Travis Kelce

Week 2 @ Baltimore Ravens

Travis Kelce couldn't even finish with 100 yards in Week 1, so clearly, the age has caught up with him. Jokes aside, Kelce had a strong opener, finishing 6-76-2 on seven targets. This week he'll face a Baltimore defense that's fresh off of allowing a 105-yard game to Darren Waller. If Waller can find success against the Ravens, so can Kelce. The Chiefs' tight end will be a must-start option in Week 2. We're projecting him to finish around 100 yards with a strong chance for a touchdown.

Fantasy Upside
Travis Kelce finished as the top-scoring fantasy tight end for the fifth straight year, after a record-breaking season. Kelce set the record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season (1,416), and he even took the final week off. Perhaps even more impressive than his cumulative stats are his consistent week-by-week numbers. He had at least five receptions, 50 receiving yards AND a touchdown in 10 of his 15 games last year. He also averaged an absurd 9.7 targets per game, with at least 10 targets in nine games. If you extend that into the playoffs, he had at least 10 targets in 12-of-18 games.

Fantasy Downside
Kelce will turn 32 early on in the 2021 season, which is the age we start to see tight end production decline. Since 2000, nearly 90% of the peak seasons from tight ends take place prior to the season they turn 32. In other words, it’ll be tough for Kelce to match his career-best season from last year when he set personal highs in receptions, yards and touchdowns.

2021 Bottom Line
While Kelce may not quite match the output he had last year, he’ll come close. We have him projected for slightly lower numbers, but he’s still the safest tight end off the board. He’s seen 100+ targets in six straight seasons and should make that seven by the end of the year. He’s worth a first-round draft pick. And if you don’t like the idea of drafting a TE that high, just imagine him as a WR. Kelce would’ve finished as the WR3 last season. He’s about as safe as it gets at tight end, which is an extremely volatile position outside of a handful of players.

Week 16 vs. Atlanta Falcons

Travis Kelce didn't hit 100 yards last week, so he's basically useless. Jokes aside, Kelce was productive once again with a stat line of 8-68-1. He's been absolutely dominant since Week 8 when the Chiefs upped their pass attempts per game. In the seven games in that span, Kelce is averaging 8.3 receptions for 116.7 yards with 0.7 touchdowns. That's a high volume of productivity over a long period of time. He's an easy must-start TE1 in Week 16. Especially in a favorable matchup against the Falcons, who have allowed the second-most receptions to tight ends this season.