It’s no surprise to any fantasy football managers that having Travis Kelce on your fantasy team is a huge advantage. Kelce has been the premier tight end in the NFL for the better half of a decade. He has the game’s greatest quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, and the game’s best offensive mind in Andy Reid as his head coach. Kelce has seen his draft stock improve every year since his breakout in 2016. Even the most novice of fantasy football managers know Kelce is a superstar in fantasy. He is currently being drafted either fourth or fifth overall in current redraft mocks. Is it so crazy to believe that he could be the first overall pick? Here are a few reasons why Kelce COULD be the 1.01 in your fantasy draft this year.

Much More Than a Tight End

Week-winning tight ends are few and far between for fantasy football. A lot of managers use high-value draft picks to lock in the game’s best tight ends. Kelce is atop that list, but he still gets drafted behind the league’s best wide receivers and running backs. What if you were told that Kelce ranks among the top 5 of pass catchers in the league? In 2022, Travis Kelce finished with 316 total fantasy points in PPR. The only receivers to have more points than Kelce were Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, and Justin Jefferson. That is some elite company for a tight end.

One of Kelce’s best values for fantasy is his consistency. That much can not be said about some of the receivers who finished ahead of him. Diggs cooled down immensely last year, just when managers needed him the most. From Weeks 14-17, fantasy playoffs for most, Diggs scored under seven points in three of four games, and under 11 in all four. Davantae also saw a few bust games late in the year, with weeks 14-16 not topping more than 10.1 points in a game. Kelce stayed true to form in crunch time, averaging 15.5 points in weeks 14-17 en route to many championship wins. It is also worth noting that Tyreek Hill saw career highs in targets, receptions, and yards in 2022. The odds of him replicating, or besting, those stats after a full year of film on the Miami offense is unlikely.

Major Positional Advantage

Positional advantage is a crucial factor in differentiating good teams and great teams in fantasy. There is no bigger positional advantage than Travis Kelce against any other tight end. T.J. Hockenson had a fantastic year in 2022, and saw himself finish as the TE2 for the first time in his career. Even with the incredible season for Hockenson, Kelce still scored over 100 more points than him. To break that down even further, Kelce scored six more points per week than the next-best tight end. That means you could spot the opposing tight end a touchdown, and there was still a good chance that Kelce was going to score more. Most fantasy weeks are decided by five points or less, and having Kelce gives that team a clear edge week to week.

Why Not?

Although Justin Jefferson might be the greatest receiver this generation has ever seen, there are a ton of other incredible receivers in this league to help boost your team. Running backs Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler have been fantasy staples for years but the injury risk for running backs is much greater. If you grab Kelce at the 1.01, your top 3 picks could be Travis Kelce, Jalen Hurts, and Jaylen Waddle. With positional advantage at QB and TE and a plethora of talent at RB and WR, it’s not crazy to think Travis Kelce could be the 1.01 in your fantasy draft.

About the Author

Paul Orlando is a die-hard Ravens and Orioles fan and a fantasy football junkie. Paul is co-host of The Eye Test: A Fantasy Football Podcast on Youtube and has recently begun writing for Belly Up Sports. He gives expert advice in both Dynasty and Redraft settings, and loves finding the sleepers no one else talks about. Find all things fantasy football on Belly Up Fantasy Sports.