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Game day update, 5 p.m. ET: Kelce reportedly worked out before the game and is “good to go,” per The Athletic.
Game day update, 2:35 p.m. ET: The Chiefs still don’t know if Kelce is going to be able to play, per Fox’s Jay Glazer. They are going to need to see him running before he is ruled active or inactive at 5 p.m. ET. The feeling still seems to be that he is expected to play, but that is further cause for concern that it isn’t a sure thing.
Game day update: Kelce was feeling better on Saturday, per James Palmer. He started feeling back spasms Thursday and first appeared on the injury report on Friday. He is expected to play against the Bengals in the AFC Championship a week after catching 14 passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns against the Jaguars.
Night before update: Kelce is expected to play against the Bengals. Sure, there was concern about Kelce picking up the injury late into the practice week. Even so, you know that if there is any chance that he can play in this game, he will.
Chiefs’ TE Travis Kelce, who is listed as questionable for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game after experiencing back spasms during practice last week, is expected to play vs. the Bengals, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 29, 2023
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce made a surprise appearance on the official injury report ahead of the AFC Championship game this week. Kelce is listed as questionable with a back issue. What’s odd about this situation, and a bit concerning is that Kelce was able to practice in full all week. He wasn’t identified as having an injury until Friday, after practicing that day.
It seems highly unlikely that Kelce would miss this game, especially since he was at least able to practice all week. So this could be a precautionary move, or it could be some injury report gamesmanship by Andy Reid. Either way, you’ll want to monitor the news closely throughout the weekend to confirm Kelce’s status.
The Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals play at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Fantasy impact: Travis Kelce (back)
Kelce played a big part in Kansas City’s win over Jacksonville last week in the Divisional round. He caught 14 passes on 17 targets for 98 yards and two touchdowns. During the regular season, he scored a career-high 12 times, while rolling up 1,338 receiving yards, the second-highest regular season total of his career.
If for some reason Kelce can’t go this weekend, Noah Gray would step into his place.