Road to TE1: Travis Kelce

Still going strong at 34, Travis Kelce ended 2023 as the fantasy TE3 in all formats despite seeing his streak of seven straight 1,000-yard seasons come to an end. Despite finally showing a slight statistical decline, Kelce still has a path back to overall TE1 status with tight end being as wide-open as ever.

Kelce's qualifications as a fantasy stalwart have nearly become a broken record a decade into his NFL career. For nearly his entire time as a professional he has been considered a first-round pick in re-draft leagues and has been widely regarded as the overall TE1 for the overwhelming majority of his tenure.

Even though his yardage total regressed from 1,338 in 2022 to 984 in 2023, Kelce still led Kansas City in receiving yards for the second straight year. However, Rashee Rice's late-season surge gave the team hope at wideout for the first time since Tyreek Hill's departure, causing many to believe he holds the keys to the passing game in 2024.

With Kelce aging, Kansas City made a clear effort in the offseason to build their lackluster receiver room ahead of 2024. Rice is still expected to lead the group but the front office added veteran Marquise Brown on top of drafting electric rookie Xavier Worthy to potentially construct the best receiving corps Patrick Mahomes will have to date.

How Travis Kelce can become the overall TE1 in 2024

Assuming Kelce takes a step back in his 11th season to Rashee Rice, he has still proven that being the second option of a Patrick Mahomes-led offense is more valuable than the alpha on most other teams. Even with his receiving stats dropping across the board, Kelce is still the go-to short-yardage and red-zone target until proven otherwise.

While backup Noah Gray logged a 52 percent snap share, Kelce continued to dominate all of the red zone work. Kelce received 20 red zone target in 2023 to just three for Gray. Overall, his 20 targets tied David Njoku for the second-most in the league behind Jake Ferguson.

However, Kelce turned that usage into just five touchdowns, a far cry from the 12 he notched in 2022. Five scores is not a particularly low count for the position but with his yard total expected to further decrease in 2024, the touchdowns will need to rise for Kelce to become the TE1. Even with the improved pass-catching unit, none of the top receivers on the team have been particularly effective in the red zone.

A regression is expected for Kelce but it is difficult to deny the long-reigning TE1 until the evidence is overwhelming. A reinstatement as the overall TE1 is unlikely with his age but barring a significant downfall, Kelce will still be a locked-in top 10 option.