On Tuesday, Travis Kelce practiced in a limited capacity with a heavily taped ankle, but on Wednesday, it was announced that he was officially questionable for the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Denver Broncos. If you are a Kelce manager, you might have to pick up one of his backups to ensure you have a player to start. Should you start Blake Bell or Noah Gray in fantasy football in Week 6?
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Blake Bell’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Bell has never made much of a splash as a backup TE. This is his ninth season in the league, and he has never finished better than TE56. This year has been more of the same, except in Week 1, when Travis Kelce was out. In the first week of the season, he caught two of his three targets for 12 yards and a TD. Although the fantasy production looked good on paper, he only had three targets.
Bell has not been targeted in any game since Week 1, and his highest snap percentage was 30% in Week 5.
Noah Gray’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Gray has been Kelce’s backup since 2021, and he has had decent finishes as the TE2 on the team. Last year, he finished as TE37, and currently, he is the TE21. That ranking this season is helped by his performance in Week 1. With Kelce out, Gray played 88% of the snaps, had five targets, and had 31 yards receiving.
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He was even better fantasy-wise in Week 4 when he caught one pass for 34 yards and a TD. His targets went down once Kelce was playing, but the important thing is that he was still targeted. If Kelce is ruled out, Gray should jump up the PFN Consensus Rankings.
MAHOMES ➡️ NOAH GRAY FOR 6️⃣ AND HIS 200TH CAREER PASSING TD!pic.twitter.com/xncpClQf1j
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) October 2, 2023
Which of the TEs Should You Start?
With Kelce on the field, Gray averages an 8% target share, but Bell only manages a 2% share. Bell traditionally takes on more of a blocking role, and although that is good for a TE in regular football, it is not great for fantasy. Neither guy is going to jump up to an average target share of 26% — Kelce’s share so far this season — but expect both to see some amount of a jump. I expect Gray to be around a 15% target share, with Bell around half that.
If you are starting one of the Kansas City backup TEs, Gray is your guy. The rapport he has with Patrick Mahomes is evident, and he was tied for the most targets in Week 1 when Kelce was out. Targets are earned, and Gray shows the talent to earn them, especially in a good matchup against Denver.