Week 3 at Baltimore Ravens
Travis Kelce had 88 yards in Week 1 and finished 7-107-1 on nine targets in Week 2. He's currently second among tight ends in receiving yards (195) for the season. As expected, Kelce continues to be a premier option at the tight end position. It's hard to find someone who produces as consistently as he does. This week he faces a Ravens defense he had no problem against a year ago. In his game against Baltimore in 2018, Kelce finished 7-77-1. He's an easy must-start TE1 choice.
Week 2 at Oakland Raiders
Travis Kelce didn't have quite the day he could have in Week 1. He saw a healthy eight targets, but caught just three passes for 88 yards. He also was wide open for a touchdown, but Patrick Mahomes missed him with a no-look pass. Despite the low reception day, Kelce still placed fourth among tight ends in yards for the first week. He should continue to be viewed as a must-start TE1, especially this week against the Raiders. He tore Oakland apart last year, finishing 12-168-2 in his first game and 5-62 in his second game.
Week 1 at Jacksonville Jaguars
Travis Kelce set career numbers in receptions (103), yards (1,336) and touchdowns (10) last season as Patrick Mahomes took over as QB. He finished with his third consecutive 80-catch, 1,000-yard season as he remains one of the very few productive tight ends in fantasy. He doesn't get a great matchup this week against the Jaguars, but we wouldn't worry too much about it. He played well against Jacksonville a year ago, catching five passes for 100 yards. He's an easy must-start choice at tight end.
Fantasy Upside
Travis Kelce has finished as the No. 1 tight end for three straight seasons, finishing with 1,000 yards in each of those years. He took his talents to new highs in 2018, finishing with a career-best 103 receptions for 1,336 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s also incredibly consistent, finishing with below 50 receiving yards in just two games last season. Kelce is not only a good tight end, but he also would have finished as top-12 WR in both of the last two seasons (in both standard and PPR).
Fantasy Downside
Kelce was expected to receive a slight boost this season with a potential Tyreek Hill suspension, but with Hill not missing any time we can’t look forward to that. And anyone expecting to draft Kelce may be hoping for last year’s numbers, but we need to remember that was a career best. A dip in production is a likely occurrence.
2019 Bottom Line
There aren’t too many major downsides to Kelce. There are so few good tight ends in fantasy, that owning someone you know will be great is very appealing. Kelce should be viewed as the top tight end, since he’s proved three straight years that’s exactly what he is. He’s a later first-round draft pick in 2019.
Week 19 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Travis Kelce finished 2018 as fantasy's leading tight end scorer. He was second in the position in receptions (1336), second in receiving yards (1,336) and second in receiving touchdowns (10).
We see no reason for a slowdown this week against the Colts as Indy allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends in 2018. The Colts gave up four 100-yard games to the position, which led to the team giving up the most receiving yards (1,194) to TEs. Start Kelce with confidence this week.
Week 17 vs. Oakland Raiders
Travis Kelce went 5-54 last week, which isn't great, but it's more than most tight ends can manage in 2018. He should be fine this week against the Raiders, a team he dominated earlier in the year. Just to refresh your memory, Kelce set season highs in receptions (12), yards (168), and touchdowns (2) against Oakland in the first matchup. He's an easy must-start TE1 option again in Week 17.
Week 16 at Seattle Seahawks
Travis Kelce saw a team-high nine targets as he finished 7-61 last week. He's now had at least five receptions in every game since Week 1 with 7+ catches in eight of those 13 games. He's one of the few tight ends consistently putting up big numbers, and it doesn't really matter what the matchup is. Kelce should be viewed as a must-start TE1 this week against the Seahawks.
Week 15 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Travis Kelce was a nice safety blanket last week, catching seven passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. He's scored 10 times this season, including seven times in his last six games. He's been one of the very few bright spots at the TE position in 2018.
Having said that, he did have one bad game this year and that was Week 1 against ... the Chargers. Kelce caught one pass for six yards against L.A., and now he faces the Chargers again this week. We highly doubt he has a performance like that again. He should be all-systems-go as a must-start TE1.
Week 14 vs. Baltimore Ravens
Travis Kelce exploded last week, pretty much single handedly winning fantasy matchups, especially in PPR formats. He finished with 12 catches on 13 targets for 168 yards and two touchdowns. He's now had back-to-back 100-yard games with Sammy Watkins out of the lineup, and with Watkins out again this week we expect him to continue to get plenty of looks.
Despite the Ravens having one of the best defenses in the league, they've surprisingly been somewhat favorable to tight ends this season. Baltimore has allowed a TD to a TE in five of its last six games. Kelce is a must-start TE1 this week.
Week 13 at Oakland Raiders
Travis Kelce caught 10 of his 15 targets in the Chiefs last game, going for 127 yards and a touchdown. He now has four 100-yard games (as well as a 99 and 95-yard game) this season as he continues to prove he's one of the best tight ends in football at the moment.
He gets a good matchup against the Raiders this week who have allowed four 100-yard games to the tight end position in 2018. Given Kelce's production and the favorable matchup, it's easy to see why he's a must-start TE1.
