Who Should I Start? Travis Kelce or Kyle Pitts Sr.

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.

Tuesday, February 10, 1:52 PM

Atlanta Falcons impending free-agent tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. seems likely to remain in Atlanta in 2026, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic. Kendall believes the franchise tag for Pitts makes the most sense, which would mean Pitts would make a little more than $16.3 million in 2026. Placing the franchise tag on the 25-year-old would give new head coach Kevin Stefanski a year to evaluate Pitts with his own eyes. Pitts teased fantasy managers for years after his 1,000-yard rookie season in 2021, only to fall flat. The former first-rounder finally played up to his abilities in 2025, catching a career-high 88 passes on 118 targets for 928 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in 17 games played. He had at least six catches and 57 yards in five of the final six games. Although Atlanta's quarterback situation is up in the air with Michael Penix Jr. (knee) injured, Pitts' fantasy stock as a TE1 is on the rise going into 2026 if he stays with the Falcons.