George Kittle has been a mainstay in the Tier 1 of fantasy football tight ends discussion, and he’s trending back in that direction. He tore his Achilles on January 11th and, at the time, a midseason return seemed like the best-case scenario. He’s healthy now and has a chance to play in the opener. It does need to be mentioned that the Niners open the season against the Rams in Melbourne, a travel situation that the team may not want to expose him to.
Should I Draft George Kittle in Fantasy Football?
Kittle has caught at least half a dozen touchdown passes in each of the past five seasons, and while the injury bug caught up to him last year, availability has largely been a skill he’s showcased.
Christian McCaffrey is going to soak up all sorts of volume, but outside of that, what is stopping Kittle from pushing 7-9 targets per game in an offense that we expect to once again be among the most efficient in the sport?
For me, nothing. His current ADP builds in more than enough risk: he’s slotted in such a spot on draft boards that he really doesn’t offer a ton of risk. If this is a lost season for him, your season isn’t burned, but if he’s near the peak of his powers at any time in September, you’re printing value.
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The schedule toughens for San Francisco as the weather cools, something that most view as a negative. I’m not spinning it as a positive, but where do you think Brock Purdy is going to direct the offense with postseason seeding on the line and the Rams-Chargers-Chiefs-Eagles lined up in succession?
The 49ers are going to play the long game with their most reliable pass catcher, and I’d encourage you to do the same. Assuming no setbacks, he’ll be ranked as an easy top-10 option at the position in Week 1, and even if my early-season optimism proves to be overly aggressive, I’m confident that he could be a swing piece when all of the chips are in the middle of the table around the holiday season.
Kyle Soppe’s TE Fantasy Rankings 2026
- Trey McBride | ARI
- Brock Bowers | LV
- Colston Loveland | CHI
- Tucker Kraft | GB
- Tyler Warren | IND
- George Kittle | SF
- Sam LaPorta | DET
- Harold Fannin Jr. | CLE
- Isaiah Likely | NYG
- Kyle Pitts Sr. | ATL
- Juwan Johnson | NO
- Jake Ferguson | DAL
- Mark Andrews | BAL
- Dallas Goedert | PHI
- Travis Kelce | KC
- Hunter Henry | NE
- Chig Okonkwo | WAS
- Dalton Kincaid | BUF
- Dalton Schultz | HOU
- Brenton Strange | JAX
- Kenyon Sadiq | NYJ
- Terrance Ferguson | LAR
- Greg Dulcich | MIA
- Evan Engram | DEN
- Oronde Gadsden II | LAC
- AJ Barner | SEA
- Cade Otton | TB
- Gunnar Helm | TEN
- T.J. Hockenson | MIN
- Theo Johnson | NYG
- Mason Taylor | NYJ
- Jake Tonges | SF
