Kansas City Chiefs - Fantasy News

Travis Kelce 2017 Fantasy Projections

by Tom Joyce

8/13/17

NFL

Kansas City Chiefs

Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce has been named a Pro Bowl tight end in each of the past two seasons and was even an All-Pro selection in 2016, which was the best year of his career to date.

He is still a young and attractive fantasy football option even though there are a couple of factors that could prevent him from reaching his full potential.

Why Travis Kelce Will Be A 2017 Fantasy Football Stud

Over the course of his NFL career, Kelce has become more and more valuable to the Kansas City Chiefs offense. He went from playing in just one game his rookie year in 2013 to being a key piece of the unit and seeing increases in targets, receptions and receiving yards each and every year.

Since he is entering his fifth season and is still only 27 years old, it is realistic to think he is still improving as a football player, and that alone could lead him to be used more and have better results this upcoming season. Last year, Kelce had 85 receptions for 1,125 yards and four touchdowns. It was a performance that was good for 11.66 Dober Fantasy Points per game.

Kelce showed the ability to go off last year. As the season progressed, he really started to put together some big performances. From Week 11 to Week 14, he had over 100 receiving yards in each game, including an 11-reception, 160-yard, one-touchdown showing in Week 16. If that late-season momentum carries over, then he could be a monster this year.

The Chiefs tight end is a highly efficient target, catching 72.6 percent of the balls intended for him, which was higher than his quarterback’s completion percentage. Alex Smith, one of the most efficient signal callers in the league, completed 67.1 percent of his passes last season.

Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is no longer a member of the Chiefs, and their big offseason addition at the position was fourth-round draft pick Jehu Chesson. Since Cheson is a rookie, it is realistic to expect he will have a smaller role than Maclin, who was a Pro Bowler in 2014. If this is true, then the rest of the Chiefs pass catchers should see an uptick in targets.  

Why Travis Kelce Will Be A 2017 Fantasy Football Bust

Last year, Smith only had 15 touchdown passes, which is a big reason why Kelce is not considered an elite fantasy football player. He was still second on the team in scoring receptions behind Tyreek Hill, but the offense’s inability to consistently move down the field resulted in a lack of touchdowns.

While he has not missed any games due to injury since his rookie year, Kelce underwent offseason shoulder surgery a few months back. So there is a chance he will not be ready in time for the start of training camp. Even if he does feel good and partake in drills, it is still a serious injury to come back from, and it could hinder his preparation for the season and his overall production in 2017.