Who Should I Start? Travis Kelce or Ja'Tavion Sanders

Monday, February 9, 10:27 AM

The Kansas City Chiefs want impending free-agent tight end Travis Kelce back in 2026 if he decides to play for another season, sources told Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Kelce has not made a firm decision on his playing future, but reports over the weekend suggest that he could be leaning toward playing another season. The 36-year-old 11-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro caught 76 of his 108 targets for 851 yards and five touchdowns in his 17 starts in 2025 in his 13th year in the league. Although Kelce finished under 1,000 receiving yards for the third straight season, he still managed to finish as the TE4 in half-PPR scoring, and he should remain a favorite target of quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee) in 2026 if he comes back. Kelce is long in the tooth, but he should stay in TE1 territory in fantasy football next season if he returns, especially considering the team has multiple receivers that will hit the free-agent market.

Sunday, December 28, 5:08 PM

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle) suffered a broken ankle during Sunday's Week 17 loss against the Seattle Seahawks, according to head coach Dave Kanales. He will undergo surgery during the upcoming week. This injury will shut down Sanders for the final week of the regular season and presumably all of the playoffs, should Carolina qualify. He ends the year with just 29 catches for 190 yards and one touchdown through 13 games. It was a disappointing campaign for the tight end out of Texas, who showed promise as a rookie but evidently wasn't able to take a second-year leap in 2025. Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, and James Mitchell will step up as the Panthers' top tight ends going forward.