Colston Loveland vs Terry McLaurin

“Round 3: Colston Loveland (TE – CHI) Colston Loveland is currently going closer to the fourth round in ADP, but the case here is that he’ll settle into a firm third-round price by the time draft season peaks, similar to how the market was slow to catch up on Trey McBride ‘s ascension a year ago.”

“Loveland is the type of talent who can win downfield, which is exactly what you want from your fantasy tight end. As Caleb Williams heads into Year 2 of the Ben Johnson era, expect more familiarity with the scheme, which can help Loveland eclipse 1,000 yards.”

“Colston Loveland turned it on down the stretch last year, showcasing impressive production from Week 7 through Chicago's Divisional Round loss with 67% route participation, 6.9 targets per game, 65 receptions, 852 receiving yards, and 6 receiving touchdowns across 14 games. If his 72.4% route participation rate from the playoffs sticks or takes a step forward, Loveland can be less efficient while still posting monster numbers, putting the overall TE1 in his range of outcomes.”

“Loveland clearly won the favor of Ben Johnson as he had at least 15% of the team's targets in each of the final nine games, ending with 713 total receiving yards. It was a strong showing for the rookie TE, who could very likely lead the team in targets in 2026.”

“Colston Loveland was also in a rotational role for the first 7 weeks, but got his first chance at a full-time role due to Cole Kmet's injury in Week 8. He had a breakout game one week later vs. the Bengals and gradually increased his playing time over the remainder of the season, finally emerging as a true every-down player at the end of the year.”

“Even in a split season of work as a rookie, Loveland showcased his weekly upside. He logged four weeks as a top-three scorer at the position. The only player to match that was Trey McBride, who led the position with eight of those weeks.”

“It took a bit for Loveland to get going as a rookie as he worked his way into the lineup and recovered from an offseason shoulder injury, but the wait was worth it. Over the final five games of the season, Loveland was on the field for 80.9% of the team's dropbacks, receiving a target on 30.5% of his routes with 2.34 yards per route run.”

“Even though he managed just 53 receptions and 713 yards as a rookie, Loveland was fourth at his position in air yards and third in deep targets. If that kind of usage on the field keeps up, Loveland is going to be looking at a ton of deep catches and touchdowns.”

“Colston Loveland started his rookie year slowly but was TE2 in fantasy scoring from Week 9 through the end of the regular season. Over his last four games, the hyper-athletic Loveland averaged 12.0 targets, 7.0 catches, and 94.5 yards, with two touchdowns.”

“Colston Loveland is the heavy favorite to be the third tight end to finish above 200 fantasy points (half-PPR). With the league shifting towards TE-heavy offensive sets, we could see snaps across the position skyrocket.”

“People talk about him as if he is going in that blob of TE's that make up the second tier. He's not priced that way, so be sure you have another plan at tight end to fall back on if you are expecting Loveland to go for a discount.”

“Derek Brown highlighted Loveland's production during the final stretch of last season, noting elite target share numbers, receiving efficiency, and first-read involvement. If Loveland continues building on his late-season breakout, his current draft cost could look like a bargain by midseason.”

“Round 4: Terry McLaurin (WR – WAS) Terry McLaurin was the counter-pick, sitting in an almost identical ADP range as Waddle. The preference here comes down to target-share ceiling: McLaurin’s worst-case target competition still leaves him with a strong floor, while his best case could push into the high-20s percentage range given how thin the target competition around him currently looks.”

“Terry McLaurin (WR – WSH) McLaurin’s 2025 season was derailed almost from the jump by a training camp holdout that eventually turned into a three-year, $96 million contract extension. That kind of disruption tends to torpedo a season, and it did here too.”

“Terry McLaurin is a favorite draft target in the fifth round based on ADP.”

“Both Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane are fighting for targets behind Terry McLaurin in the Commanders' receiver room.”

“Through the first six weeks, McLaurin averaged just 4.2 PPR points per game, topped 50 receiving yards only once, and seemed to spend almost as much time on the injury report as he did on the field.”

“Injuries also limited Terry McLaurin to 10 games.”

“McLaurin started the 2025 offseason as a holdout. Then, shortly after reaching a new deal with the Commanders, McLaurin sustained a quad injury in Week 3 and did not return fully until the Commanders' season was all but over in Week 13.”

“When healthy, McLaurin has been an extremely reliable WR2, posting consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 2020 to 2024, yet averaged just 80 receptions each season despite being the first read in the offense. Even with Deebo Samuel and Zach Ertz gone, Washington will look to spread the ball around to tertiary options.”

“Terry McLaurin was faded at ADP 31 with a 6% win rate and 44% top 6% finish, and the verdict was Right.”

“After recording a career-high 13 receiving touchdowns in 2024, McLaurin regressed last year, totaling three scores in 10 games. Yet, fantasy players should expect a solid year from him if Daniels is healthy. Unfortunately, McLaurin's fantasy playoff schedule is awful, facing A.J. Terrell in Week 15, an elite Minnesota pass defense in Week 16, and an underrated Jaguars' unit in Week 17.”

“Early in the offseason, new offensive coordinator David Blough said he wants to build the offense around getting McLaurin 10 targets, and topping his career-high of 134 certainly sounds like a probability if everything clicks.”

“Ball up Terry McLaurin's 2025 and throw it in the trash. It was a year to forget for the veteran wideout and the Commanders' offense as a whole, with multiple players on offense suffering serious injuries and quarterback Jayden Daniels in and out of the lineup all year long.”