Week 6 at Buffalo Bills
Travis Kelce kept up his dominating season with a season-high game in yards. Kelce finished 8-108-1 on 12 targets last week, giving him a score in three of his five starts. Kelce has also hit 70 receiving yards in four straight games as he sets himself apart from others at his position. To make things even better, Kelce faces a Bills defense this week that's given up the most receiving yards to tight ends so far this season. Kelce is already a must-start play, but expect another huge performance from Kelce in a great matchup. He's an easy TE1 in Week 6.
Week 5 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Travis Kelce finished with a season-low three receptions last week, but he still finished with a solid 70 yards. He also saw a healthy seven targets, so he's still heavily involved in this offense despite the low catch number. This week he faces a Raiders defense that has allowed the second-fewest receptions (11) and third-fewest receiving yards (100) to tight ends this season. Although the Raiders haven't really faced a top-tier tight end this season. Kelce should be fine, and should be viewed as a must-start TE1 this week.
Week 4 vs. Patriots
Travis Kelce had another productive outing in Week 3, finishing 6-87 on seven targets. He failed to find the endzone for the first time this season, but that's still great production from a tight end. He does get a tough matchup this week against a Patriots defense that's allowed the third-fewest receptions (8) and fourth-fewest receiving yards (73) to tight ends this season. However, Kelce should be able to overcome the bad matchup. Trust him as your TE1 in Week 4.
Week 3 at Baltimore Ravens
Travis Kelce saw a ridiculous 14 targets in Week 2 and turned them into a nice 9-90-1 performance. He's now finished with at least five receptions, 50 yards and a touchdown in three of his last four regular season games. While that kind of pace will be tough to keep up, it does prove just how good of an option Kelce is. He gets a tough matchup this week against the Ravens, but he's a must-start option every week. His role could potentially be even better this week if Sammy Watkins is sidelined with a concussion.
Week 2 at Los Angeles Chargers
Travis Kelce proved why he's been fantasy's No. 1 tight end for so many years, starting 2020 off with a 6-50-1 game. He caught all six of his targets, scored a touchdown, and remained a key part in the Chiefs' deadly passing attack. He gets a fairly tough matchup against the Chargers this week. But he played well against L.A. in his first matchup against the Chargers last year, finishing 7-92-1. Kelce is too good of a tight end to get concerned about matchups, and should be trusted as a must-start option at the tight end position.
Week 1 vs. Houston Texans
Travis Kelce led all tight ends in fantasy scoring last season, just like he did in 2018, 2017 and 2016. Kelce was already an elite talent, and pairing him with the league's best quarterback in Patrick Mahomes only made him better as he's posted his two career-best seasons (in receptions & yards) in 2018 and 2019. He'll face a Texans team in Week 1 that he destroyed in the 2019 playoffs, finishing with a 10-134-3 game. Don't expect that kind of game from him, but he can still be trusted as a must-start TE1 vs. Houston.
Fantasy Upside
Travis Kelce finished as the No. 1 tight end in fantasy last season, just like he did in 2018, 2017 and 2016. He was already one of the most dominant at his position, and then he got Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback. His last two seasons with Mahomes have been the two best of his career, and he’s seen 286 targets in that span. Kelce was incredibly consistent in 2019 as well, finishing with 50+ yards in every game but two. He also had seven or more receptions in nine games.
Fantasy Downside
Kelce had a down year in touchdowns, scoring just five times last season. He had just three total catches from inside the 10 despite having 12 targets (second-highest among all players) in that area, a 25% catch percentage. Kelce also turns 31 this season. We typically see tight ends hit a steep decline once they turn 32 or 33.
2020 Bottom Line
Since the tight end position is so shallow (Jason Witten was the No. 11 TE last season), having an elite option like Kelce is incredibly valuable. We expect him to produce around the same numbers he did last season. We’re also projecting an increase in touchdowns as it seems unlikely Kelce will repeat his poor 25% catching percentage inside the 10 again. He’s getting looks in the red zone, he just didn’t convert them. If he can catch just a few more of those targets, he’ll be in perfect shape.
Week 17 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Travis Kelce led the Chiefs in all receiving categories last week, finishing 8-74-1 off nine targets. He's now led the Chiefs in receiving yards for five straight games, averaging 92.8 yards in that stretch. He's an easy must-start TE1 option this week, even though the Chargers have been tough on tight ends in 2019. Kelce already proved he can handle this defense, finishing 7-92-1 against L.A. earlier this season. Put Kelce in your starting lineup.
Week 16 at Chicago Bears
Travis Kelce dominated last week, finishing 11-142 on 13 targets, all team highs. Kelce is seventh among all receivers in yards (1,131) and sixth among all receivers in catches (86). His only downside this season has been his lack of scoring (4 touchdowns), but he's more than made up for that in other areas. He's not only a great option at tight end, but he's one of the best players overall in fantasy this year. He should be viewed as a must-start TE1 against Chicago in Week 16. It's even a good matchup as the Bears have allowed the third-most receptions to tight ends this season.
Week 15 vs. Denver Broncos
Travis Kelce led Kansas City in receiving last week, finishing 7-66 on a team-high nine targets. He's led the Chiefs in receiving yards for three straight games now as he nears 1,000 yards on the season (989). He hasn't been as big of a red-zone threat in 2019 (four touchdowns), but he's caught seven passes in four of his last five games. He gets a tough matchup against the Broncos this week, but it's hard to find a better option at tight end than Kelce. He should be viewed as a must-start TE1 in Week 15.
