5 Chicago Bears who could be fantasy football difference-makers in 2023

Chicago Bears TE, Cole Kmet is a sleeper candidate with big upside

Tight end is often one of the most difficult positions in fantasy to strategize for. At one end, you have Travis Kelce, and to a lesser degree, Mark Andrews and T.J. Hockenson, as the clear-cut top options for the position. After that, it's anyone's guess.

For those that miss out on Kelce, Andrews, or Hockenson in the early rounds, Cole Kmet presents an intriguing option with upside that can be had for cheap in drafts.

Kmet's 2022 was a tale of two seasons. For the first half of the year, he frustrated Bears fans with limited production, failing to crack even ten fantasy points in a game until Week 9. From then on, though, the 2020 second-round pick out of Notre Dame was a revelation, reeling in 49 balls and six touchdowns in the season's final nine games.

The Chicago Bears apparently thought highly enough of Kmet's development that they recently rewarded him with a four-year, $50 million extension. Some people think the addition of D.J. Moore will take targets away from Kmet, but the Bears figure to pass the ball more in 2023. Moore will demand constant attention, leaving open space for Kmet to run.

Kmet has the size and athleticism you look for in an elite pass-catching tight end. It's worth noting that the Bears also brought in Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis to round out the position, but neither figures to cut into Kmet's role as a receiver very much.

The difference in fantasy points between Kelce and 2022's second-place tight end finisher, Hockenson, was the same as the difference between Hockenson and Robert Tonyan, who finished in 20th. The lesson is, if you can't get Travis Kelce, you should wait on a tight end. Cole Kmet is being drafted as the 11th player at his position, but thanks to the second half of his 2022 season, he's one of the few tight ends being drafted that late who has proven he can be a fantasy contributor.