Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs will close down the three-game NFL Christmas slate with a matchup against the Denver Broncos.
It has not been the season the Chiefs hoped for. Patrick Mahomes has started his recovery process from his ACL tear, and the team has been eliminated from playoff contention completely with its 6-9 record. The whispers have gotten louder about this potentially being Travis Kelce’s last season. If this is the case, the Christmas matchup would mark his final game at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs will conclude the season with a matchup in Las Vegas next week.
Looking at the odds, the Broncos enter as 13.5-point favorites and hold -1050 Moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Chiefs are +675 underdogs with the game total set at 36.5 points.
There are numerous ways to get involved in the action beyond backing a side or total. This article will look at my top Travis Kelce prop bets ahead of the Week 17 Christmas Day matchup.
Best Travis Kelce Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Travis Kelce to Catch a Pass in the 1st KC Chiefs Drive (+152)
One of the driving reasons for Kansas City underperforming as a team has been its lack of reliable pass-catching options. The Chiefs have pushed the theory that Patrick Mahomes can elevate any wide receiver group around him, and they got burned for it this year. This outlook will only be made worse with third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun set to get the start, with just 16 pass attempts in his NFL career to this point.
Even at age 36, Travis Kelce is the most sure-handed pass catcher on the roster. He leads the Chiefs with 68 receptions for 803 yards and five touchdowns. Kansas City will have its hands full in the matchup against a high-level Broncos defense. Denver ranks fifth in the league in points allowed and fourth in yards given up. This will be especially problematic against such an inexperienced quarterback in Oladokun.
Expect Kansas City to have a clear game plan in place to make Oladokun look as comfortable as possible, with Kelce a part of this. Most of Kelce’s damage has been done in the short and intermediate range this season anyway. Expect Andy Reid to have schemed up a screen or short pass to put the ball in Kelce’s hands and build up the confidence of Oladokun. Rashee Rice appears unlikely to play and Kansas City is limited on other options to make plays. I am backing Kelce to be involved right away and taking a stab at the +152 odds of Kelce pulling in a catch in the opening drive. Expect the first scripted drive to have Kelce involved to help Oladokun settle in to get comfortable.
Travis Kelce Anytime Touchdown (+400)
If Kelce does choose to walk away from football this year, this would make his final game playing in front of the Chiefs faithful. What better way than to go out with a bang? Kelce is tied for a team-leading five touchdowns this year and has 84 in his career. Andy Reid is a coach known for doing right by his players and expect him to be plenty aware of this, depending on how conversations have been behind the scenes.
Narrative aside, this is a matchup I like for Kelce. Denver has a really strong overall defense, but it has been vulnerable to opposing tight ends. On the year, it is allowing an average of 5.6 receptions for 61.9 yards to the tight end position. Denver has given up six touchdowns to opposing tight ends, which is a massive chunk considering it has allowed the fourth-fewest passing touchdowns this year with just 17 on the season.
Kelce was able to find the end zone in his first matchup with the Broncos and has eight touchdowns against them in his career. The biggest concern with this outlook would be if the Chiefs are unable to find the end zone at all. The level of quarterback play is a major question mark and makes the outlook for this matchup difficult to project. But if they can tally a drive to the red zone, expect Kelce to be the clear top option for crossing the goal line. Between his talent level as a playmaker, injuries across the roster, and this being a vulnerable spot on the Broncos’ defense, count on Kelce having a far better chance at notching his sixth touchdown of the season than the +400 odds indicate.
