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COVID-19 has caused absolute chaos in the NFL and fantasy football landscape. With marquee players landing on the COVID-19 list every day, fantasy managers have to dig extremely deep on the waiver wire and craft a lineup to take them to the promised land.
The latest NFL star to land on the COVID-19 list? Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Fresh off of a 41-point showing against the Chargers on Thursday Night Football, Kelce was placed on the COVID-19 list on Monday this week.
Is Travis Kelce playing this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers? If not, what does this mean for the Chiefs? Let us take a closer look as we prepare the week ahead, and try to set those optimal lineups.
Is Travis Kelce Playing This Week Against the Steelers?
Earlier in the week Travis Kelce was placed on the COVID-19 list. There was some hope that he would be able to clear the league's COVID protocols in time to suit up for the Week 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But on Sunday morning it was reported that Kelce was not able to clear the league's COVID protocols, and he will not play this week:
This is an update to the previous news and reports from earlier in the week which are below.
Travis Kelce COVID and Injury Updates
Travis Kelce was placed on the COVID-19 list earlier this week, and is questionable to play in Week 16 against the Steelers. Kelce could still be activated on Saturday, which is when we'll know for sure if he's playing or not this week. Right now, his status is up in the air.
By the sounds of it, there appears to be a 50/50 shot of Kelce playing this week. Fantasy manager should hold some optimism that he can play, but they certainly will want a backup plan for their fantasy lineups just in case.
What Does This Mean For The Chiefs Offense?
Potentially being without Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill cannot be good news for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense. The 26-year-old quarterback is already averaging a career-low 7.4 yards/pass attempt this season, but now will be tasked with Byron Pringle, Demarcus Robinson, and Mecole Hardman being his top options.
All of these wide receivers have been quite unreliable this year -- so even with the potentially opportunity bump if Kelce is out, they aren't must starts for fantasy manager. Pringle may the top option if you're in a deeper league, as he's been running the most routes.
Instead, could this be a game where running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire gets more volume and shines? Their Week 16 opponent, the Steelers, are allowing the most yards before contact per carry, and Edwards-Helaire's 70% snap rate in Week 15 was encouraging. We've been waiting for a boom game from the former first-round pick, and perhaps this is where it comes.
Either way, fantasy managers should anticipate a lower scoring game here. The current over/under is at 45, and I could see the final score going under that total. This is certainly not a game you want to stack in daily fantasy, while Edwards-Helaire (low-end RB2) and Mahomes (low-end QB1) appear to be the only Chiefs players that you can start. Either way, be sure to check back for further updates on Kelce.
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