TE Travis Kelce - Kansas City Chiefs

6-5, 255

Born: 10-5-1989

College: Cincinnati

Drafted: Round 3, pick 2013

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Photo: Jay Biggerstaff, US Presswire

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News you need to know

General News (Mon Dec 10): is the first tight end in NFL history with 80+ receptions and 1,000+ receiving yards in three straight seasons, according to the NFL Media Research Department.

Week 15: vs Los Angeles Chargers

All TE vs LAC

FBG says: Tough matchup. Patrick Mahomes continued his MVP-caliber season last week as he led the Chiefs to 377 passing yards and two touchdowns in an overtime victory over the Ravens. Mahomes was pressured heavily in that game while going down for three sacks, but he still managed to deliver spectacular plays to keep the Chiefs alive when it mattered most. Tyreek Hill led the team in receiving with his third game of over 100 receiving yards in the last four weeks despite playing through a couple of separate injuries sustained last week. Hill's more serious injury was to his foot, but despite alarming comments from Hill after the game, reports indicate the injury was not as serious as first thought. This situation will definitely warrant keeping an eye on his practice status given the short week. Chris Conley and Travis Kelce would receive significant bumps if Hill were to be limited. Not that Kelce needs much of a bump here though, as he sits solidly atop the league as the best fantasy tight end in football with at least 77 receiving yards and a touchdown in five of his last six games. Kelce has been a very trusted target of Mahomes, especially in the red zone as he has gone just one week this season without a single red zone look while receiving multiple looks within the 20 yards of the end zone in eight of 13 games played. It was reported late last week that Sammy Watkins will miss the remainder of the season with his lingering foot injury, which means Conley should continue to see the field as the primary WR2. Demarcus Robinson could see his playing time threatened by the recent signing of Kelvin Benjamin, who may see limited snaps as the third receiver as he looks to get his career back on track in this high-flying offense. The Chargers come into this game with one of the better passing defenses in football, giving up just the seventh-fewest passing yards per game and fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Their secondary has a few key pieces that have been critical playmakers throughout the year. Outside of just a couple of performances, most wide receivers have struggled mightily against the likes of Casey Hayward Jr. and Desmond King. King, in particular, has shut down slot receivers all season as one of the best players at his position, which is not good news for Chris Conley this week. Hayward should be expected to shadow Tyreek Hill, who actually had one of his best games of the season against Hayward's coverage in Week 1. Hill will be less than 100 percent if he even plays in this one though, so it is tough to expect a repeat despite his elite talent. Travis Kelce will be in for a challenge here as well, squaring off against defensive rookie of the year favorite Derwin James. Kelce was limited to just one reception for six yards in their Week 1 meeting--by far his worst outing of the season. Since then, the Chargers have allowed just one tight end to cross the 60-yard mark against them.

Recent Stats and Projections

WEEK	OPP		oSNAP	REC	YD	TD	FumL	Pts
11	at LAR		72	10	127	1	0	18.7
13	at OAK		69	12	168	2	1	27.8
14	vs BAL		85	7	77	1	0	13.7
15	vs LAC	PROJ-Dodds	*	7	*	*	*	*
15	vs LAC	PROJ-Tremblay	*	7	*	*	*	*
15	vs LAC	PROJ-Bloom	*	7	*	*	*	*

Weekly Performance vs TE 1, TE 12, TE 24

Percentile ranks

Travis Kelce's percentile rank in each category, among TE with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

2018 Week 14 vs BAL (9 / 7 / 77 / 1 rec)

Travis Kelce caught seven passes for 77 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets in the Chiefs win over the Ravens on Sunday. Despite the Chiefs passing game struggling, Kelce was able to dominate the talented Ravens linebackers. He has proven time and time again that he is nearly impossible to cover, and the Ravens did not have a scheme to stop him. Kelce had 63 yards and a touchdown by the end of the second quarter, and the only thing that held him up from having a much bigger day was Mahomes struggles in the second half. Kelce's touchdown pass came with the Chiefs at the Ravens 15 yard line, facing a third and six. Mahomes took the snap out of shotgun and look to his right before throwing a perfect pass to Kelce who was running full out into the left corner of the end zone. Kelce dusted his defender with a simple fake and then just outran the Ravens coverage to his spot before Mahomes literally put the ball on his hands for the touchdown.

2018 Week 13 vs OAK (13 / 12 / 168 / 2 rec)

Travis Kelce caught 12 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns on 13 targets in the Chiefs win over the Raiders on Sunday. Quite simply, Kelce was a force to be reckoned with, and the Raiders had no answer for him. I don't think there is any doubt that Kelce is the best route-running tight end in the league, but that may be selling him short, as he is one of the best route-runners period. His first touchdown catch was a great example of how well he is able to sell his routes. With the Chiefs at the Raiders three yard line, Mahomes took the snap under center and fake the handoff to Ware, before rolling out to his right. Kelce was lined up out wide to the right, came in motion closer to the slot and then ran a slick route where he cut inside at the goal line, and then after one step pivoted and ran an out-route to the right side of the end zone. Mahomes delivered the ball to Kelce right at the goal line and he was able to cross into the end zone for an easy touchdown. His defender had no way of stopping the play, it was executed perfectly by Kelce. Kelce's second touchdown catch came with the Chiefs on the Raiders six yard line, with 12 seconds to go in the first half. Mahomes took the snap out of shotgun and immediately rolled to his right on a designed play to get him outside the pocket. The play called for Kelce to run a delayed out-route, where Hill ran an in-route in front of him and also acted as sort of a pick to give Kelce room on the goal line. Mahomes threw the ball where only Kelce could get it, low and outside, and Kelce made a fantastic catch on his fingertips while managing to roll inside the end zone to put the Chiefs up 19-7 just before the half. It was a fantastic catch on Kelce's end, and it displayed why he is the most complete tight end in the game today. Opposing defenses that try to sell out and stop Hill deep down the field, have to contend with Kelce between the hash marks, and as he proved in this game, that is a recipe for disaster as Kelce cannot be guarded one on one. Cornerbacks don't have the size to contend with his catch radius, and he is too fast/quick for linebackers. Look for Kelce to continue to his dominant play as the Chiefs face off against a tough Ravens defense in week 15.

2018 Week 11 vs LAR (15 / 10 / 127 / 1 rec)

Travis Kelce caught 10 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown on 15 targets against the Rams on Monday night. Kelce played a big role in this game, especially with the Chiefs having to come from behind the entire night, as he was able to draw enough coverage away from Conley and Hill to give the Chiefs some quick scores. Even against a talented Rams defensive front, Kelce was a mismatch that the Rams needed to account for. On both of Hill's touchdowns, the Rams secondary were beat easily because they were not content in leaving their linebackers in one on one coverage against him. Kelce's touchdown catch came on a second and goal from the Rams four yard line, and it was a good example of how the Chiefs are able to stretch defenses wide, even in the red zone. Kelce was lined up in the left slot and a shallow drag route to the right side of the field. Mahomes took the snap and did not have to survey the coverage long before finding Kelce wide open coming across the field. Kelce was aided by Demetrius Harris, who ran the same route from the right slot, and although it was not called a pick play, it was as close as you can come to one without being called for a penalty.

2018 Week 10 vs ARI (7 / 6 / 46 / 0 rec)

Travis Kelce caught six passes for 46 yards on seven targets against the Cardinals on Sunday. Kelce's seven targets was second only to Hill, but he was still not much of a factor in this game, as his longest catch of the day went for 10 yards. It was the first time in first time in eight games that Kelce had failed to reach 60+ yards, and it also broke his two game scoring streak. While Kelce is not touchdown dependent (five games for 90+ yards), he is reliant on making big plays in the middle of the field. On a day where Hill was the one making the big plays in the middle of the field, Kelce became somewhat of a decoy, which is exactly how the Chiefs offense is set up to attack opposing defenses. The Chiefs have three first-rate options, so it is expected that Kelce will sometimes not have the big games that we are accustomed to seeing from him.

2018 Week 9 vs CLE (9 / 7 / 99 / 2 rec)

Travis Kelce caught seven passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns on nine targets against the Browns on Sunday. Simply put, the Browns secondary could not stop Kelce, as he put on a route running clinic and embarrassed the Browns linebackers with several double moves. Kelce's first touchdown pass was a great example of how difficult he is to defend in the red zone. With Mahomes lined up in the shotgun, Kelce manned the left inside slot position. Kelce ran eight yards upfield and then faked to the outside before breaking into his slant pattern. Kelce established inside position on his defender and Mahomes put the ball where it needed to be for an easy 11 yard touchdown. Kelce's second touchdown catch came with the Chiefs on the Browns 13 yard line. Again, Kelce was lined up in the inside left slot position and ran the same route that he did on his first touchdown catch. This time however, his defender did not bite on the first move which left Kelce running a slant with his defender having the inside position. Mahomes trust Kelce to make a play and threw the ball high and a little behind Kelce, essentially guaranteeing that no one else could make a play on the ball. Kelce went up and high pointed the ball, coming down with an excellent catch for a 13 yard touchdown.

2018 Week 8 vs DEN (10 / 6 / 79 / 1 rec)

Travis Kelce caught six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown on ten targets in the Chiefs win over the Broncos on Sunday. Much like the first time these two teams faced each other (seven catches, 78 yards and a touchdown), Kelce had his way with the Broncos linebackers, consistently beating them in coverage and abusing them with some nasty route-running chops. It was the fifth straight game that Kelce has scored against the Broncos, and in doing so, he ended a three game scoreless streak dating back to week four. Since opening the season with one catch for six yards, Kelce has had either 90 yards or a touchdown in every game but one, and has managed at least five catches in his last seven games. Kelce's only touchdown of the night came early in the first half, with Mahomes lined up in shotgun, and Kelce lined up in the slot position to his left. Mahomes took the snap and waited for Kelce to run his skinny post to the inside of the field. Kelce did a great job setting up the route, as he threw a quick out-fake to the sideline before cutting back to the inside. As soon as his head turned back to the inside, the ball was there in the perfect place for an easy nine yard touchdown. IT was the type of clean route-running that you expect from Kelce, but the fact is he makes it look easy. There are just not that many tight ends in the NFL right now with his combination of size, speed and a PHD level mastery of route running. He continues to be the NFL's Alpha-Dog as the tight end position, using this season to lap an ailing Rob Gronkowski, and not conceding an inch to Zach Ertz, who is also playing very well.

2018 Week 7 vs CIN (5 / 5 / 95 / 0 rec)

Travis Kelce caught five passes for 95 yards on five targets in the Chiefs win over the Bengals on Sunday night. Kelce's 95 yards led the Chiefs on the night, but he was not as much of a factor as that number might lead you to believe. Most of Kelce's receiving yardage came on a 43 yard catch and run late in the first quarter. With the Chiefs at their own 29 yard line facing a third and three, Kelce ran a shallow, quick screen from the left slot position. Mahomes threw a quick pass and Kelce was able to turn his body and deliver a stiff arm to a defender as he turned the corner along the left sideline. The play was designed for three of the Chiefs receivers to run routes, while the fourth, Chris Conley, was set into blocking duty for Kelce. Conley did a great job of sealing off his defender, which allowed Kelce to turn the corner along the left sideline and take off up the field, before eventually being tackled for a 43 yard gain. It was the type of play that you rarely see from a tight end, especially one of Kelce's size. Despite being held out of the endzone for the third straight game, Kelce is averaging five catches and 85 yards per game over that span.

2018 Week 6 vs NE (9 / 5 / 61 / 0 rec)

Travis Kelce caught five of nine targets for 61 yards against the Patriots on Sunday night. Much like Watkins, Kelce did not play a large part in this game because his teammates were busy breaking off one big play after another in the second half. The good news is that Kelce still saw 25% of Mahomes targets. All of Kelce's catches came in the first half, and he did manage to make back to back catches of 17 and nine yards to set up a Chiefs field goal. As was the case in the 2017 opening game matchup between these teams, the Patriots locked onto Kelce in key situations, especially in the red zone, which enabled his teammates to get behind the Patriots secondary. His contributions to the offense in this game were more about drawing coverage away from Hill, than catching first downs or touchdowns. Prior to this game, Kelce had either 100+ receiving yards or a touchdown in four straight games, including 100+ yards in three of those four games. He remains a vital part of the Chiefs passing game and will certainly have big games ahead this season.

2018 Week 5 vs JAX (8 / 5 / 100 / 0 rec)

Travis Kelce led the Chiefs receivers with five catches for 100 yards on eight targets against the Jaguars on Sunday. Since his quiet week one debut (one catch for six yards), Kelce has amassed 27 catches for 401 yards and three touchdowns in his last four games, including three games with 100+ yards. Kelce's route-running chops were on full display against the Jaguars, as he straight up embarrassed their linebackers on several occasions. The first came on a second and 10 from the Jaguars 26 yard line. Kelce lined up in the right slot position and ran a very slow moving route for the first five yards, which turned out to be a ruse and a way to sell his fake. With the Jaguars Telvin Smith approaching him, Kelce stutter-stepped and threw a fake to the outside, as though he was going to run a shallow out-route to the right sideline. Smith completely went for the fake, and it was as bad as you'll ever see a tight end faking out a linebacker on a route. Kelce then ran an in-route to the middle of the field where Mahomes threw him the ball. Kelce was able to pick up another seven yards after the catch and set up the Chiefs in the red zone. Kelce's biggest play of the day though, came on a second and eight from the 50 yard line. Kelce ran a shallow in-route to the middle of the field and Mahomes passed it to him in stride. As soon as Kelce caught the ball, he put one foot in the ground and juked/pivoted back to the outside of the field, leaving linebacker Barry Church in the dust. Kelce ran the ball all the way down to the Jaguars nine yard line.

2018 Week 4 vs DEN (12 / 7 / 78 / 1 rec)

Travis Kelce led the Chiefs receivers with seven catches for 78 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets. While Kelce went catch-less in the first half, he came out firing in the second half and was a big reason why the Chiefs were able to pull off a comeback in Denver. Kelce was unstoppable in the middle of the field in the second half, as the Broncos tried to stop the Chiefs running game. With Mahomes ability to scramble, Kelce goes from a mismatch to completely uncoverable. On third and 11 from the Broncos 32 yard line, the Broncos brought a big rush as Mahomes was forced out of the pocket. Mahomes didn't head upfield right away, keeping himself behind the line of scrimmage long enough for Kelce to turn his comeback route into a deep post to the middle of the field. Mahomes found Kelce at the Denver seven yard line and Kelce nearly scored on that play before being tackled at the three yard line. Kelce's touchdown catch came on quick throw where Mahomes lined up under center and Kelce lined up bunched at the end of the right side of the formation. As soon as Mahomes snapped the ball, he threw it to Kelce who was able to get his momentum moving forward, which allowed him to barrel his way through the Denver defense for a two yard touchdown.

2018 Week 3 vs SF (10 / 8 / 114 / 0 rec)

Travis Kelce led the Chiefs receivers in catches and yards, snagging eight passes for 114 yards on 10 targets. Mahomes went to Kelce early and often in this game, with Kelce totaling 93 yards on five catches before the 1st half ended. Kelce's best play of the day came in the 2nd quarter with the Chiefs in the two minute drill. Facing a 3rd and nine, Kelce lined up on the left side of the formation and ran a comeback route right at the first down line. With a defender draped all over him, Mahomes threw the ball high and to the outside of Kelce, which allowed him to sort of box his man out with his size and try to make a play. The ball had some heat on it, which made Kelce's leaping one-handed catch even that more impressive. Kelce was also able to pick up five more yards after the catch despite having his defender on him the entire time. Kelce also had a 14 yard reception that bailed out Mahomes after he bobbled the snap, and made himself wide open in the middle of the field. Those two plays went a long way in setting up Sammy Watkins touchdown catch just before the half ended. Kelce would go on to make three more catches in the 2nd half, and aside from the reception on third down mentioned above, it seemed as though Kelce was wide open on every route he ran.

2018 Week 2 vs PIT (10 / 7 / 109 / 2 rec)

Travis Kelce led the Chiefs receivers in catches, yards and touchdowns against the Steelers, finishing with seven receptions for 109 yards and two scores on 12 targets. This game was a great example of how much trouble opposing defenses are going to have against the Chiefs offense. As soon as the defense starts to adjust and place more emphasis on shutting down the Chiefs speed on the outside of the field, Kelce steps in and absolutely destroys them in the middle of the field. That is essentially what happened here, as the Steelers had no answer for Kelce. He caught both touchdowns on essentially the same play, just from different sides of the formation. Kelce runs the shallow slant in the red zone as well as any receiver in the league. The shallow slant allows for more options for the quarterback and lets Kelce use his big body and wide catch radius to adjust to how the quarterback throws the route. On his first touchdown catch, Mahomes threw the ball hard and a little behind Kelce, which was done to minimize any potential chance opposing defenders had of breaking up the play. Mahomes throws a hard ball, but Kelce still made the necessary adjustments and came down with a very nice catch. His second touchdown was a much easier catch for Kelce, a little out in front of him and low but still a routine touchdown catch for an All-Pro like Kelce.

2018 Week 1 vs LAC (6 / 1 / 6 / 0 rec)

Travis Kelce caught one pass for six yards on six targets against the Chargers on Sunday. Kelce has led the Chiefs in targets for the last three years, but if Sunday is any indication of things to come, Kelce will be surrendering that title to Tyreek Hill. Kelce's lone catch came on a short out-route to the left sideline where he caught the ball and was immediately tackled for a six yard gain. While Mahomes was guilty of some wild throws, Kelce did also drop an easy catch that came on a curl-route where there was no reason to drop the pass. Hill is not going to dominate the touches every game, and there will be plenty of work for Kelce going forward.

Latest News

Chiefs | Travis Kelce keeps on rolling (Sun Dec 9, 09:16 PM) - Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce caught seven of his nine targets for 77 yards and a touchdown in a 27-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14.

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Chiefs | Travis Kelce goes off in road win (Sun Dec 2, 11:43 PM) - Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce rolled up 12 receptions for a career-high 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Week 13 win against the Oakland Raiders on 13 targets, the most allowed by an Oakland defense against an opposing tight end.

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