Seattle could sure use DT Kenneth Grant. (Junfu Han / USA Today NETWORK)
This week, Kansas City has a chance to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls; the Bills were knocked out by the Chiefs for the fourth time in the last five years; and Jalen Hurts finally broke out on Sunday as Philadelphia exploded offensively to get back to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years. Some other Fantasy football stories we’re following include…
Seattle’s Draft Needs
While many believe that the Seattle Seahawks biggest need in the 2025 NFL draft is at offensive line, the defensive line also needs help, so small wonder that some experts have them drafting Kenneth Grant at No. 18.
A Michigan DT, he’s among the key players that NFL draftniks will be watching closely in Thursday’s East-West Shrine Bowl Game. Grant would make sense for Seattle given that veterans Jarran Reed and Johnathan Hankins are on the wrong side of 30 and are both set to hit free agency this winter.
The Seahawks had one of the league’s worst run defenses this season and Grant would really help improve this area given his work with the Wolverines. There’s word that Green Bay covets him as well, but it seems doubtful he’ll still be around when the Pack is on the board at No. 23.
Grant may not be an impact player from Day One, but thanks to his broad frame (6’3”, 339, which makes him one of the draft’s biggest interior linemen), he’s expected to ultimately develop into an above average starter. We’ve heard him compared to current Brown Dalvin Tomlinson.
A Touchdown for Travis?
Sure, it was tense, but the Kansas City Chiefs were able to advance to yet another Super Bowl by beating Buffalo 32-29, and did so despite minimal contributions from Travis Kelce. Normally an otherworldly player come playoff time (he was studly vs. Houston in the Divisional Round), he was held to two receptions for 19 yards and no TDs in the AFC Final, although he did get some serious trash talking in.
But that showing didn’t dissuade oddsmakers from suggesting he’s the mostly likely Chief to score a TD in the Super Bowl (currently +125 as per FanDuel).
Kelce’s numbers have dipped significantly the last couple of years, resulting this season in career lows in yardage, YPR (8.5) and touchdowns. Taylor Swift is likely unimpressed with this trend.
Kelce, who has always had Patrick Mahomes’ back, did not justify his No. 1 ranking among tight ends in the Conference Finals as he was clearly nowhere near as fantastic as Zach Ertz was for Washington, albeit in a losing effort. We’ll see if Kelce can outperform Dallas Goedert (who was pretty damned good himself with 85 yards on Sunday) in the Super Bowl or if Taylor kicks him to the curb.
Of course, an interesting side story is whether the Super Bowl will be Kelce’s final NFL game.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
American blues legend Muddy Waters was active from 1941 until 1982, a year before his death. He has compilation albums through the wazoo, but among the best of the posthumous collections is 1997’s King of the Electric Blues, which features one of his all-time classics “Mannish Boy,” a 1955 track that’s among four of his tunes that are listed in the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll as selected by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.