Let’s be honest here, when you watch Tucker Kraft play football, you see something special brewing in Green Bay. This isn’t just another tight end churning out mediocre numbers. This is a player who’s got that rare combination of bulldozer mentality and soft hands that makes defensive coordinators lose sleep at night.
After watching Kraft obliterate expectations last season with 50 catches for 707 yards and 7 touchdowns, I’m convinced we’re looking at the next big thing at the tight end position. The guy finished as the TE10 in PPR leagues, and honestly? That feels like just the appetizer.
Here’s what gets me fired up about Kraft’s 2025 prospects: the foundation is already rock solid. We’re talking about a player who led ALL tight ends in yards after catch per reception (YAC/REC) at 9.1 yards last season. That’s not luck, folks. That’s pure football instinct combined with the kind of physicality that makes tacklers second-guess their career choices.
Jordan Love clearly trusts this guy in ways that matter. Remember that absolute rocket of a touchdown pass Love threw to Kraft last season? NFL analysts are calling it one of the hardest-thrown balls on record. When your quarterback is willing to fire missiles your way in traffic, you know you’ve earned something special.
The connection between these two isn’t just about stats: it’s about trust. Love knows that when the game’s on the line, Kraft will be there. That’s the kind of relationship that builds fantasy championships.
Let’s talk about Matt LaFleur’s offense for a second. This system loves its tight ends, particularly in the red zone, where Kraft does his best damage. The Packers scored 7 touchdowns through Kraft last season, and that number feels conservative for what’s coming.
While everyone’s obsessing over Green Bay’s wide receiver situation, and yes, adding rookie Matthew Golden was nice, the real story is how this offense flows through multiple positions. Kraft isn’t fighting for scraps; he’s carving out his own territory as the most reliable pass-catcher on this roster.
The guy’s got that George Kittle-esque playing style without quite the same explosive speed, but make no mistake: he’s every bit as willing to run through defenders rather than around them. That mentality translates directly to red zone opportunities, and red zone opportunities translate to fantasy gold.
Sure, Kraft’s 71 targets from last season might seem modest, but context matters here. His expected fantasy points ranked 17th at the position, while his points over expected finished third overall. Translation? This dude is maximizing every opportunity that comes his way.
When you’re consistently outperforming projections by that margin, it’s not a fluke; it’s a skill. Kraft is doing more with less, which suggests that when the volume inevitably increases, we could be looking at elite-level production.
The projected leap to 82 targets in 2025 feels not just realistic but conservative. With another year of development in LaFleur’s system and Love’s continued growth as a quarterback, those target numbers could easily push into the 90+ range.
Let’s address the elephant in the room: Luke Musgrave is still on this roster. But here’s the thing about the tight end position in modern NFL offenses: there’s room for multiple contributors when one guy has clearly established himself as THE guy.
Kraft has separated himself not just through raw production but through situational usage. He’s the red zone target. He’s the third-down conversion specialist. He’s the guy Love looks for when the pocket collapses and he needs someone who can make a catch in traffic.
Musgrave might steal a few targets here and there, but Kraft has earned the lion’s share of this tight end room’s opportunities.
Looking ahead to this season, I’m projecting Kraft to finish somewhere in the TE6-8 range in standard scoring, with even higher upside in PPR formats. The combination of increased target share, continued red zone dominance, and natural offensive progression suggests we’re looking at 60+ catches, 750+ yards, and 6-8 touchdowns.
Those might sound like modest numbers, but at the tight end position, consistency and touchdown upside are worth their weight in gold. Kraft delivers both.
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