Chiefs "optimistic" Travis Kelce will play Week 2

NBC's Melissa Stark reported during Thursday night's season opener that the Chiefs are "optimistic" TE Travis Kelce (knee) will be ready for Week 2. Kelce worked out in the pool on Thursday morning but couldn't produce any power off that injured knee, per Stark. We'll track Kelce's progress when Kansas City gets back to work next week.

The Chiefs and TE Travis Kelce agreed to a two-year, $34.25 million contract extension, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It makes Kelce the league's highest-paid TE and keeps him with Kansas City through the 2027 season. He'll be 38 by that point. We'll see whether Kelce plays through the life of this contract, but it looks like he'll retire as a Chief. His 14.8 PPR points per game last year were his fewest since 2016 -- but were still enough to lead all TEs. Kelce sits atop our 2024 fantasy football TE rankings.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce said after Sunday's Super Bowl win that he'll be back for the 2024 season. There had been some whispers that he'd retire, especially if the Chiefs won another title. But Kelce will help Kansas City gun for a three-peat. The 34-year-old averaged 14.8 PPR points per game this past year -- his fewest since 2016 but still enough to lead all TEs. Kelce then racked up 32 catches, 355 yards, and three TDs across four playoff games. He sits atop our 2024 fantasy football TE rankings.

The Chiefs downgraded TE Travis Kelce to out for today's game vs. the Chargers. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported this morning that Kelce would play long enough to get the 16 yards he needs for 1,000, but HC Andy Reid evidently wised up since then and will hold Kelce out of this meaningless game. Noah Gray figures to operate as Kansas City's lead TE and is in play as a cheap DFS option.

The Chiefs are expected to play TE Travis Kelce long enough vs. the Chargers today to get him the 16 yards he needs for 1,000 total, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. It'd be Kelce's eighth straight 1,000-yard season. Expect Kelce to be pulled as soon as he gets those 16 yards, with the Chiefs having nothing to play for today. Kelce still isn't a recommended Week 18 fantasy play, although this news is a knock against TE Noah Gray's viability.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce was held to 3 catches for 16 yards against the Bengals on Sunday. Kelce was unable to get open in what should have been a smash match-up, drawing only 4 targets. Kelce still finishes the fantasy season (for most leagues) tied for the position lead in PPR points per game. But that comes with his lowest scoring average since 2016. Kelce's 14.7 points per contest fall nearly 4.0 short of last year's average. It's no surprise for the 34-year-old to be trending downward at this point. It's fair to wonder, however, how much the season-opening knee injury and then a Week 5 ankle sprain limited him. Kelce probably shouldn't be drafted so far ahead of the rest of the position in 2024, but it's tough to knock him too far when a disappointing year still has him tied for the scoring lead. We'll be very curious to see where he goes in early best-ball drafts. Kelce's likely to be a tough sell in dynasty leagues this offseason.