Fantasy Football Player Notes

At this point in his career, we know what to expect out of Travis Kelce. He's a low-end TE1, and that's fine, but I don't see a path for him returning to top 3-5 status for 2026. Over the last two years, he has been the TE9 and TE7 in fantasy points per game. Yes, the Chiefs will remain a pass-first offense, but it's fair to question when we'll see Patrick Mahomes play in 2026 and what version of him will be under center. Mahomes is coming off a torn ACL, and that cast of pass-catching characters at his disposal didn't change a ton this offseason, which isn't great. Travis Kelce's per-route efficiency screams that he's on the back nine of his career. Last year, among 59 qualifying tight ends, Kelce was 19th in yards per route run, 18th in yards after the catch per reception, and 16th in first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). Those aren't damning numbers, but they aren't anything more than solid and just illuminate the point again that Kelce doesn't have the juice to put up elite per-route metrics anymore to vault him back into the top 3-5 conversation. Kelce will likely post another solid season as a low-end TE1 in 2026.