This is the 3rd draft strategy breakdown I’ve published! See high level breakdowns + mocks for the other strategies here:
What is the Travis Kelce Draft Strategy?
Core Approach:
The Travis Kelce Draft Strategy is simple. You draft the top TE at the start of your draft. For almost the past decade, this has been Travis Kelce. In the early 2020s there was such a gap between Kelce and the rest of the TE class, that this entire draft strategy was named after him and the advantage he created at the position.
*Kelce is no longer the force at TE that he once was. It’s perhaps time to rename this strategy to the The Early TE Strategy.
Why Early TE?
This season, there is a substantial tier drop-off at the tight end position after the first three. Snagging one of Trey McBride, Brock Bowers, or Colston Loveland will give you a strong weekly advantage in what has, historically, been a weak position.
This is built on the premise that it is much easier to find late round values at other position than at TE. When this succeeds its like having two players in one slot, and gives you much more flexibility and leeway in the rest of your starting lineup.
How has the TE landscape shaken out in recent seasons?
2025 - TE1 Trey McBride outscored the all other TEs by at least 105.1 PPR points.
2024 - Top-3 TEs Brock Bowers, George Kittle, and Trey McBride all averaged at least 15 PPR points per week. The next highest had only 12.7.
2022 - TE1 Travis Kelce outscored every other TE by at least 93.7 PPR points
2021 - TE1 Mark Andrews outscored TE2 Travis Kelce by 35.2 PPR points…who outscored the TE3 George Kittle by 57.2 PPR points.
2020 - TE1 Travis Kelce outscored TE2 Darren Waller by 34.4 PPR points…who outscored the TE3 Logan Thomas(!) by 102 PPR points.
In 5 of the last 6 seasons their has been a massive drop off after the top-tier of tight ends. This is why this strategy should be in consideration.
When to Target One of the Big 3 Tight Ends:
To implement this strategy, 1 of your first 4 draft selections is going to be one of the Big 3. Based on current ESPN ADP, the current order in which these TEs are going is Bowers (20th), McBride (23rd), and then a bit of a drop off to Loveland (41st).
If you have a pick between 9 and 12 in this strategy, you will need to reach in the 2nd round to acquire Bowers or McBride. Ideally, your first pick is a top-end running back or wide receiver to pair with them.
If you’re looking to acquire Colston Loveland, you can wait a bit later. But, if you push it beyond the third round, you’re playing with fire. If you miss out on all three of the Big 3 tight ends, you will punt the strategy completely and target a TE in later rounds and target a high-upside option with a pathway to a top-12 finish. Examples include Isaiah Likely, Chigoziem Okonkwo, and Mark Andrews.
Early TE Strategy Mock Draft
To demonstrate how this strategy works in practice, as well as provide an example of what a team may look like, I mock drafted in the WalterPicks app (which you can do also BTW, the improvements are GAME CHANGING). I had the fourth pick in this mock. This is what my team ended up looking like:
We started our draft with Christian McCaffrey, then took Trey McBride as the first tight end off the board. Pairing CMC, who averaged over 25 PPR points per game in 2025, with McBride, who averaged 19 PPR points per game in 2025, is an otherworldly start to a draft.
Our priority after that was selecting players who are or could feasibly be the top wide receiver or running back on their team. A.J. Brown is an elite weapon drawing targets from one of the top ascending quarterbacks in the league, while DeVonta Smith is in line to absorb the vacated targets left by Brown's departure. Christian Watson is the clear WR1 in Green Bay, while Courtland Sutton will compete with Jaylen Waddle but remains a reliable fantasy WR2.
Getting Justin Herbert late in drafts is also something I can’t recommend enough. His ADP makes no sense right now. His offensive line is healthy. And his offense will be revamped and fast-paced under Mike McDaniel. I’m not sure fantasy managers realize how much Herbert ran last season.
I sorted by all the pertinent rushing stats on Justin Herbert’s profile in the WalterPicks app. Being top-ten in rush yards, carries, and rush share is a fantastic sign of things to come for the former Duck.
After you complete a mock draft or real draft in the WalterPicks app, you’re given a report card. Here was mine for this mock:
