Who Should I Start? Travis Kelce or Jake Ferguson

Tuesday, February 24, 7:41 AM

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said on Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine that the team is hoping that impending free-agent tight end Travis Kelce returns for a 14th NFL season, according to Nate Taylor of ESPN. At the same time, Veach said the Chiefs are "prepared for either scenario" when discussing Kelce's future. The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer is contemplating retirement for the second straight offseason, but the general feeling is that he will return in 2026. Kelce was still plenty productive last year despite the Chiefs not making the playoffs for the first time in a decade. He finished as the TE4 in half-PPR scoring with 76 receptions on 108 targets for 851 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games played. If Kelce does come back for a 14th season, it will likely be in KC. Durability will continue to be a concern for Kelce near the end of his career, but if he's back next season, he should still be firmly on the TE1 radar in fantasy drafts.

Tuesday, February 24, 11:01 AM

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson disappointed quite a few fantasy managers at the tail-end of the 2025 season despite his career-high 82 receptions on 102 targets for 600 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns across all 17 games. However, looking ahead to 2026, Ferguson remains a low-end TE1 option on a functional offense that managers can pick up in one of the later rounds for good value. Admittedly, Ferguson is not the most consistent tight end, but he did tally eight top-10 tight end finishes in 2025, averaged six targets per game, and had a season-long route participation rate of 73%. He will continue to compete for targets with star wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, but Ferguson is quarterback Dak Prescott's preferred tight end option. Ferguson signed a four-year contract extension before the 2025 season, making him a key piece of the high-powered Cowboys offense through at least 2029, adding to the tight end's dynasty value.