Fantasy Football Tight Ends Rankings: Colston Loveland vs. Jake Ferguson
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Outside of a few top-tier ranked tight ends in fantasy football, it is hard to predict the play of the rest of the fantasy tight ends, especially in the mid-range ranks. Inside this range, however, there is high-talent and likely high value. Two players that could provide that value are Chicago Bears rookie tight end Colston Loveland and Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson. Here is a look at their fantasy potential and who to take over whom in fantasy drafts this season.
Colston Loveland
Position Ranking: TE11
Colston Loveland gets his first catch in the NFL:
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) August 10, 2025
pic.twitter.com/UFSpjHRuej
The Chicago Bears, with the 10th overall pick, opted to bring Caleb Williams another weapon in drafting Loveland. Loveland was seen in college as one of the best tight ends in the 2024 season. In his senior season, he had 56 receptions for 582 yards over 10 games. He will join an offense last year that struggled mightily in the passing game. The Bears last season ranked 31st in the NFL in passing yards a game, 181.5 yards a game. They have a good chance to improve from this with Williams now having an all important year of NFL experience under his belt. But the outlook for how much the fantasy value at the tight end position might improve in Chicago is uncertain.
Cole Kmet, the starting tight end for the Bears in 2024, had an 11.6% target share last year and ranked 33rd overall in tight end targets last season.
Jake Ferguson
Position Ranking: TE14
Feguson is back for his fourth season with the Cowboys, and he is coming off a down season. Last year, he had 59 catches for 494 yards and zero touchdowns. In the season prior in 2023, he had 71 targets for 761 yards and five touchdowns. The difference between those two seasons is the presence of Dak Prescott. Prescott only played in eight games last season after suffering a hamstring injury. Going into 2025, if Ferguson can have Prescott for a full season, his value in fantasy will rise.
Who to draft?
Even though there is upside in the unknown of how Loveland will play and be utilized at the NFL level, Ferguson, in his fourth season, still has a good amount of upside. His building chemistry over the years with Prescott could lead to a big season, and there are only two likely pass catchers–CeDee Lamb and George Pickens– to be above him in target share. There is also upside in that.
With Loveland, there is no guarantee he will be the third receiving option. There is D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, and possibly rookie Luther Burden III to potentially be ahead of him in target share. Also, last year, Ferguson, in a down year, had significantly more targets than Kmet and played in three less games. In 14 games, Ferguson had 86 targets and Kmet in 17 games had 55.
In conclusion, Ferguson is the safer and better pick in fantasy football this season.
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Gray Deyo is a Nashville-based sportswriter who graduated with a sports management bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has covered prep sports, college sports, the WNBA, and the NBA for the past four years. In addition to writing for SI, Gray also currently contributes to Prep Girls Hoops