Start Tucker Kraft or Travis Kelce? Week 9

Our Week 9 call

Start Tucker Kraft over Travis Kelce in Week 9.

Market-based projections have Tucker Kraft at 11.3 points and Travis Kelce at 11.6, a gap of 0.3. That is inside the noise of a single catch, so treat it as close to a coin flip. Tucker Kraft still gets the call because it also weighs where drafters take each player, ADP 104 against 113, and that outweighs a gap this size. No player market is posted for Travis Kelce this week yet, so his 11.6 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 6, 7 and 8 (12.7, 11.1 and 10.9); the call is rebuilt when his market posts.

What the market projects

No Week 9 player market is posted for Travis Kelce yet. His market-based projections were 12.7, 11.1 and 10.9 points in Weeks 6, 7 and 8, an average of 11.6, which stands in until his Week 9 market posts.

The market-based projection for Travis Kelce is 0.4 touchdowns (5 market sources).

Player markets imply 11.3 fantasy points for Tucker Kraft, with 100 percent of the markets a TE needs posted.

The market-based projection for Tucker Kraft is 46 receiving yards, 4-5 receptions and 0.4 touchdowns (10, 8 and 7 market sources).

That puts Travis Kelce 0.3 points ahead of Tucker Kraft on these projections.

Week 9 matchups

Travis Kelce and KC host NYJ on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

NYJ allowed 10.4 fantasy points a game to TEs this season over 7 games, the 6th fewest in the league.

Tight ends caught passes for 48 yards and 0.1 touchdowns a game against NYJ.

Tucker Kraft and GB visit NE on Sunday at 4:25 PM ET.

NE allowed 12.4 fantasy points a game to TEs this season over 7 games, the 15th fewest in the league.

Tight ends caught passes for 54 yards and 0.3 touchdowns a game against NE.

By points allowed to the position, Tucker Kraft has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Travis Kelce is not on the injury report.

Tucker Kraft is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 9

Through Week 8, Travis Kelce played 78 percent of KC snaps, drew 19 percent of the targets, earned 20 percent of the air yards and had 4 percent of the red zone chances.

Travis Kelce, Week 4 against LV: 50 of 60 snaps, 4 targets and 2 catches for 15 yards.

Travis Kelce, Week 6 against LAC: 40 of 61 snaps, 5 targets and 4 catches for 53 yards.

Travis Kelce, Week 7 against SEA: 44 of 53 snaps, 8 targets and 4 catches for 44 yards.

Travis Kelce, Week 8 against DEN: 7 targets and 5 catches for 67 yards.

Through Week 8, Tucker Kraft played 82 percent of GB snaps, drew 16 percent of the targets, earned 10 percent of the air yards and had 12 percent of the red zone chances.

Tucker Kraft, Week 5 against CHI: 47 of 61 snaps, 1 carry for 2 yards, 5 targets and 5 catches for 64 yards.

Tucker Kraft, Week 6 against DAL: 58 of 75 snaps, 8 targets and 5 catches for 37 yards.

Tucker Kraft, Week 7 against DET: 59 of 67 snaps, 6 targets and 4 catches for 48 yards, 1 touchdown.

Tucker Kraft, Week 8 against CAR: 61 of 69 snaps, 6 targets and 6 catches for 53 yards, 1 touchdown.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Travis Kelce played 17 games for KC and scored 193.2 PPR points, 11.4 a game, finishing TE3.

He caught 76 of 108 targets for 851 yards and 5 touchdowns, with 11 red zone targets and 428 air yards.

He was on the field for 81 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

In 2025, Tucker Kraft played 8 games for GB and scored 117.2 PPR points, 14.7 a game, finishing TE24.

He caught 32 of 44 targets for 489 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 12 red zone targets and 145 air yards.

He was on the field for 86 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Their other Week 9 calls

• Start Brock Bowers over Travis Kelce.
• Start Colston Loveland over Travis Kelce.
• Start Travis Kelce over Dallas Goedert.
• Start Tucker Kraft over Brenton Strange.
• Start Brock Bowers over Tucker Kraft.
• Start Colston Loveland over Tucker Kraft.