Super Bowl LIX might be the last hurrah of arguably the postseason GOAT.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who leads all postseason participants in receptions and is second behind only Jerry Rice in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, has hinted at retirement all season, and it’s not hard to imagine him riding off into the sunset if the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles and become the first team ever to lift the Lombardi Trophy in three straight seasons.
As the best day of the NFL season approaches, DraftKings Network is keeping you updated with cheat sheets on all major players, just like this one.
Of course, DraftKings offers a wide variety of ways to get in on the action for the big game, including an array of prop bets and, of course, a massive Showdown DFS contest with a million dollar first prize.
Here’s everything you need to know about Kelce in advance of Super Bowl LIX.
Travis Kelce Prop Bets
Receiving Yards: Over 63.5 (-113)
Receptions: Over 6.5 (+121)
Longest Reception: Over 20.5 (-120)
First TD Scorer: +1000
Anytime TD Scorer: +135
2+ TDs: +1000
Travis Kelce Best Prop Bet
Travis Kelce O6.5 Receptions (+121)
I already wrote earlier this week that I believed Kelce was a virtual lock to rack up 70 or more receiving yards, which he had done in 14 consecutive postseason games before last week’s two-catch, 19-yard performance. While the 35-year-old has shown plenty of signs of his age throughout this season, he is still clearly Patrick Mahomes’ most reliable target. In the Divisional Round, he turned back the clock with a vintage performance, hauling in seven of his eight targets for 117 yards and a score, in a game where Xavier Worthy was the only Kansas City wide receiver who even made a single catch.
Kelce led the team with a 24.1% overall target share this season, which rose to 26.3% within the opponent’s 20-yard line, so Mahomes should throw the ball to him plenty. Philadelphia’s daunting defensive line, headlined by massive former Georgia defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, should bottle running backs Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco up enough to incentivize Mahomes to throw. The Eagles’ secondary also allowed the third-fewest yards to wide receivers, taking Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and DeAndre Hopkins out of the equation.
Philadelphia did allow the fewest yards to tight ends, so maybe they have what it takes to stop Kelce. Still, Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz amassed 11 catches and 104 yards during the NFC Championship, it’s not like the Eagles’ defense is completely impenetrable. If Ertz can get it done, so can arguably the greatest ever. Kelce had six catches and 81 yards in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII win over Philadelphia two years ago.
Travis Kelce DFS Analysis
Captain: $13,500 | FLEX: $9,000
I’m so high on the trio of Mahomes ($10,000), Kelce, and head coach Andy Reid in the postseason — and so low on Worthy ($8,000), Hopkins ($4,400), and Brown ($5,400), who have all been extremely inconsistent all season — that I would be willing to make Kelce a Captain, even at his exorbitant price. He seems to always step up in big moments, even picking up a critical first down in Kansas City’s go-ahead field goal drive late in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship during the worst postseason game of his career.
The Eagles have no defensive weaknesses, so it’s not like Kelce will have an easy matchup, but they are worse at defending tight ends than any other position. They’ve allowed the fewest points to opposing running backs, fourth-fewest to opposing quarterbacks, sixth-fewest to opposing wide receivers, and only the ninth-fewest to opposing tight ends.
Does Mahomes really want to throw it to any of his receivers against Quinyon Mitchell — who’s allowed a 4.8 (yes, you read that right) passer rating on 14 targets in the postseason so far — Darius Slay, or Cooper DeJean? I’m not Mahomes — obviously — but I’d rather take my chances with Kelce against safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who allowed a 118.3 passer rating on 10 targets in the Eagles’ run through the NFC.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL Showdown $5M Super Bowl LIX Millionaire [$1M to 1st] (Super Bowl)
