Fantasy Football Draft or Pass: Will Travis Kelce Be A Fantasy "Anti-Hero" In 2025?

Michael Fabiano | Jun 6, 2025

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce recorded 97 catches, 823 yards and three touchdowns during the 2024 season. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Travis Kelce will go down in NFL history as maybe the most statistically successful tight end of all time. He’s posted 80-plus receptions in all but three of his 12 NFL seasons, during which time he’s also recorded 1,000-plus yards seven times. From a fantasy perspective, Kelce has scored 250-plus points five times, including two years when he scored 300-plus points.

Unfortunately, age and years of NFL wear and tear seem to have caught up with the future Hall of Famer. Since posting 316.3 points in 2022, Kelce has seen his stats decline across the board over the last two years. Last season, he finished with just 195.4 points … that’s the lowest full-season total that he’s produced since 2015 (189.5 points).

Kelce's best fantasy seasons are clearly behind him now entering his age-36 season.

Travis Kelce 2025 Fantasy Outlook

The Chiefs' offense will have their No. 1 wide receiver, Rashee Rice, back from a knee injury. The team also has Xavier Worthy heading into Year 2, and Hollywood Brown is back on a one-year deal. The team also selected Jalen Royals in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. That means Kelce has more competition for targets, maybe than at any other point in his career. So, a decline in the 8.3 targets per game average he saw last season is possible.

Fantasy managers should also keep in mind that the list of tight ends who have put up 200-plus points at age 35 or older (Super Bowl era) is very short. In fact, it includes one name -- Tony Gonzalez. He scored 200-plus points three times in his age 35, 36 and 37 campaigns. As a result, it seems very unlikely that Kelce will improve on his 195.4 points from 2024.

Travis Kelce Draft Or Pass

Kelce is no longer an elite fantasy tight end. We’ve seen that as his stats have fallen off in each of the last three years. However, that decline is already baked into his average draft position (ADP). At the NFFC website, Kelce is the TE5 and is coming off the board at 76.5. That puts him in the sixth or seventh round. He’s going a bit later based on Underdog Fantasy data, as Kelce is the TE7 and is being drafted at 98.9 overall (Round 8-9). He was selected in the sixth round in the SI 12-Team PPR Mock Draft with the 68th overall pick.

Travis Kelce Verdict

Kelce is a declining player who is unlikely to surpass the 200-fantasy-point total again, at least based on historical trends. At this point, he has more name value than actual value based on his level of production, which could continue to fall in 2025. As a result, I’m going to “pass” on Kelce unless he falls to me in the seventh round in a 12-team fantasy league.