The Kansas City Chiefs are locked into the third seed in the AFC playoffs and have already announced that starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes will sit against the Chargers in Week 18.
What does that mean for tight end Travis Kelce? Will the veteran play in Week 18? And if he does, will he play the full game or make a swift exit from the field?
Read on for analysis of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce heading into Week 18.
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Travis Kelce Fantasy Football Outlook
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce enters Sunday with 93 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns this season. That puts him 16 yards shy of his eighth 1,000-yard season in a row.
The Chiefs announced that Mahomes would sit out this week, with Blaine Gabbert taking the reins at QB for Kansas City, but head coach Andy Reid stopped short of saying other players would sit.
Instead, Reid suggested that he would "rotate the other guys in as we go." Kelce's likely one of those other guys, so even if he suits up, fantasy managers shouldn't expect a full workload from Kelce.
Should I Start Travis Kelce in Week 18?
If Travis Kelce plays in Week 18, it's likely just because the star tight end is trying to hit that 1,000-yard mark. Once he does, Kansas City has no motivation to keep Kelce in the football game.
So, fantasy managers who need a tight end in Week 18 are likely going to need to look elsewhere. If you're desperate, you can hope that Kelce's 16 yards happen to involve a touchdown, but without one, he's unlikely to post big numbers.
This could be a good spot for DFS lineups to feature KC's backup tight end, Noah Gray. He has seven targets over the past two games and would likely play more of Kelce's role if Kelce exits the Week 18 contest against the Chargers early on.
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