Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has dominated fantasy rankings since 2016; how does his 2022 season project in a brand new offense?
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been, far and away, the most productive player at his position for the past half-decade.
Every year somebody comes around to suggest that George Kittle or Darren Waller is superior, but Kelce refuses to surrender the throne. As a matter of fact, Kelce has had the most receiving yards of any pass-catcher since 2016 (7,269).
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Kelce is the only tight end in NFL history to compile six 1,000-yard seasons and has put them together consecutively over the stretch that CBS highlighted above. Although many have tried to question it, and an ESPN survey ranked him as the second-best tight end in the league ahead of the 2022 season, Kelce’s production is undeniable, and his value as a fantasy football asset will remain for the upcoming season.
Nearly all of the Chiefs’ discussion throughout the slow time of the offseason was prognostication for the new look offense. The wide receivers will either propel Patrick Mahomes to new heights or derail his current trajectory. The running backs will either unlock a previously unknown portion of Andy Reid’s playbook or remain the same stick in the mud they have been in recent memory. The only guarantee—the only consistent and perpetually reliable piece—went completely undiscussed. Travis Kelce remains the ultimate threat, and he will continue to produce in 2022 just as he has over the past five years.
Per Fantasy Pros standard scoring metrics, In 2021, Mark Andrews had the most fantasy points scored by a tight end with 185.6, and Kelce finished in second with 161.4. It was only the second time since 2016 that Kelce did not finish atop tight ends in total scoring (2017 Rob Gronkowski, NE).
The arguments made against Travis Kelce being TE1 are rooted in scheme and opportunity. In the case of the Baltimore Ravens, Andrews is poised for another big year after the team traded away Marquise Brown on draft day. Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay are each poised for a breakout season, but you can rest assured that with his true WR1 being shipped away, Lamar Jackson will be leaning heavily on Mark Andrews.
Does any of that sound familiar?
In terms of this Chiefs scheme, on any given Sunday, any pass catcher could emerge as the “plan A” for the entire afternoon. On paper, it is likely that teams will give secondary help on Kelce more often than not, but if the plan for the day isn’t centric around the tight end, teams will have to adjust, and Kelce will still get his. After what we’ve seen year-over-year, and considering what we know about how this new-look offense is compiled, the role of a spatially dominant, receiving tight end will remain meteoric.
If you’re sitting on the back-end of round two in your fantasy draft and feel torn between Travis Kelce or someone who he has outperformed over the past five years, push any doubts or concerns about his age or health to the back of your mind. If you let him slide, the F.O.M.O in 2022 will ruin your season altogether.