Travis

Kelce

Chiefs RG Trey Smith (ankle) is also doubtful, and Chiefs LT Josh Simmons (wrist) was recently placed on injured reserve. The Texans’ pass rush generates pressure at the NFL’s second-highest rate (42.4 percent). This is a tough break for QB Patrick Mahomes. Expect him to funnel targets to WR Rashee Rice and TE Travis Kelce on short routes.

Kelce found paint on the final play of the third quarter to send the Chiefs to a 14-7 lead, but things would stall out in the second quarter as they were held off the scoreboard on their final two possessions of the first half. He extended his franchise record for total touchdowns scored that he set two weeks ago, something he’ll look to replicate in a difficult matchup against the Texans in Week 14.

Kelce almost saved the day for fantasy managers with a rushing touchdown early in the game. He lined up as the Chiefs’ quarterback at the four-yard line, kept the ball on a read option play, and ran straight into the end zone for an easy score. The play was then nixed by the refs via a questionable facemask call on Jawaan Taylor. Kelce was relegated to check-down duties for much of the remaining three quarters. Though his counting stats have been muted by the return of Rashee Rice, Kelce is still good finding holes in zone coverage and has scored twice in his past four games. He gets a great matchup with the Cowboys’ next week, keeping him well inside the TE1 ranks for Week 13.

Kelce is currently in his 13th NFL season and is scheduled to enter free agency at the end of the year. The veteran tight end said he will not be making any decisions about his future until after the 2025 season concludes, and intends to give the Chiefs the “opportunity” to prepare for the draft and free agency with his decision in mind. Stay tuned.

Operating mainly as a zone receiver in this one, Kelce had a drop, but bounced back with a catch-and-score by scooting past Talanoa Hufanga. The score was his 84th career touchdown, putting him ahead of Priest Holmes on the Chiefs all-time list. After looking mostly like a low-end TE1 early in the season, Kelce has now managed 19 catches for 256 yards and two touchdowns in his last three games. He’ll be a mid-range TE1 against the Colts in Week 12.

Kelce seemed to catch passes only when the Chiefs were desperate for a big conversion. He may now lack the athleticism to consistently get away from linebackers in coverage, but he’s tremendous at finding soft spots in the defense when Mahomes is pressured and needs to make a play off script. That’s where Kelce shined tonight, and he almost had a bigger day as Mahomes missed him in the end zone for a potential touchdown. The 36-year-old is a low-end TE1 at this point.

Although Kelce returned a vintage performance in the box scores, he had yet another drop that turned into a Patrick Mahomes interception that hit him in the hands - the second such occurrence of the season. Kelce did most of his damage in the YAC department in this one, breaking free for gains of 38 and 31 yards against the beleaguered Washington defense. The offense remains centered on Rashee Rice, but Kelce brings an established red zone role to an offense that has now scored 28 points or more in five straight. That sets the veteran up well to return TE1 numbers against in Week 9 when the Chiefs face off against the Bills.

Two of Kelce’s three targets came on the Chiefs’ first offensive possession. He ripped off a 44-yard gain on a first-and-twenty to help position the Chiefs for their first of four-straight drives ending in a touchdown, but saw only one target for the remainder of the day. The return of Rashee Rice, who saw 10 targets in the victory, likely ate a bit into Kelce’s workload. The veteran tight end had been averaging 6.2 targets per game through the Chiefs’ first six games of the season, and the three targets he saw on Sunday were his fewest of any game this season. He could become harder to trust going forward with Rice and the rest of the Chiefs receivers healthy, but will remain on the TE1 radar vs. the Commanders thanks to six teams going on bye in Week 8.

The Chiefs have no plans to ease Rice back into the starting lineup after he was suspended for the season’s first six games. Rice, according to Fowler, “has been in the building for weeks, had an excellent training camp and is in peak physical shape. A team source says Rice will be ‘full bore’ this week as he gets back onto the practice field.” It sound like fantasy managers can expect something close to a full route share and Rice’s normal role as a dominator of intermediate targets from Patrick Mahomes against a vulnerable Vegas secondary. Rice’s return will likely hurt Travis Kelce’s targets as he loses out on those intermediate looks.

Kelce caught Patrick Mahomes’ first pass attempt for a 15-yard gain on the team’s first possession to set the tone for the evening, shaking free up the middle on multiple occasions to return his best yards per reception and total yardage outing of the season. It will be interesting to see how the tam incorporates Rashee Rice back into the offense as the second-year wide receiver is due back from a six-game suspension in Week 7 against the Buccaneers. It could leave Kelce with a muted role until later in the season when games begin to bear more weight.