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The Kansas City Chiefs are a really exciting team in the NFL, and one of their best players is star tight end Travis Kelce. However, some news came out earlier this week that Kelce got hurt during practice. He hurt his knee, and that's got a lot of people who play fantasy football wondering what's going to happen to their teams. In this article, we'll talk about how Travis Kelce's injury might affect fantasy football and what you can do about it.
Travis Kelce in 2022
Travis Kelce was amazing in the 2022 NFL season, especially for fantasy football. He was the best tight end for fantasy football in six of the last seven seasons. People thought he was so good that they were picking him in the first round of the 2023 fantasy football draft. Kelce has been really good for a long time, and he's one of the best receivers in the league. Having said that, because of his recent injury, we don't know if he'll play in Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season. Even though he was great last season, his injury makes things uncertain.
Travis Kelce after scoring the Chiefs first Super Bowl LVII touchdown 😂pic.twitter.com/eeMijF9Eix
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 13, 2023
Travis Kelce's Injury
We don't know exactly how badly Kelce's knee is hurt. However, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said it got “hyperextended” during practice. Kelce could walk by himself, but “hyperextended” doesn't tell us much about how bad it is. We're not even sure if he can play in the game against the Lions on Thursday night in Week 1.
Hyperextension is when a joint bends too far in the wrong way, but it doesn't always mean it's a small injury. Kelce will need more tests to know how bad it really is. Some players can play even with a hyperextended knee after just a few days like Mike Evans did in 2021. Still, even that might make it hard for Kelce to play in the first game. It may also have a significant impact on his fantasy football production.
Fantasy Football Impact
Travis Kelce is one of the best tight ends in fantasy football. His injury makes us wonder if he'll play in Week 1 and how good he'll be. If he can't play in Week 1, people who have him on their fantasy football team will need to find someone else. Here are four tight ends you can think about picking if Kelce can't play in Week 1:
- George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
- Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders
- Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
- Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
These tight ends have a lot of upside in 2023 and can score a lot of points for your fantasy football team.
Of course, Kelce being hurt could also change how the Chiefs play. He's an important part of their passing game. If he can't play, other players like Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman might get more chances to catch the ball. So, if you have those players on your fantasy team, they might score more points if Kelce is out. On the flip side, if Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes won't have his top receiver, that might affect his fantasy numbers as well.
Now, the bigger problem is if Kelce's injury is worse than we think, and he can't play for a long time. If that happens, it's going to be really hard to do well in fantasy football when your first-round pick isn't playing.
How to Approach this Injury in Your Fantasy Football Draft
Again, Travis Kelce is still one of the best tight ends in fantasy football. But now that he's hurt, there's just so much uncertainty. If Kelce can play in Week 1, he's still a great pick. We highly doubt that, though. Prospective managers might want to pick another tight end or wait until later to get Kelce just to be sure.
In addition, keep in mind that Kelce is getting older, and injuries can be a bigger problem as players age. He hasn't missed many games since 2014, but now he might have to play with an injury. That could mean he won't play as well, and he might get hurt again.
Kelce can still be really good for fantasy football, but now he's also riskier than ever. If you already picked him or plan to, make sure you have another good tight end as a backup. Aside from the guys mentioned above, Tyler Higbee of the Los Angeles Rams is a good choice for the short term. However, if you want a long-term option and many other big names are off the board, perhaps consider guys like Sam LaPorta, Luke Musgrave, or Chigoziem Okonkwo in the later rounds. They might not be as good as Kelce, but they can help when things aren't going well.
Looking Ahead
Travis Kelce getting hurt makes things tricky for fantasy football owners. If he can't play in Week 1, you'll need to find someone else. Luckily, there are other good tight ends you can pick. And if Kelce can't play, it might mean more chances for other Chiefs players to score in fantasy football. We don't know exactly what will happen, but be ready to change your team if you need to.
