Is Travis Kelce playing tonight? Chiefs TE's status revealed for Week 14 SNF clash vs. Chargers

Travis Kelce's time with the Chiefs has been characterized by an almost telepathic connection with Patrick Mahomes and the Chargers will come into Arrowhead in Week 14 hoping the tight end and the quarterback's understanding is somewhat off on the night. However, they must also be aware that this is when the two stars come into their element.

Last season, Travis Kelce failed to reach the 1000-yard mark after many years. The Chiefs offense was struggling and they were not the AFC top seed. They had to travel away to Buffalo and Baltimore in the playoffs. But when it came to crunch situations, Patrick Mahomes kept finding his go-to guy again and again, all the way to their second consecutive Super Bowl and third overall.

This season too, Kansas City has its doubters. Their defense has been more important in getting wins than their offense. But they have the experience to turn it up at the right time and with crucial players like Isiah Pacheco returning, nobody should bet against them. Kelce and Mahomes will remain crucial to that success, no matter what transpires.

On a personal front, it does not look likely that Travis Kelce will hit the four-digit mark this year either, though it is not completely impossible. To do so, he will have to have some stellar remaining games, including in Week 14 against the Chargers.

Is Travis Kelce playing tonight?

Travis Kelce should play tonight as he was not mentioned on the injury report all week. Andy Reid does not rest players if something is riding on the game and, therefore, the tight end is expected to play.

The Chiefs are 11-1 but the Bills are just one behind them in the AFC standings at 10-2. Kansas City knows that there is no margin for error and will look to have a big game from Kelce.

How has Travis Kelce performed this season?

The Chiefs' tight end's season started slowly. In the first three weeks, he did not have more than 34 yards in any game. The nadir was one reception and five yards against the Bengals in Week 2.

He slowly started turning that around from the fourth week onwards. His first touchdown came in Kansas City's first outing against Las Vegas, where Travis Kelce also recorded 90 yards. He followed that up with a 100-yard game against the Buccaneers.

In the last four weeks, he has scored another touchdown against the Broncos. Given both his scores have come against AFC West opponents, the Chargers should beware. He also has recorded above 60 yards in three of those four games, with the loss to the Bills being an aberration where he had only 8.

Overall, Kelce has 637 yards in 75 receptions and two touchdowns. With just five games remaining for the rest of the season, he will need nearly 75 yards on average per match to reach the 1000-yard mark.

The last time he played against the Chargers, he had 89 yards in seven catches. His average of 12.7 yards per reception in that game is his highest for the season. The 38-yard catch that he recorded in that match is also his best for 2024.

Therefore, he should be an asset for any fantasy football manager out there and they should think about starting him in Week 14. Even when Noah Gray is present, Andy Reid has often used multiple tight-end packages as the Chiefs' receiving corps is depleted. Therefore, one can expect multiple receptions and yards from Travis Kelce in this matchup as he sets his sights on reaching 1000 yards again this season after missing out last year.