Move over, Travis Kelce! There’s a new tight end in town, and he might just take Kelce’s throne as a fantasy football favourite as well. Despite initially being signed on as a free agent by the Kansas City Chiefs, his promising performance at the team’s minicamp has left many speculating about him landing a spot on the final roster soon after. Jake Briningstool is one of the most promising of the class of 2025 and might just be Kelce’s latest challenge as well.
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Who is Jake Briningstool?
Given the recent downturn in Kelce’s otherwise illustrious career, many have started speculating whether Briningstool could be viewed as a potential replacement for the Chiefs’ tight-end spot. Although no official announcement has been made to suggest the same, Briningstool is taking over the fantasy football world by storm in the meantime.
Following a standout collegiate career at Clemson, he arrived at the Chiefs looking to make a mark in the world of the NFL. Given the Chiefs’ serious prospects about winning the Super Bowl this year, Briningstool’s passion and ability might just be what the coach and team staff were looking for. As per Chad Reuter’s report on the official NFL website, Briningstool kicked off his career in 2021 by playing 8 games as a reserve.
What did NFL analyst Lance Zierlin have to say on the matter?
“What Briningstool lacks in mass, he makes up for with toughness in both phases. He’s a possession-based tight end who majors in zone-beaters but will struggle to separate against man coverage. He operates in space with good body control and strong hands at the catch point and does an adequate job of keeping defenders on his hip. Despite a high pad level, he can help as a run blocker both connected to the line and in space. He’s not a true “Y” or “F” tight end but is capable enough in all areas to become a factor in two-tight-end sets,” wrote NFL analyst Lance Zierlin in creating Briningstool’s prospect info.
{{/usCountry}}“What Briningstool lacks in mass, he makes up for with toughness in both phases. He’s a possession-based tight end who majors in zone-beaters but will struggle to separate against man coverage. He operates in space with good body control and strong hands at the catch point and does an adequate job of keeping defenders on his hip. Despite a high pad level, he can help as a run blocker both connected to the line and in space. He’s not a true “Y” or “F” tight end but is capable enough in all areas to become a factor in two-tight-end sets,” wrote NFL analyst Lance Zierlin in creating Briningstool’s prospect info.
{{/usCountry}}In terms of player strengths, Zierlin quotes “disguises break direction at the top of the route, quick to settle and open into the belly of the zone, has ball skills to handle tough possession catches, keeps his frame between defender and throw, catches with strong hands and brings it in quickly, good pace and accuracy getting into move blocks and lands with pop and strains with good tenacity on base blocks” as his strong suits.
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In terms of weaknesses, Zierlin cites that Briningstool “has trouble running away from targeted coverage, prone to focus drops when headed into traffic, success rate lowers when routes head beyond first level, touchdown catches came primarily on misdirection plays, and gets into double teams and base blocks with a high pad level.”
Although his NFL future can only be decided in due time, fantasy football owners can still count on Briningstool as a viable choice to consider over Kelce for their roster.