Travis Kelce has been an unmitigated disaster in fantasy football this season, averaging just 7.73 points per game in PPR leagues. But Kelce managers, or people looking to trade for him, got a big boost following the unfortunate injury to Rashee Rice, which is expected to knock him out for the season.
Based on volume alone, Kelce could ascend to TE1 territory once again.
After Rice injured his knee early in the Chiefs' Week 4 win over the Chargers, Kelce put up his best game, and fantasy performance, of the season, making 7 catches for 89 yards, good for 15.9 points in PPR leagues.
Even more important, he saw 9 targets in the game, nearly double his previous high this season.
Looking deeper, Kelce had a target share of 15.4%, 13.6%, and 13.9% in Weeks 1-3 this season with Rice on the field. When Rice was out yesterday, Kelce had a 32.1% target share.
That's what gives him TE1 potential.
Many were saying Kelce was washed after the first three weeks of the season, but he's averaging 10.5 yards per catch on the season, and yesterday that increased to 12.7 with a long of 38 yards. He might not have been great to start the year, but he's warming up.
The Chiefs don't have many other pass-catching options remaining without Rice and with Hollywood Brown expected to be out for the year. Xavier Worthy is a nice big-play threat, but he has yet to see more than 4 targets in a game, including yesterday after Rice was hurt. If anything, Worthy's ability to stretch the field gives Kelce a bigger opportunity to make plays underneath, where he's most comfortable.
Patrick Mahomes has a longstanding connection with Kelce and will lean on that following the injury to Rice. Even if the Chiefs trade for a wide receiver, and the odds are they will with such little depth at that position, Kelce is the new top target in that system. That won't change with another addition.
As Kelce works his way back into game shape, expect his numbers to improve in the coming weeks. With the target share he's expected to command, things are looking up for Kelce managers.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Travis Kelce's Fantasy Stock Skyrockets Following Rashee Rice Injury .