Who Should I Start? Michael Thomas or Travis Kelce

Wednesday, September 11, 8:40 PM

The National Football League on Wednesday announced that it has lifted the suspension of free-agent wide receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas was suspended for the first game of the 2024 NFL season for an incident with a construction worker near his home last year. The fact that the 31-year-old remained without a team all offseason is a sign that he may struggle to latch on with an organization despite the fact that he's past his one-game suspension. Just several years ago, Thomas was the best receiver in the league, but injuries have limited him to 20 games since the start of the 2020 campaign, and he played in just 10 games with the New Orleans Saints last year before a knee injury ended his season. He caught 39 passes for 448 yards and one touchdown in 2023. Thomas belongs on the waiver wire in all leagues and is unlikely to be on the fantasy radar in 2024.

Friday, October 17, 11:19 PM

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will face the Las Vegas Raiders at home in Week 7. Kelce caught six passes for 78 yards as he led the Chiefs pass catchers against the Detroit Lions in Week 6. The veteran tight end has strung together back-to-back good games, but that solid production could be coming to an end. Rashee Rice is set to return from suspension in Week 7, which could negatively impact Kelce's offensive contributions. Rice had an outstanding start to the 2024 season, averaging over 20 PPR points per game, but Kelce was not effective during that span. At the beginning of the 2024 season, the Chiefs tight end had eight catches for 69 yards through three games. Kelce and Rice win in the same areas of the field, and the latter is much more explosive at this point. It remains to be seen how the usage will be divided amongst the Chiefs pass catchers, so Kelce should still be a viable starter against Las Vegas this week. The Raiders have allowed the eighth-fewest points to opposing tight ends this season, but that does not mean it will be a bad matchup for Kelce. He can find success against the Raiders if Patrick Mahomes decides to feed him. Kelce is ranked TE8 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a solid TE1 this week.