Brenton Strange vs Cole Kmet: Who Should You Start?
Two tight ends who will land on plenty of the same rosters in 2026. Brenton Strange (Jacksonville Jaguars) finished the 2025 season averaging 7.9 fantasy points per game in 12 games. Cole Kmet (Chicago Bears) came in at 4.0 PPG over 16 games. The gap is real but not insurmountable with the right matchup.
Brenton Strange carries a 3.9-point PPG advantage from the 2025 season. That baseline matters, but it is one input among several. Matchup difficulty, scoring trends, and injury reports move the needle week to week, which is why the best answer changes depending on when you are asking.
Brenton Strange is the volume tight end in this matchup with 46 receptions for 540 yards, while Cole Kmet profiles as a more touchdown-dependent spike play (2 scores on 30 catches). In weeks where Cole Kmet finds the end zone he out-scores Brenton Strange, but the floor gap is real.
Bye weeks matter for roster construction: Brenton Strange sits Week 12 while Cole Kmet is off Week 7. If you are deciding between the two as a season-long roster hold, the staggered byes actually work in your favor.
