four). He also, as expected, set season-highs (per Pro Football Focus) in rate of routes run per passing play snap in a game he finished healthy (94.4 percent) and rate of routes run relative to Caleb Williams' number of dropbacks (62.9 percent; 17 of 27)
Fantasy managers must be ready to fill the Colston Loveland bandwagon
A six-team bye week in Week 8 is thinning the ranks of viable lineup options for a lot of fantasy managers, and tight end is already a thin position. With Kmet ruled out for Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens, the arrow is pointing up for Loveland like it hasn't before.
In terms of fantasy points allowed, the Ravens have been generous to quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers so far this season. But they also enter Week 8 allowing the ninth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends (Yahoo! scoring; 0.5-point PPR). and PFF's Michelle Magdziuk was on-board with Loveland as a last-minute waiver wire pickup before Kmet was officially ruled out.
"The Bears play the Baltimore Ravens this weekend, who have been the worst defense in the NFL in 2025, allowing a league-high 32.3 points per game. There should be lots of scoring to go around for the Bears in this matchup, and Loveland has a good shot to be a focal point of the passing offense in the game."
In Week 9, the Bears take on the Cincinnati Bengals, who enter Week 8 allowing the most fantasy points to tight ends. Matchups against the New York Giants (Week 10), Minnesota Vikings (Week 11), Pittsburgh Steelers (Week 12,) and Green Bay Packers (Week 14 and Week 16) are not especially difficult either.
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Based on opportunity alone, Loveland is a fine Week 8 fantasy plug-and-play for those who are in a bind at tight end. But in a broader sense the game against the Ravens could be the launch point for a breakout stretch to end his rookie season. Fantasy managers who can make room for the Bears' rookie, even purely as a roster stash, should consider doing so before Sunday's game kicks off.