Draft Day Decisions: Travis Kelce vs. George Kittle

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Travis Kelce- ADP 17 (TE1) vs. George Kittle- ADP 21 (TE2)


No matter what league you are drafting in, Travis Kelce and George Kittle are the top two tight ends off the board. Travis Kelce is generally an early 2nd round pick, while George Kittle can be had in the middle/end of round 2. We know the story with both of these guys. Each are the #1 option in the passing game for the two teams that met in the Super Bowl back in February. So, who do you want to take in your fantasy football draft? Is the ADP right? Let’s find out together.

The Kansas City Chiefs have boasted one of the top passing offenses for the last 3 years. Before Patrick Mahomes took the world by storm in 2018, Alex Smith enjoyed his best statistical season in 2017 and was a huge fantasy football dark horse that season. A big reason for that? The emergence of Travis Kelce.

Kelce has proven that if healthy for 16 games, he is a lock for a stat line of 90/1200/8. And the best part of Travis Kelce’s game? He doesn’t score in bunches. Week in/week out, you will get consistent high end production from your TE1 slot and that production results in numbers you’d expect from a low end WR1. This correlation is important. After Kelce and Kittle, there is a major drop off at TE. Sure, Zach Ertz and Darren Waller put up solid numbers, but not in the stratosphere as the guys we are talking about today. So, if you are drafting Kelce instead of you WR1 around pick 17, you are probably setting yourself up for success. Whoever you draft as your WR1, either in rounds 3 or 4, will score more when paired up with Kelce, as opposed to taking a WR like Davante Adams around pick 17 and then a guy like Austin Hooper later on as your TE1. You could argue that Travis Kelce is the most important player in fantasy football.

But who’s to say that George Kittle can’t take that crown in 2020? In 2019, Kittle finished as the overall TE4 even though he missed two games with knee and ankle issues. Had he played all 16 games, he would have been right on the heels of Travis Kelce as the overall TE1. Had he played all 16 games and not been hampered by lower body injuries for part of the season and Kelce would probably have outpaced Travis Kelce in 2019.

Folks…we have ourselves a conundrum here. Two of the best players playing the Tight End position right now. Who do you take on draft day? I wouldn’t blame you if you took one over the other, but I am going with George Kittle in 2020, and here is why.
I get it. Having as many explosive players on the Chiefs is a match made in fantasy football heaven. I’m not denying that. Being tied to Patrick Mahomes is fantasy gold for his skill position players. But how many guys will be fighting for targets in 2020? Tyreek Hill is still hanging around as the deep threat. Newly drafted RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire figures to get 70 targets out of the backfield. 2019 2nd round pick Mecole Hardman should take a step forward and let’s not forget that Sammy Watkins is still a Chief. This is all great new for Patrick Mahomes owners, but Kelce owners? We’ll see.

George Kittle, on the other hand, is the only proven player in the 49ers receiver room. Hell, they just signed Kevin White because all the other receivers keep getting hurt. Now, many will say that defenses will just start keying in on Kittle, and that’s fair, but there are some guys who are too good for double coverage and Kittle is one of those guys. On top of that, he has the 4th easiest schedule for Tight Ends, so the double coverage may not even be that good. Kelce, on the other hand, will be facing the 10th TOUGHEST schedule. Again, Kelce I think is match up proof, but we are looking at a way to differentiate two guys being drafted in the same area of the draft who both put up huge numbers. Gimme Kittle, who should see 12-15 intermediate targets from Mr. Efficiency Jimmy Garoppolo, and should be able to break off a few of those targets into long gains.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]