How Travis Kelce became a first-round fantasy bust in 2023 | Yahoo Fantasy Football Show
Yahoo Sports fantasy analysts Matt Harmon and Dalton Del Don discuss how the Chiefs tight end disappointed fantasy managers this season - despite finishing with the second most points at the position. Hear the full conversation on the “Yahoo Fantasy Football Show” podcast and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
MATT HARMON: Taking Travis Kelce in the first round this year was a horrendous idea.
DALTON DEL DON: He wasn't having like a total fantasy bust season until the end, and then it just really, really got bad. So I avoided the 34-year-old tight end. It's at round-- early round 2. But the year before, he smashed, you know. So I mean, my theory is always a year or two sooner than a year or two late. And it was-- I was in between there. I dealt with him killing me last year. And then this year, he ended up being the killer.
But that's pretty evidence there. No question that if the two worst strategies were tight end, wide receiver, and tight end, running back Kelsey's your culprit.
MATT HARMON: It's his worst season from a fantasy perspective, 172.9 points in half PPR since his big, like, when he started his career in '14 and '15. In 2016, he had 180.5 points, 11.3 points per game. So just a actually from a points per game perspective, a little bit worse there.
But yeah, I mean, we're not close. Like, before this, the last three years 260, 216, 261.3. He was on a hell of a run there. And look, I think there's been injuries to start the year. There was kind of this slow slump. Yeah, I mean the final numbers don't look that bad. But there's a huge difference between 261 and 172.
And I think he not only suffered from being a little older and maybe being focused on his off field life, which you got every right to do, by the way. I'm not complaining. Do what you want. Do what you want, Travis Kelce.
But I also think like he was-- he's suffering from the same thing that Steph Diggs is suffering right now, that like, yeah, they have other options. Like, they have the run game with Pacheco. They have Rashee Rice in Buffalo. They have the run game with James Cook. They've got some other pass catchers they can throw you. Defense is still have not adjusted to that. They do not care.
Like, I'm telling you, watch the Chiefs game, you think their game plan for Rashee Rice. I don't know what film you're watching. Like, it's still our job is take away Travis Kelce, and that is working. It's very similar I think to the Diggs situation.
DALTON DEL DON: Kelsey did finish as the number two fantasy tight end despite missing week one. And it's possible that the injury was as just as much of a contribution as his age because he looked like, whoa, season's over when it happened. And it probably sapped some explosiveness that he was already going to lose at this stage of his career. But it will be interesting to see if he does return, or if he does retire after this performance.
But just historically, players that age, at that position, this is what happens. And sometimes the decline is steep. And next year, if he does return, he's certainly not going to be a top three fantasy, top three round fantasy pick.