Will Travis Kelce Play Through Knee Injury in Season Opener?

Chiefs superstar tight end Travis Kelce did not practice with a knee injury on Wednesday, but is listed as questionable for Thursday’s season opener against the Lions.

The Pro Football Docs do not expect Kelce to play in the opener and have serious doubts about his Week 2 availability as well.

Bone bruises typically cannot be played through and require a player to rest for several weeks before returning to the field.

Travis Kelce - SIC score 22

With the short turnaround, there is no way for Kelce to be effective against the Lions in the season opener. He carries a SIC score of 22, indicating he is unlikely to play until Week 3 at the earliest. 

If Kelce misses the game, it will be his first missed action due to injury since he missed his entire rookie season. 

The top fantasy tight end missed the 2013 season after undergoing microfracture surgery to remedy damage caused by a bone bruise in his left knee.

He returned at the start of the 2014 season and had missed just a handful of games since then.

His brother, Jason Kelce, told the WIP morning show that he had a similar injury but was able to play through to keep his consecutive starts streak alive.

While it’s encouraging that Travis reportedly does not have any structural damage in his injured knee, it will be tougher for him to play through the injury at his position.

Without Kelce, Mahomes will have to turn to Noah Gray at tight end. Kelce’s nearly nine targets per game will also be distributed among the wide receiving core.

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