Week 16 Fantasy Football Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: Travis Kelce Vs. Tyler Warren
In this story:
Tight ends around the NFL will offer paramount fantasy production in the most crucial weeks of the season as leagues enter another round of playoff action. In the AFC, two tight ends battling through injuries to their respective quarterbacks will look for notable Week 16 performances as two of their team’s top targets in the passing game: Travis Kelce and Tyler Warren.
Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs will look to bounce back from a Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, enduring the significant loss of quarterback Patrick Mahomes during the loss. The Chiefs’ offense will be presented with a vastly favorable matchup against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon.
Warren and the Indianapolis Colts will also look to rebound from a loss last week, falling 18-16 at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks in veteran quarterback Philip Rivers’ first start since the 2020 season. The Colts offense has been tasked with overcoming the loss of Daniel Jones, who was in the midst of a breakout campaign leading up to a season-ending injury in Week 14.
Warren and Kelce are two of the top tight ends in the AFC, battling similar outside factors in Week 16. But who makes the better case to start among lineups this weekend?
The Case For Travis Kelce
Veteran backup Gardner Minshew is slated to make his first start of the season in wake of Mahomes’ injury last week. Wideouts Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton will each miss Sunday’s game against Tennessee due to concussions, forcing Minshew to operate without two notable targets in the passing game.
Kelce will enter Kansas City’s Week 16 clash as the team’s top target among its pass-catching group, leading the team in targets, receptions and receiving yards to this point of the season. He’ll present a safe target for Minshew in Week 16, matched up against the league’s 25th-ranked pass defense, offering a favorable matchup for the star tight end.
Kelce has produced valuable fantasy output throughout the season, entering the week ranked as TE2 among PPR leagues, coming off a seven-catch, 70-yard day in Week 15. He remains a top start candidate in fantasy, despite the injury to Mahomes.
The Case For Tyler Warren
Rivers lived up to, potentially even outperforming the expectations of some in his first NFL game in nearly five years. The veteran signal-caller completed 18 of his 27 pass attempts, nearly leading the Colts to victory over one of the NFL’s best teams in Week 15. Unfortunately for Rivers and company, the tests don’t get much easier in Week 16 as the team prepares for a matchup against the NFC’s No. 6 seed.
Still, Warren presents an enticing start case for this weekend’s lineups. The rookie tight end has emerged as one of the top offensive players in his class, entering Week 16 ranked third in receiving yards among first-year pass-catchers. His production has translated to fantasy, where he enters the week ranked as TE5 among PPR leagues.
Warren will look to end a recent quiet streak of production, and a matchup against the 49ers’ 22nd-ranked pass defense presents a favorable matchup for him to do so. Fantasy managers should remain bullish on the rookie phenom, despite his recent dip in output.
The Final Verdict
Though both tight ends offer compelling cases to start this weekend, this start-sit decision feels clear. Warren has offered stellar production throughout the season, but the injury to Jones could prove too much for the Colts’ offense to overcome. I’m much more confident in the Minshew-Kelce tandem in a far more favorable matchup against Tennessee.
I’m starting the veteran over the rookie among Week 16 fantasy lineups, though I do believe Warren could bounce back to a degree against the 49ers. Kelce’s consistency throughout much of the season, paired with his projected volume in a banged-up offense, help cast optimism for what could be one of the top performers at the position in Week 16.
Read More Fantasy On SI News
Ethen Hutton is a MLB, WNBA, College, and Fantasy contributor at On SI. Previously, he's covered the NBA, WNBA and NFL for Sportskeeda. Hutton is also a passionate fantasy football player and an immense music lover.