Travis Kelce's Terrible Fantasy Football Start Should Have Managers Contemplating Trades

Don't trade yet, but fantasy football managers should be getting ready to trade Travis Kelce.

Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) laughs with team mates against the Baltimore Ravens during warm ups at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Most fantasy football managers were aware Travis Kelce wasn't the slam-dunk TE1 he used to be heading into this season. He was still typically being drafted as one of the first three players at the position, however, and he's been an absolute, unmitigated bust at that draft cost thus far this season.

So, what should fantasy football managers do?

Trade him — eventually.

Why You Should Trade Travis Kelce in Fantasy Football (Soon)

Kelce has produced 1.6 and 6.4 PPR fantasy points in his first two games, respectively. Pending Monday Night Football, he is 27th at the position in fantasy scoring. If Dallas Goedert scores even 1 point, Kelce will be pushed down to 28th.

And it's not just his output that has been so worrying. He saw 3 targets in Week 1 and 4 targets in Week 2. He's been on the field for 90% of the Chiefs' offensive snaps (actually his highest since 2019), but that's because both of their games have been down to the wire. And those snaps don't mean a whole lot when he's accounted for just 14% of the Chiefs' targets in the passing game.

Adding to the equation, anecdotally he just does not look as fast or athletic out there — and I don't think you'll even find many Chiefs fans who disagree with that sentiment. He's still incredibly talented and I don't doubt his ability to get open in key situations, but he doesn't look like a guy who is going to be able to turn 3- and 4-target workloads into significant fantasy production with any regularity.

The Chiefs' passing attack may well start to open up with Isiah Pacheco injured, and Hollywood Brown expected to be out for most of the year, Kelce will have his chances. But there's just not enough to like about what we've seen to be optimistic about his season-long outlook.

So that's why managers should be shopping him around — just not quite yet.

Even if we're expecting a bad season from Kelce, we're not expecting him to fail to crack the top 25 at the position.

Early in the season, before injuries have a chance to pile up and before Mahomes has time to build more chemistry with Xavier Worthy or other depth receivers, Kelce should have at least a few big games in him. The Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers are fine matchups over the next two weeks, so keep starting Kelce.

But as soon as he puts up a big game and shakes some of the public ridicule he's been getting to start the season, take your opportunity to cut your losses.