TE · GB · 25 yrs · exp 3 · South Dakota State
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Latest: Jul 24, 2026 · 5,500
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It's an exciting time in the TE world for fantasy football. Scott Pianowski poses the biggest questions at the position heading into camps
The Green Bay Packers have obviously been on an extension spree recently. The only major player left in a contract year going into 2026 is tight end Tucker Kraft, who we all should assume will sign a mega deal relatively soon. Shortly after defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt signed, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Packers want to get a deal done with Kraft before the regular season kicks off, so there should be no worries on the timing there. With that being said, how many players overall do you see the Packers giving extensions to moving forward? Right now, there are only five players on the team who are 1) going into contract years as unrestricted free agents and 2) didn’t already sign a one-year deal with the team this offseason. Those players are: TE Tucker Kraft CB Keisean Nixon TE Luke Musgrave DL Karl Brooks CB Carrington Valentine I think Kraft has a 100 percent approval rating among the Packers fan base, but do you think any of the other players get extensions in 2026? Voice your opinion in the comment section. Personally, I don’t think they do, unless Karl Brooks and/or Carrington Valentine end up winning starting jobs in training camp. Sign up for a user account and get: Fewer ads Create community posts Comment on articles, community posts Rec comments, community posts New, improved notifications system!
Brock Bowers, the Raiders' first-round pick, is set to become eligible for a contract extension next offseason. Given his franchise player status, the Raiders are expected to prioritize extending him. His potential future contract is likely to exceed current deals for tight ends like Kyle Pitts and Brendan Strange, and could approach or surpass the averages of top earners like George Kittle and Trey McBride, potentially reaching $20-22 million per season
The Green Bay Packers are stuck in a rut despite having a good roster and making the playoffs six times in seven seasons
Across 15 games in 2025, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love completed 66.3% of his pass attempts for 3,381 yards, 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions. The 27-year-old has established himself as an efficient and effective NFL quarterback, leading Green Bay to the playoffs in all three of his seasons as a starter. However, Love's lack of rushing upside combined with the Packers' run-heavy offensive approach has limited his fantasy viability. Love finished as the QB18 in per-game fantasy scoring in 2024 and the QB21 by the same metric in 2025. Still, Love may finally be fully healthy in 2026 after battling knee, thumb, and concussion issues over the past two seasons. He should also get more out of key pass-catchers in tight end Tucker Kraft (knee) and Jayden Reed, who combined to miss 19 games last season. Love may not offer high-end QB1 upside, but he may be worth buying low on in dynasty formats ahead of what could be a resurgent 2026
ESPN's ranking of tight ends, based on input from league executives, coaches, and scouts, placed Jake Ferguson as an honorable mention outside the top 10. While praised for his all-around solid play and high catch volume, Ferguson's fumbling issues were cited as a significant reason for his ranking. All seven of his career fumbles have occurred in the last two seasons and were against NFC opponents
In a recent write up for SI , Bill Huber asked whether Jordan Love can capitalize on his supporting cast. It’s an interesting question because so much of the national conversation assumes Green Bay ’s offense has gotten worse. Has it? Let’s walk through just a few examples. The Packers lost productivity in the receiver room. This is objectively true, but is sometimes employed in an intellectually dishonest way. Sure, Doubs is gone. Wicks is gone. They were productive. There were also way too many cooks in the receiver kitchen last year. Players knew it. The head coach has since admitted it. If you look back at last year, I think it’s fair to come away thinking Matthew Golden would have been roughly twice as productive if it weren’t for a crowded room and the mistakes of others (cough Wicks cough). His role should be greatly expanded this year, which we should all be really excited about. Also Watson is really good. The Packers don’t have an elite tight end . I mean, this is proveably false, or false-adjacent. I’ve heard multiple NFL generalist types seem pretty lukewarm on Tucker Kraft . I don’t have much to say in rebuttal, because it’s clear the people saying that didn’t actually watch the Packers last year. Once he gets back up to speed, he’s a top 5 (sometimes top 3) pass catching tight end. Period. The offensive line is a mess . Correction: it WAS a mess! Some of that was injuries, some of that was how the roster shook out, and some was probably coaching. But the Packers are entering training camp with a much more solid plan for their starting 5 than they’ve had in a few years. There’s every reason to believe that the unit will perform better than last year (and last year wasn’t terrible, just far below the typical Packers standard). Meanwhile, there’s plenty of love going around for the Bears (who are pretty well coached but also were very lucky last year) and the Lions (who actually got noticeably worse down the stretch last year – though, don’t tell the national folks that). Look, this is peak offseason content. So, thanks for clicking. I’m just anxious to get to meaningful ball so the Packers can prove folks wrong. I’m cautiously optimistic that the end product will be better than last year, not worse. What do you think? Let me hear it in the comments below. Three pivotal questions facing Jordan Love – The first practice of Packers training camp will be held on July 29, three weeks from today. To kick off a series, it’s three key questions at quarterback. Why safety Mark Perry may surprise folks – Safety Mark Perry entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and hasn’t played in a game in his career. He told Packers On SI why that could change this year. ICYMI: ESPN ranks the Green Bay Packers’ roster 10th in the NFL – The Packers came in 10th, while the Detroit LIons were listed as the 6th-best roster in the NFL. New-look Badgers to take the field at Lambeau – The Wisconsin Badgers football team has unveiled new uniforms to be worn versus Notre Dame at Lambeau Field
Our countdown of the 10 best plays of the Green Bay Packers ’ 2025 season continues with a pivotal play in the Packers’ eventual comeback victory in Pittsburgh . To watch the play, please click here . The Packers entered the game in good shape with a 4-1-1 record and as healthy as they would be all year . They would be facing old friend Aaron Rodgers , leading the 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers , along with their signature solid defense, and shiny new toy DK Metcalf . After their early loss to the Browns, the offense had been humming, putting 40 on the Cowboys and 27 each on the Bengals and Cardinals, but those defenses were among the worst in the league. The Steelers would go on to win their division, and here they presented a difficult challenge as their most balanced opponent to date. This was also Christian Watson ’s first game of the season, and ended up being the only game in 2025 that the Packers had both Watson and Tucker Kraft available for a full 60 minutes. While the final score may look a bit lopsided, the Steelers took control early, drawing first blood with a ridiculous 56-yard field goal from Chris Boswell . The Packers would respond immediately with a long drive culminating in a brilliant 16-yard touchdown to Tucker Kraft, his first of the day, but the next few Packer drives would stall out due to a combination of ineffective Josh Jacobs runs (13 carries for just 33 yards on the day), especially on second-and-long. After Brandon McManus missed a 57-yard field goal to start the second quarter, the Steelers would leverage that field position into a successful 50-yarder from Boswell. After a three-and-out, they would add another 48-yarder from Boswell, and after yet another three-and-out, Rodgers and the Steelers finally hit paydirt, as the old-timer connected with DK Metcalf on a two-yard touchdown to give the Steelers a two-score lead. To make matters worse, Pittsburgh was due to receive the ball to start the second half, and after Brandon McManus missed yet another field goal, this time a 44-yarder as the first half expired, the game was in danger of getting away from Green Bay Fortunately, the Packer defense held strong, forcing a three-and-out to open the second half, but a huge punt from Corliss Waitman and a penalty on Javon Bullard pushed the first Packer drive back to the ten-yard line. On first down, Josh Jacobs was once again stuffed for no gain, and after a short throw to Luke Musgrave , the Packers were facing third-and-five at their own fifteen, trailing by nine points. It was not looking great! Tucker Kraft is great though, and it’s a good thing because he’s the main reason this play worked at all. On first watch I thought it was a complete disaster, and just a great individual effort from Kraft, but that’s not the entire story. While Pittsburgh’s pressure was effective and Love’s throw was impacted, Kraft was the correct read for a hot route, and as we learned many times in the first half of 2025, when Tucker Kraft is in single coverage, Tucker Kraft is open. The Packers lined up with Jordan Love in shotgun flanked to his left by Josh Jacobs. It’s a tight formation with Romeo Doubs slot left, and a bunch formation of Savion Williams , Matthew Golden , and our hero slot right, with Williams at the head of the triangle up on the line, Golden outside, and Kraft inside. The Steelers are showing blitz, and they bring it at the snap, with six men overwhelming Love’s protection. Zach Tom barely manages to fend off TJ Watt , while linebacker Patrick Queen bursts through the middle, depositing Elgton Jenkins on his rear end and blowing by an ineffective Jacobs, hitting Love as he throws. Because the Steelers are blitzing, they’re left with five men in coverage to deal with four Packers. Doubs runs a 15-yard in route that I suspect was intended as a double move deep shot if the Steelers had backed out of their blitz. He’s covered by Joey Porter, Jr. As it stands, the route looks incredibly awkward as Savi [... truncated ...]
Dynasty managers may want to avoid Matthew Golden ahead of 2026
Acme Packing Company’s Top Plays of 2025 countdown continues today with play number 7. Week 8 of the 2025 season was Tucker Kraft’s masterclass. He had his first career 100-yard game in the Green Bay Packers’ week two win against Washington, but National Tight End day brought his game to a different level. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kraft demonstrated everything that he provides to the Packers’ offense, catching 7 of 9 targets for 143 yards and two touchdowns. His final catch of the game was this amazing catch-and-run to finish out the biggest performance so far in his pro career. Let’s break it down. After stumbling into their week 5 bye at 2-1-1 thanks to an inexcusable loss to the Cleveland Browns and a bizarre 40-40 tie against the Dallas Cowboys , the Green Bay Packers beat the Cincinnati Bengals in week six by a score of 27-18, then pulled out a late win in Arizona to improve to 4-1-1 after six games. That set up a huge matchup on Sunday Night Football in week 8 against the 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers. Most notably, however, was the fact that this game was the first time — and possibly the only time — that Aaron Rodgers would suit up against the Packers in a different uniform. That made the game an obvious prime time pick, and the national media narrative heading into the game was off the charts. Through three quarters, this game was tight. Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell hit four field goals in the first three quarters — all from at least 48 yards and two from 56 apiece — as the Steelers held a 19-14 lead. A long pass to Christian Watson just before the end of the third quarter set up the Packers on the doorstep of the end zone, however, and Josh Jacobs punched across the goal line from three yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter, giving Green Bay a 22-19 lead. Green Bay’s defense forced a three-and-out, as Micah Parsons sacked Rodgers on first down to scuttle the drive early on. After an unnecessary roughness penalty on former Wisconsin Badger Nick Herbig during the Packers’ punt return, Green Bay set up across midfield with 13 minutes remaining in the game. Emanuel Wilson picked up 15 yards on the first play, then two short passes brought up a third-and-4 from the Steelers’ 24. Kraft lined up in a tight slot to the right with Romeo Doubs outside him and Jordan Love in the shotgun. At the snap, Kraft lets Doubs clear a path then runs a perfect angle route, getting separation from his defender, safety Chuck Clark . Love hits him in stride just out of his break at the 18, and Kraft sprints away from Clark and avoids Juan Thornhill , who’s unable to find an angle to bring him down before he reaches the end zone. Check out the breakaway speed from Kraft, whose acceleration pulls him away from the two flat-footed safeties and into the end zone. It’s a great encapsulation of his athletic ability, which sometimes seems to go unrecognized given his willingness and ability to break tackles and gain yards after the catch by fighting through contact. This score effectively put the game on ice as the Packers took a ten-point lead. Pittsburgh would go three-and-out on their next drive then fumble on the series after that and the Packers got two short field goals to extend their lead to 16 points, putting the game out of reach for a 35-25 final. But for Kraft, the play capped off a career game, which unfortunately was his last big performance of the season before he tore his ACL the following Sunday. Notably, this play got a #1 ranking from our Tyler Brooke, who also recently broke down Kraft’s other touchdown from this game on his Youtube channel, Best Available
As we progress through the dead of the NFL offseason, we have plenty to scan over as we prepare for fantasy football draft season. There were plenty of moves that we've been discussing at length before the 2026 regular season begins. Some of those narratives we trust and are going to take into our drafts. Others, we're not so sure about. Yahoo analyst Scott Pianowski, Joel Smyth, Matt Harmon and Justin Boone share the one offseason narrative that they aren't buying going into this season. Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2026 NFL season I understand why the public is skeptical of the Miami offense. The team is projected for a modest 4.5 wins, and the Miami WR room is the skimpiest in the league. But I still think Willis could run his way into fantasy relevance, and I discount the idea that Miami's mediocre offense is an automatic death knell to his fantasy potential. Although Willis has just six NFL starts to his name, he averaged a handy 44.8 rushing yards per game in those starts, with six overall rushing touchdowns. The Titans didn't give him much responsibility in his three starts there, but he did have QB3 and QB6 finishes among his Green Bay spot starts the last two years. I get it, Matt LaFleur and Christian Watson and Jayden Reed aren't walking through that door. But Willis is a perfect value target for anyone who plays in a league where multiple starting QBs are required, a nod to the timeless Konami Code . There will be moments this fall where the Dolphins are blown out and Willis struggles – but still puts up 18 or 20 fantasy points. It's just algebra , friends. — Scott Pianowski After OTAs and Tight End University, the hype for modern medicine and the recovery of star tight ends George Kittle and Tucker Kraft are very positive. While this can be true, a slow fantasy start can also be at play. Reminder, fantasy football managers want their starting TE to be receiving full volume Week 1 more than NFL teams with a long term focus. The Packers historically have taken a cautious approach with players coming back from injury, and the 49ers star not only had a major injury, but it happened in January, rather than early in the season. Kittle will be 33 in October, making me question how much the 49ers will push him to play his normal snap count nine months off an Achilles tear. Him and Kraft are also both yards-after-the-catch specialists, relying on their playmaking with the ball in their hands rather than seeing 150 targets. Lastly, the TE2 option for each team has proven themselves as solid successors when their number has been called, not the same mind-blowing numbers, but can fill in well during the meantime. If you draft them early, I'd prepare to have some fantasy points made up for until the middle of the season. — Joel Smyth Admittedly, when Mahomes tore his ACL late last season, I did assume that the star quarterback wouldn't be ready for Week 1. The Chiefs going out and adding Justin Fields to be the backup seemed to also point in that direction. For all of Fields' flaws, he can get you through a stretch of a few games with his mobility. That said, based on everything I've seen, and the fact that he was already, at some level, participating in OTAs, my stance has changed. At this point, I'd be pretty shocked if he's not out there for Week 1. He's one of the best players in the sport and already beat injury timelines in multiple instances through his career. If you're fading Chiefs' pass-catchers this year, you're doing it because you don't believe in their abilities or reliability — a totally justifiable stance for what it's worth — not because they'll play games without Mahomes this year. Now, there should be outstanding questions about whether Mahomes will be himself at the start of the year, which is a critical variable considering his own fantasy value was boosted by rushing output in 2025. I expect Mahomes to start Week 1 but I still don't intend to draft many Chiefs' passing- [... truncated ...]
Matt LaFleur 's Packers seem to strive for good, but never great. They are not nearly aggressive enough and they too often take their foot all the way off the gas after seizing a lead. Even a soulless, agnostic NFL observer like me finds great pain in LaFleur's approach. I feel for the cheeseheads among us. Points per game: 23 (16th) Total yards per game: 333 (15th) Plays per game: 59.4 (25th) Dropbacks per game: 35 (29th) Dropback EPA per play: 0.27 (2nd) Designed rush attempts per game: 27.3 (8th) Rush EPA per play: -0.07 (21st) So, the question headed into 2026, LaFleur's eighth season at the helm, will be whether the Packers are ready to operate like the ultra-aggressive, win-now, win-always Lions and Bears, coached by men for whom no lead is enough. That LaFleur plays these two throat-stepping teams twice a season every season has been a problem. QB: Jordan Love , Tyrod Taylor WR: Christian Watson , Savion Williams WR: Jayden Reed , Bo Melton WR: Matthew Golden , Skyy Moore TE: Tucker Kraft , Luke Musgrave LaFleur seems to have taken his players’ grades to heart. Last year LaFleur, after losing to the despised Bears in the Wild Card round, was given one of the NFL’s lowest player grades. Romeo Doubs appeared all too happy to hit the road for New England during free agency, and Dontayvion Wicks wasn’t exactly heartbroken to escape Green Bay for the Eagles. LaFleur in late March acknowledged the organization-wide discontent and spoke to reporters about the issues plaguing his team. “If I’m being honest about it, I think there were some guys that were upset about roles last year, and I think that took a toll on our football team,” LaFleur said. “You need guys that bring great energy every day. I think from a coaching standpoint, role clarity is key, so we’ve got to obviously do a better job communicating with our players, ‘Hey, here’s your role and if you’re unhappy about your role, it’s on you to do something about that, to carve out a role on this football team.’ But yeah, the buy-in is absolutely critical. Getting guys in there that are juiced and ready to go to work each and every day is gonna be critical for us.” Later that same day, the immaculately-groomed Green Bay head coach dropped this little nugget, which — in one Rotoworld blogger’s opinion — has not received enough attention in real or fantasy football circles in the subsequent months. LaFleur, orchestrator of one of the league’s most reliably efficient offenses, said the Packers would “strip everything down and start like it’s Year 1 all over again” in 2026. “I just think reinstalling and trying to go through — it might take a little bit more time — but really get into the details because that’s usually the separator.” We could — if LaFleur was serious about starting again on offense — see a far more pass-heavy Packers offense this season. This would hinge on the team finally allowing Jordan Love to cook a year after he ranked second in EPA per drop back, trailing only Drake Maye . Not everyone is sold on the idea of a major overhaul of the Green Bay offense. That includes Jason Hirschhorn , writer and analyst for The Leap , an excellent Packers-focused newsletter. 'More Granular Focus' "When LaFleur mentions going back to the start, I suspect he means in terms of instruction and installation of the offense rather than a complete rethink of what the system looks like and how it works," Hirschhorn told me, adding that the team's passing offense has "lacked detail" in recent seasons. "Like most of the Kyle Shanahan -influenced schemes in the NFL, mastering the little nuances unlocks everything (marrying run and pass concepts so they present identically to the defense before the snap, syncing up timing between route depth and a QB's dropback, and so forth). These are the details that, at least in my reading of LaFleur's words, the Packers believe will need a more granular focus akin to a Year 1 install." A massively pass-heavy Packers offense, [... truncated ...]
A former Green Bay Packers tight end once had a slogan: “Year of the Takeover,” abbreviated to YOTTO. Jermichael Finley was a productive, playmaking tight end during his brief career, to be sure, but the promised takeover never quite arrived, with his 2011 season being his high-water mark (55 catches, 767 yards, 8 TDs). That year came in the context of the entire Packers offense being exceptional, as each of those numbers ranked him third among the Packers’ wealth of receiving options. Although Tucker Kraft hasn’t eclipsed any of Finley’s 2011 numbers in a single season yet, he was well on pace to shattering them in 2025 prior to his ACL tear. His stat line over 8 games (32 catches, 489 yards, 6 TDs) put him on track for more than 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns. But most importantly, he was the Packers’ go-to receiving weapon over that span, leading the team with 4.0 receptions per game. Kraft had the takeover season last year — or at least he was headed for that before his knee fell apart. Now, with the tight end on the verge of returning during training camp and likely to get a contract extension before or during the 2026 season, it’s up to him to continue the trajectory he set for himself, though now he’ll be able to play off a healthy Christian Watson after the two played less than 90 minutes of football together in 2025. Let’s look at how Kraft became a focal point in the offense last season as we look ahead to how the offense will work in 2026. How Tucker Kraft became star of Packers offense in 2025 | Packers Wire Comparing Kraft’s numbers from 2024 to 2025 shows that his target rate increased massively and he came in second in the NFL in yards per route run. Ranking WR, TE, RB groups for 2026: Best and worst NFL teams | ESPN If Kraft and Watson can both stay healthy, they should boost the Packers’ 17th-place ranking on this list. Youth movement set to power Packers’ offensive line | Packers.com Meanwhile, the team is set to hand over the left tackle job to a third-year pro while a player in his second season is likely to also benefit from a changing of the guard. Four things to watch, including MarShawn Lloyd, when Packers start camp | Packersnews.com A healthy Lloyd should be fun to watch as well, if his offseason work can actually deliver him a healthy season. Ohio Police Retire “Robocop” After It Heroically Made Zero Arrests and Issued Zero Tickets in Nearly 10 Months | On Tap Sports Net I have parked in this garage on multiple occasions and I never even saw the robot cop. Maybe every time I visited it was out on a donut run
Prior to Tuesday, there were no tight ends in the NFL who were on multi-year contracts that averaged between $19 million per year and $13.3 million per year. As you can imagine, that was a pretty significant gap in the market for teams, players and representation to operate in. Then, Kyle Pitts signed a three-year, $54 million contract ($18 million per year), and now Brenton Strange has signed a three-year, $48 million ($16 million per year) deal . Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft , who was having a career year before he tore his ACL in 2025, was always probably going to get money in the George Kittle ($19.1 million per) or Trey McBride ($19 million per) range, but the recent extensions of Pitts and Strange have certainly set a floor for his market. For perspective, Isaiah Likely , who was only a part-time player with the Baltimore Ravens , signed a $13.3 million per year deal with the New York Giants , where former Ravens coach John Harbaugh is now running the show, this free agency cycle. For years, the tight end market has lagged behind other positions in terms of wage increases, but the position is finally starting to see some movement. On the Packers’ end, there probably isn’t any huge reason for urgency to get a Kraft deal done in the immediate future, as the only other major tight end left on an expiring contract going into 2026 is the Detroit Lions ’ Sam LaPorta . Unless LaPorta signs a deal that significantly resets the tight end market before the Packers can ink a contract with Kraft, timing shouldn’t be a big deal, as long as they get a contract done with the tight end before the season ends. Over the long haul, players’ wages increase at every position in the NFL. It’s just worth noting that this week, specifically, has been a period in which the arrowing is trending upward for tight ends. We should also mention that the Packers tend to sign young starters to four-year extensions, compared to the three-year deals that Pitts and Strange have signed, and generally give low guarantees (usually just a bigger signing bonus and the first year’s salary) on their contract, so don’t be surprised if Kraft’s extension eventually ends up having a high APY over four years with relatively low guarantees compared to some of these deals
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has reported that the Atlanta Falcons have reached a three-year, $54 million extension with tight end Kyle Pitts, who was previously on a one-year franchise tag that would have paid him $15 million. Over the course of three years, Pitts will now be paid an average of $18 million per year. This is significant for Green Bay Packers fans who have been trying to judge the Tucker Kraft market. George Kittle , at 32 years old, set the top of the tight end market with a $19.1 million per year deal last year. There was some thought that maybe Pitts would be able to push past the Kittle APY, but it looks like Pitts’ camp liked the flexibility of a three-year deal, allowing Pitts to negotiate a new deal a year earlier than if he signed a four-year deal like Kittle’s, than the pure APY number. As of now, here is how the top APYs at the tight end position are laid out for the current NFL: George Kittle: $19.1 million per Trey McBride : $19 million per Kyle Pitts: $18 million per Isaiah Likely : $13.3 million per Kraft’s number will almost certainly come in higher than Likely, who only started in 26 of 53 games that he played on his rookie contract with the Baltimore Ravens . Likely was the TE2 in Baltimore behind Mark Andrews and never had more than 477 receiving yards in a single season (and is known best as a pass-catcher instead of a blocker). The question now is where Kraft will slot in among the top tight ends coming off his 2025 ACL tear. Reports earlier this offseason claimed that the Packers wanted to get a deal done with Kraft before the regular season kicked off. He is probably the next big deal that Green Bay will sign, unless defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt skips him in the pecking order
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love said he "still has some great weapons" in the passing game going into the 2026 season despite losing Romeo Doubs in free agency and Dontayvion Wicks to an offseason trade to the Philadelphia Eagles, mentioning Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and second-year wideout Matthew Golden as his top options. The Packers also have tight end Tucker Kraft (knee) coming back from a torn ACL that cut his season short in 2025, so Love certainly still has plenty of pass-catching weapons to take the next step in 2026 in his sixth year in the NFL. The 27-year-old former 26th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of Utah State threw for 3,381 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only six interceptions in 15 regular-season starts last year, which placed him as the QB16 in fantasy scoring. Love has proven to be a strong downfield passer -- that should continue if Watson stays healthy all year -- but Green Bay's offense as a whole will need to be more consistent if Love is going to jump up to the QB1 ranks in fantasy. Right now, RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 18 fantasy QB for the 2026 campaign
Earlier this offseason, the Green Bay Packers picked up former Houston Texans tight end Luke Lachey on waivers when he became available. Upon reporting to Green Bay , though, the Packers failed Lachey’s physical , even though the Texans didn’t waive him with an injured designation. Now, Lachey’s injury issues seem to be in the past, as Green Bay has brought him back the week after the team’s mandatory minicamp. As the Packers’ roster was at its 91-man limit, Green Bay had to make a corresponding roster move to make room for the addition of Lachey. General manager Brian Gutekunst decided to waive receiver Jakobie Keeney-James. Keeney-James was getting work as a returner, a job that might just end up going to free agent signing Skyy Moore in 2025. Keeney-James got playing time in one regular-season game as a rookie, his two-reception, two-kick return effort in the Packers’ JV game against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18. A week later, in the playoffs, Keeney-James was displaced on the depth chart by fellow practice squad receiver Isaiah Neyor , who has drawn praise from head coach Matt LaFleur during spring practices. Lachey, a 2025 seventh-round pick, was picked out of Iowa by the Texans. He didn’t get into a regular season as a rookie, but was projected to be more of a Y-tight end than a pass-catcher. Considering Tucker Kraft ’s backups right now are more pass-catchers than in-line blockers ( Luke Musgrave and Josh Whyle ), it will be interesting to see if Lachey gains any momentum leading up to roster cutdowns later this summer
Minicamp is underway, and today marked Day 2 of the three-day snapshot of the team for Green Bay Packers fans. No one completely took over practice on Wednesday, like pass-rusher Lukas Van Ness did on Tuesday , but there was some news broken before, during and after practice. 17 players remain out for the Packers, including three of their tight ends. Because of their limited numbers at the position, both Josh Whyle and Messiah Swinson have been thrown into the lineup with the starting unit. There’s been little information given on the injury status of these players, as Green Bay doesn’t have to officially file an injury report until Week 1 of the regular season. As we mentioned yesterday, I’m hard-pressed to remember the last time a fifth-round (or later) rookie was getting opportunities to be thrown in the starting lineup like Jager Burton has. Generally, the Packers slow-play playing time, but with left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Tom out, Burton has been getting looks with the 1s. Interestingly, the Packers seem to be keeping Darian Kinnard as a tackle-only player, a role he played in 2025, rather than a combo guard-tackle, like Anthony Belton . For reference, Kinnard has played guard in the past in preseasons with other NFL teams. Here’s the big one: Tucker Kraft believes that he’s going to play in Week 1. This makes sense, based on his recovery timeline. As we’ve explained in the past, Kraft should be in game-ready shape by around mid-Augus t, even if he opens up training camp on the physically unable to perform list. Going into the regular season, the only injuries (we know of) that should impact participation should be Micah Parsons’ ACL tear and Jordon Riley ’s Achilles tendon tear. With Benjamin St-Juste out, Carrington Valentine has been consistently “starting” opposite Keisean Nixon , though he’s been rotated with second-round rookie Brandon Cisse. It will be interesting to see if anything changes whenever St-Juste can return to the field. For the second straight day, Nazir Stackhouse has been the team’s “starting” nose tackle. Keep in mind, Devonte Wyatt , Javon Hargrave (who could play nose) and Warren Brinson (who could play nose) have been out for all of minicamp. Truly, this is closer to the second-string defensive line than the first-string unit. Barryn Sorrell continues to hold down the edge rusher job opposite Lukas Van Ness, at least as long as Micah Parsons is out. Go ahead and pencil him over Dani Dennis Sutton and Brenton Cox Jr. as the early Parsons replacement. Speaking of LVN, head coach Matt LaFleur praised him after his performance on Tuesday, when he was the star of the show. Rookie draft pick Trey Smack didn’t kick today, but he did go 7 of 8 outside on Tuesday after going 5 of 9 in practice last week. Lukas Havrisik, who signed a reserve-future deal with the Packers after ending last season on the team’s practice squad, went a perfect 8 of 8 indoors on Wednesday. If you’re on kick returner watch, it doesn’t look like Keisean Nixon is really involved this offseason. Last year, Nixon and Josh Jacobs, who both got opportunities to be kick returners in the playoffs, worked with the unit throughout the summer. This time, only Jacobs is hanging around the group. Receiver Skyy Moore should be in the mix for the starting kick return job when he’s healthy, but today it was Savion Williams, the incumbent returner from 2025, and Bo Melton, a do-it-all special teamer, who were first up
Packers tight end Tucker Kraft tore the ACL in his right knee in a Nov. 2 game against Carolina. He is on schedule in his rehab. “I’m doing good. I’m doing better than expected,” Kraft said, via video from Ryan Wood of USA Today. “I really attribute it to the time and the commitment I put into my rehabilitation early on, the first three months. That really has catapulted me to where I am now. I feel great. My quad looks great. Swelling is minimal to none. No like weird pains and aches coming out of my treatment and my training. We’re really excited to get this ball rolling and we’re going to take off.” Kraft concedes he could start training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list, but he anticipates getting enough work in this summer to play the season opener. “With how I feel, I would say I’m going to get all the conditioning I need to start Week 1 on no pitch count,” he said. Kraft led the team with 32 receptions for 489 yards and six touchdowns in the season’s first eight games
The Packers have already extended WRs Jayden Reed and Christian Watson. The article discusses which other players on expiring contracts, particularly starters like TE Tucker Kraft and DE Devonte Wyatt, might receive extensions before the 2027 offseason, while noting that CB Keisean Nixon may be unlikely to be extended due to age and position
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