LAR · TE
Projected Points (PPR)
This week
No projection changes recorded this week.
AI-assisted · Researched and drafted by our automated pipeline, then checked for accuracy before publishing. How we make these
Colby Parkinson sits fourth on the Los Angeles tight end depth chart as listed, behind Terrance Ferguson and Max Klare in the pecking order the roster currently shows, even though the sample from last season tells a different story about his actual role on offense. In 2025 he played in fifteen games, started ten of them, and ran on 59% of Los Angeles's offensive snaps, which is the profile of a regular contributor rather than a situational piece. He drew fifty-six targets across that season, caught forty-three of them for a catch rate of 76.8%, and turned eight of those catches into touchdowns, with twenty of his targets coming in the red zone. That red zone usage matters: it is the clearest evidence that whatever structural role he holds, the offense has trusted him near the goal line. Through three games in 2026, the early-season numbers are thin — five targets, three receptions, 21 receiving yards, two red zone looks, and a snap share of 61.2% that actually tracks slightly above last year's figure. The volume simply has not followed the snaps yet. Matthew Stafford remains the quarterback distributing the ball, and how he allocates targets across Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Kyren Williams and the tight end room will determine whether Parkinson's touchdown-dependent profile repeats or fades.
The case for Colby Parkinson starts with 2025: 129.8 PPR points, a 17th-place finish among all players at his position, and eight touchdowns from only forty-three catches, an efficiency rate that would be hard to sustain by accident. A player who sees twenty red zone targets in a season and is written into the game plan for scoring opportunities, even on modest overall volume, has a foundation that many lower-rostered tight ends never establish. His 59% snap share last year was not marginal — it reflected a player trusted on early downs and in scoring situations, not a size-only blocking specialist. The case against him is just as plain. Through three games in 2026 he has totaled only 5.1 PPR points and ranks fifty-eighth among position players, a steep drop from where he finished a year ago. A catch rate of 60% early this season, down from 76.8% in 2025, suggests either reduced quarterback trust or a shift in route competition. That shift has a name: Terrance Ferguson, now in his second season, and Max Klare, a rookie, both occupy tight end slots ahead of Parkinson on the depth chart as it stands today. If either of them begins drawing the red zone work that defined Parkinson's value last season, his touchdown total — the engine of his 2025 fantasy output — could collapse even if his snap share holds near 61.2%. The honest read is that Parkinson's current snap share is not the problem; it is actually higher than last season's. The problem is that targets, catches and yards have not materialized at anywhere near the same rate, and in an offense where Matthew Stafford has other established options in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, a tight end who is third or fourth in the pecking order for a quarterback's attention needs either an injury-free role secured by touchdown equity or must out-produce newer and younger players at his own position to matter. Three games is a small sample, but it is not nothing, and the decline from 8.7 points per game to 1.7 points per game across that stretch is the kind of swing that forces a real decision rather than a shrug. If the touchdown rate from 2025 reasserts itself — and red zone usage is historically stickier for tight ends than overall target volume — Parkinson could climb back toward relevance quickly given his snap share is already in place. If Ferguson or Klare instead absorb the scoring chances, there may be little floor left to rely on.
Treat Colby Parkinson as a bench stash rather than an active lineup piece right now. His 2026 numbers — 5.1 PPR points, a finish of fifty-eighth among position players — do not support a start in a competitive lineup, and the drop from last year's catch rate of 76.8% to this year's 60% raises real questions about whether he remains a target priority for Matthew Stafford. His snap share has actually held at 61.2%, which is worth watching, because playing time without production usually means production is coming or the role is changing underneath him. The decision point is simple: watch his red zone targets. Last season's twenty red zone looks and eight touchdowns were the entire case for his value, and if that volume returns even at a reduced rate, he becomes streamable in touchdown-dependent formats. If instead Terrance Ferguson or Max Klare start drawing those red zone snaps away from him, there is little reason to roster him outside of deep leagues. For now, he is a wire-adjacent stash in deeper formats only, not a confident flex, and managers should not chase last year's 129.8-point season as a baseline until the target share shows signs of returning.
Projections, injury status and news above update automatically. This section is rewritten when his role changes. Browse every player
Colby Parkinson’s projection likely jumped because he’s now day-to-day with an AC shoulder sprain, while Terrance Ferguson is likely out for Week 4, which points to more tight-end targets and snaps being available in Los Angeles. Sean McVay’s comments and the Week 4 injury updates also suggest Tyler Higbee may absorb a bigger receiving role, but Parkinson’s own status is still uncertain pending the week’s practice reports.
Sep 29, 12:43 PM ET