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Is Travis Kelce playing Thursday versus the Lions? Read the injury update and fantasy football outlook for potential waiver wire replacements.
Picture it: You've spent weeks researching player outlooks and mock drafts (on RotoBaller, of course), and you draft the perfect team. You're projected to beat your Week 1 opponent by double digits, and the platform you play on forecasts you to have the most wins in the league.
Then you're hanging out on a Tuesday afternoon (who works these days when fantasy football season is here?), waiting for Thursday night to roll around, and you get an alert that your first-round pick is injured. That's the reality for Travis Kelce managers (including yours truly).
In this era, there's no real replacement for the one-of-a-kind player that the Chiefs tight end has proven to be. For now, we're gritting our teeth and hoping he can play sooner rather than later.
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Is Travis Kelce Playing In Week 1 Against The Lions?
After Travis Kelce suffered a knee injury in practice earlier this week that was diagnosed as a "bone bruise", NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is reporting that Kelce will be out against the Detroit Lions for Thursday's season opener. It appears as though Kelce put forth a valiant effort in a workout this morning, but Kansas City will take the cautious route with their superstar tight end and hold him out of the first game of the NFL season.
Sources: #Chiefs star TE Travis Kelce is out tonight against the #Lions. He made an effort. Either way, the bone bruise should not keep him out long-term. pic.twitter.com/tB9et7Zsbb
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 7, 2023
Replacements For Travis Kelce
With Kelce now ruled out for the season opener against Detroit, those who drafted him must make adjustments. If you were a manager who selected Kelce, you likely did not draft another tight end. So, we're already digging through the waiver wire before the season even begins.
If Tyler Higbee is available, he'd be the top candidate to add to your roster. He'll be the focal point of the Rams' passing attack with the likely absence of wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Other candidates include Juwan Johnson (Saints), Jake Ferguson (Cowboys), and Gerald Everett (Chargers). In a more desperate move, rookies Sam LaPorta (Lions), Luke Musgrave (Packers), or Kelce's replacement Noah Gray (Chiefs) can be streamed.
As for the Chiefs passing attack, an inactive Kelce does not warrant much movement for the rest of the roster outside of a notable boost for backup TE Noah Gray. Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling will see a small bump in targets, but expect Justin Watson, Richie James, and possibly even Justyn Ross or Rashee Rice to see more involvement. Moore would be worth starting as a WR3/Flex candidate. Toney is in the same range, albeit a riskier option.
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