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What the data says about Colston Loveland's fantasy upside in 2026 and beyond
Apr 13, 2026r/fantasyfootballr/fantasyfootball
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I did my master’s in data science thesis on machine learning modeling for fantasy football - here’s what the data says about Colston Loveland's 2026 outlook and beyond, given his year 2 statistical comps: 15/20 hit 1+ Top 12 FPPG finish (75%) 9/20 hit 1+ Top 5 FPPG finish (45%) 5/20 hit 1+ Top 3 FPPG finish (25%) __________________________________ Year 2 FPPG distribution specifically (PPR): Floor → 1.44 Q1 (25th % outcome) → 7.47 Median → 9.82 Q3 (75th % outcome)→ 11.68 Ceiling → 16.04 Colston Loveland was not only the best TE in my prospect model from the 2025 rookie class, but the third best prospect over the last decade. His combination of insanely good per-route metrics, size/athleticism and draft capital put him in an absolutely elite spot coming into the NFL in 2025. Even though he got off to a slow start his rookie season, Loveland began to find his footing and really shine down the stretch. The way he was being utilized over the final quarter of his rookie season tells me a lot about how we can expect to see him leveraged in Ben Johnson's offense in 2026 and beyond. Overall, I like him even more than the data suggests. Most of my analysis is proximity-based (i.e. the 20 closest players in terms of similarity of rookie season numbers combined with my prospect scores) and the truth is, there aren't even close to 20 'good' comps for Loveland. He is a bit of a unicorn. I'm all in on him as a major breakout at the TE position next season and I have high hopes for his career! What do you guys think about Loveland? Make sure to check out the video for all my thoughts along with the full list of comps, and check out the full Year 2 comps series on my channel for all the guys I’ve covered!🤙 submitted by /u/boofstar [link] [comments]