Travis

Kelce

He had an uncharacteristic drop over the middle, and only managed three red-zone targets in the contest. One of them, though, he was open on a cover-zero look from the Raiders and Patrick Mahomes simply placed it to the opposite shoulder of what Kelce was looking for. Rough. He’ll be a realistic TE1 against the Chargers in Week 14 but this offense is struggling enough that it is hard to call him much more than that.

Kelce had a decent day despite two drops, though it was again TE Noah Gray who had a big statistical outing. Gray for the second straight week caught two touchdowns from Patrick Mahomes — one on a wide open pass against busted coverage in the Carolina secondary. In an increasingly pass-first Kansas City offense, Kelce now has 40 receptions over his past five games. He’ll be a top fantasy option in Week 13 against the Raiders, who gave up ten catches — including a touchdown — to Kelce in Week 8.

We would say this is a new low, but Kelce caught one pass for just five yards in the Chiefs’ Week 2 win over the Bengals. Still, it was another disappointing game for the veteran tight end, who has five games on his ledger this season in which he failed to hit 40 yards while also being kept out of the end zone. This week’s dud comes on the heels of three-straight TE1 finishes, so we’ll put the overreaction on hold a bit. Kelce is still a must-start in Week 12 against the Panthers.

Patrick Mahomes missed him high on what should have been an easy second touchdown on Kansas City’s final offensive play of the game. Almost all of Kelce’s work was of the checkdown-and-falldown variety, with his touchdown coming as a Denver defender fell to leave him uncovered at the two-yard-line on fourth-and-goal. Rejuvenated with 40 targets since Week 8, Kelce figures to be back in the TE1 overall picture against Buffalo next week even if he doesn’t exactly show much juice in the open field at this point.

Kelce served as the primary target in another game played without both Rashee Rice and JuJu Smith-Schuster, although it was recent acquisition DeAndre Hopkins that scored twice on the evening. Even so, the fantasy returns for the veteran tight end were more than adequate even though he was tackled at the one in overtime. Kareem Hunt would score two plays later to walk it off for the Chiefs and send the team to a perfect 8-0 record as they now turn their sights to the Broncos in Week 10.

All four of Kelce’s box score numbers were season highs, making this the first time he’s found the end zone in 2024. The score marks his 75th career touchdown, moving him up to fifth all-time at the position. The veteran tight end was as surehanded as ever. He is a high-end TE1 against the Buccaneers in Week 9.

Patrick Mahomes and Kelce continue to not put up fantasy relevant numbers and it just doesn’t matter for the Chiefs as they go for a Super Bowl three-peat. Kelce, who trailed Xavier Worthy in targets, nearly came down with a long reception in double coverage late in the game. Kelce’s usually-gaudy target totals will be suppressed for as long as the Chiefs are a run-first offense. He’ll still be a top-10 fantasy play in Week 8 against the Raiders.

Kelce led the team in targets and narrowly scored a touchdown on an inside shuttle pass from four yards out in the third quarter. He was tackled at the one and Patrick Mahomes was picked off on the following play. Only Kelce and JuJu Smith-Schuster saw more than six targets, making it likely this offense continues to operate over the short-to-intermediate areas of the field in the absence of Isiah Pacheco and Rashee Rice. Kelce and the Chiefs get a breather in Week 6 before traveling to San Francisco to face the 49ers in Week 7.

The Chiefs were clearly intent on feeding the aged Kelce after a terribly slow start to the regular season. No other KC player had more than four targets on the day. The loss of Rashee Rice (knee) may have forced more looks Kelce’s way — a trend that could very well continue if Rice is out for an extended period. The Chiefs’ check-down offense could be centered on peppering Kelce from here on out. He’ll face the Saints in Week 5.

The 30 yards were actually the second most on the team behind alpha wide receiver Rashee Rice. Even so, fantasy managers that invested a premium pick in the veteran tight end have now endured three straight mundane fantasy performances to start the season, something we’re not used to seeing with Kelce. Although he clearly lacks the same burst at the top of routes, Kelce remains one of the smartest tight ends in the game and should have better fantasy days ahead.