Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Little room to operate in win
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Kelce finished with four receptions (five targets) for 17 yards in Sunday's 28-18 win over the 49ers.
It was clear that the 49ers came into this contest with a game plan to limit Kelce for a shorthanded Chiefs offense. While the opponent's defensive strategy was successful, it did not lead to a win, as Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City's rushing attack (four combined touchdowns) took care of business Sunday. Kelce was coming off of a pair of strong fantasy outings in his previous two contests, so managers will be hoping for a bounce-back performance against the Raiders next Sunday.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Season-best effort in win
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Kelce secured nine of 10 targets for 70 yards in the Chiefs' 26-13 win over the Saints on Monday night.
Kelce led the Chiefs in receptions and targets on the night with figures that also qualified as season highs. The star tight end has reemerged over the last pair of contests after a worrisome first three games, having generated a 14-159-0 line in the former span. Kelce's contributions have been particularly critical considering the depleted nature of the team's receiving corps, which has now lost its top two members in Rashee Rice (IR, knee) and Marquise Brown (IR, shoulder). Kelce should continue to play an elevated role when Kansas City emerges from a Week 6 bye to face the 49ers in a road Super Bowl rematch on Sunday, Oct. 20.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Performance improves
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Kelce recorded seven receptions on nine targets for 89 yards in Sunday's 17-10 win over the Chargers.
After combining to earn only 12 targets through three games this season, Kelce finally saw a more significant role in the Chiefs' offense. He had a few big gains on the day, the longest of which was a 38-yard catch down the right sideline on the team's first possession. While Kelce isn't likely to return to his production from past campaigns, he'll almost certainly regain his role as the centerpiece of the offense with Rashee Rice (knee) suffering an apparent long-term injury Sunday.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Still searching for breakout game
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Kelce caught four of five targets for 30 yards in Sunday's 22-17 win over the Falcons.
Kelce's slow start continued in the first half, as he had just four yards on two targets. He made a nine-yard catch on the first play of the third quarter and added an 18-yard catch four plays later but then went quiet again. The star tight end has a meager 69 receiving yards and has yet to score a touchdown heading into a Week 4 road game against the Chargers.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Slow start continues
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Kelce caught one of three targets for five yards and added a one-yard run in Sunday's 26-25 win over the Bengals.
Kelce came just short of his first touchdown of the season in the third quarter, getting tackled inside the 1-yard line before backup left tackle Wanya Morris caught a touchdown on the next play to give Kansas City a 17-16 lead. The star tight end had a 41-yard catch called back on a holding penalty in the fourth quarter, so he came close to significantly improving his meager stat line on two separate occasions. As things stand, Kelce has just 39 receiving yards on the season heading into Week 3 against the Falcons.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Quiet night in opener
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Kelce caught three of four targets for 34 yards in a 27-20 win over the Ravens on Thursday night.
Kelce had an uncharacteristically quiet performance to start the season, with fellow tight end Noah Gray actually matching his reception total and outgaining him by three yards. Most of Kelce's production came on an impressive 23-yard reception, as the veteran star ceded the spotlight to Rashee Rice and rookie first-round pick Xavier Worthy. Kelce should have a more robust role other weeks this season, and he'll aim to make good on that possibility against the Bengals in Week 2.
Kelce caught one reception for eight yards on one target in Saturday's preseason game against Detroit.
What looked like a nifty trick play turned out to be a comical and fortuitous accident, as Patrick Mahomes threw a behind-the-back screen pass to Kelce that was later clarified as Kelce running the wrong route and Mahomes throwing behind the back out of momentary necessity. Either way, it's more of the same story from the past six years -- Mahomes and Kelce dominating, be it by accident or design. Particularly with the downfield speed of Marquise Brown (shoulder) and Xavier Worthy spreading defenses thin, Kelce should see a lot of targets in 2024.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: One catch in preseason loss
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Kelce brought in his only target for seven yards in the Chiefs' 26-13 preseason loss to the Jaguars on Saturday night.
Kelce was out there with the rest of the Chiefs' first-team offense on the opening possession and on the receiving end of Patrick Mahomes' third and final completion of the night. The perennial Pro Bowl tight end doesn't realistically need many preseason reps, but he could see at least a couple of additional possessions in Kansas City's second preseason game next Saturday afternoon against the Lions.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Inks two-year extension
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Kelce and the Chiefs agreed to terms Monday on a two-year extension that makes him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The exact terms of Kelce's new extension have yet to be disclosed, but coming off another Super Bowl title and heading into his age-35 season, Kelce's pay rate will top his position. The four-time All-Pro had logged seven consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards before being held to a 93-984-5 receiving line in 2023, but in Kansas City's four postseason contests he operated in prime form, scoring three touchdowns while never falling below 70 receiving yards. The Chiefs added veteran wideout Marquise Brown (heel) and rookie first-round pick Xavier Worthy this offseason, and both players are capable of taking the top off opposing defenses, which could open things up for Kelce during the 2024 campaign. Those additions may also foreshadow a more aggressive offensive game plan led by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Nine receptions in Super Bowl
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Kelce recorded nine receptions (on 10 targets) for 93 yards in Sunday's 25-22 overtime victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
Kelce was held nearly silent in the first half, as he had only one catch on one target for one yard. However, he came alive in the final two quarters to help the Chiefs to a comeback Super Bowl victory. His biggest play of the game came on the final drive of regulation, when he shook free of Fred Werner and picked up 22 yards to give Harrison Butker a short field-goal attempt to tie the game. Kelce had a relatively underwhelming regular season, but he posted no fewer than 70 receiving yards in each of Kansas City's four postseason games while also tallying three touchdowns in the same span.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Monster game en route to Super Bowl
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Kelce hauled in all 11 of his targets Sunday for 116 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs' 17-10 win over the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.
Kelce hit the ground running with three receptions, including a 19-yard touchdown, on the Chiefs' first offensive possession Sunday. The star tight end would team up with Patrick Mahomes eight more times as the teammates proceeded to systematically dissect one of the top-rated defenses in the league. Kansas City's defense flexed its own muscles to close out the low-scoring victory and send Kelce and Co. to Las Vegas to face either the Lions or the 49ers on Sunday, Feb. 11 for Super Bowl LVIII.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: First touchdowns since Week 11
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Kelce recorded five receptions on six targets for 75 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 27-24 win over the Bills.
Kelce snapped out of a significant slump in the wild-card round, and he took another step forward against the Bills. His strong rapport with Patrick Mahomes shone through, as he led the Chiefs in targets and accounted for two of the team's three touchdowns with catches of 22 and three yards. The performance was particularly well-timed, as it was Kelce's first time finding the end zone since Week 11 and his first multi-touchdown game of the season. He'll face a tough test in the AFC Championship Game against Baltimore, as the Ravens have allowed only three scores to opposing tight ends this season.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Won't play Sunday
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Kelce (coach's decision) has been ruled out for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Chargers.
Kelce was limited in all three of Kansas City's practices this week but approached the contest without an injury designation. However, with the Chiefs locked into the No. 3 seed in the the AFC playoffs, the star tight end will end up being rested Sunday along with other key starters such as quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In his absence, Noah Gray and Blake Bell are slated to serve as the team's tight ends. Kelce will finish the 2023 campaign with 93 catches for 984 yards and five touchdowns over 15 games, spelling an end to his streak of seven consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Cleared to play Week 18
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Kelce (neck) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Chargers.
Kelce was limited in all three of Kansas City's practices but will be available for the regular-season finale. Locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC either way, the Chiefs have the option to rest some of their top players in preparation for the playoffs, and they will be starting Blaine Gabbert rather than Patrick Mahomes under center. Kelce needs just 16 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for the eighth consecutive season, but it's likely that he'll play just long enough to reach that threshold before joining Mahomes on the sidelines.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Logs limited practice
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Kelce was a limited participant at practice Wednesday due to a neck injury.
Kelce's neck issue doesn't appear to be a major concern, and he'll still have two more opportunities to practice fully this week before the Chiefs decide whether he carries a designation into Sunday's game against the Chargers. However, with the Chiefs locked in as the AFC's No. 3 seed in the playoffs, the tight end will be a candidate to be rested this weekend, especially if he's less than 100 percent. Kelce approaches Week 18 action needing 16 more receiving yards to hit the 1,000-yard mark for the eighth consecutive season.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Poor performance against Bengals
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Kelce recorded three catches on four targets for 16 yards in Sunday's 25-17 win over the Bengals.
Kansas City's offense showed signs of improvement in its Week 17 win over the Bengals, though that didn't carry over to Kelce's individual performance. Instead, his longest gain of the day went for only 10 yards, and he was held under 50 receiving yards for the third straight contest. Despite the poor close to the campaign, Kelce needs only 16 yards in Kansas City's regular-season finale to reach the century mark for the eighth straight year.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Five receptions in Christmas loss
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Kelce caught five of seven targets for 44 yards in Monday's 20-14 loss to the Raiders.
Vegas' pass rush was in Patrick Mahomes' face most of the afternoon, but surprisingly Kelce didn't see added target volume as a safety valve for his QB. The tight end has seen double-digit targets only three times this season -- his lowest total since 2019 -- but Kelce still sits just 32 yards short of his eighth straight 1,000-yard campaign heading into a Week 17 clash with a Bengals defense that ranks last in the league in catches and yards allowed to TEs in 2023.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Five grabs against Pats
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Kelce caught five of seven targets for 28 yards in Sunday's 27-17 win over the Patriots.
Bill Belichick's defense made it a priority to stop Kelce from beating them, and while it wasn't a successful formula for winning the game, it did lead the tight end to his lowest yardage total since Week 9. Kelce is 76 yards short of another 1,000-yard campaign and 15 receptions away from his fourth season with at least 100, and he'll look to pad his totals in Week 16 against a Raiders defense he delivered a 6-91-0 line against on seven targets in their first 2023 meeting.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Top DFS Play
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I have Kelce projected for three more Fantasy points than any other tight end this weekend. The price difference between him and Trey McBride just doesn't cover that. The Patriots have been a difficult matchup for tight ends this season but they haven't played very many good tight ends either. Dalton Kincaid scored 15 PPR Fantasy points against this defense and Jake Ferguson scored 14.7.
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Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Top DFS Play
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Kelce is back on the main slate in a potential shootout against a Bills defense that he has torched in the past. That's good timing because cash game mainstay Tray McBride is on bye. George Kittle is the only other tight end I would consider in cash games in Week 14.
