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 Jan. 11, 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 You Draft George Kittle in Fantasy Football?
Let’s start with Kittle’s ADP, which sits at 95.4 in PFN’s Free Fantasy Mock Draft Simulator. He comes in at TE7 between me and my colleague Kyle Soppe in our consensus ranks, and we have him projected at 11.25 fantasy points per game.
The negatives here are obvious. He’s going to turn 33 years old in October, and he’s coming off a torn Achilles. I imagine history is not very kind to 30-plus-year-old players returning from significant lower-body injuries, especially an injury like this, and especially to a player like Kittle who relies so much on explosiveness and efficiency. It is entirely possible that it’s over for Kittle, that this injury completely saps his explosiveness, his dynamic ability, and that’s it for him being a high-end fantasy tight end.
But Kittle has always defied the odds. Even though he’s been hurt a lot throughout his career, he’s always been a relatively quick healer. If anyone can overcome this type of injury, it is Kittle.
Most importantly, Kittle was still really good last season. He was TE3. He averaged 2.24 yards per route run. He earned a 23% target share. He was targeted on 24.6% of his routes run. There are no signs of decline here. The only concern is the injury.
If he can get healthy, the runway is pretty clear. Yes, there are a lot of names here. At least there were initially. But think about where we started and where we are now. The plan this season: WR1, Mike Evans. WR2, Ricky Pearsall. WR3, Christian Kirk. WR4, Demarcus Robinson. And a fifth option behind them.
Where are we at? Christian Kirk has a calf injury. He may start the season on the PUP list. Pearsall has the lingering PCL injury that flared up, and he’s going to need surgery. His season is over. Yes, they brought in Deebo Samuel, and that fifth receiver has played quite well in the preseason and is going to have a meaningful role. But we are suddenly looking at a situation where Kittle could immediately step in and be the No. 2, if not the No. 1, target in this passing game, although Christian McCaffrey is still probably going to have that role.
Mike Evans himself has dealt with a medley of soft-tissue issues in training camp. He’s 33 years old. He’s battled hamstring issues the past two seasons. There’s a world where Brock Purdy has to rely on Kittle this season.
If there’s anyone I’m going to bet on bucking the trend here and coming back from this injury and maintaining that high level of production, it’s Kittle. A fully healthy Kittle is probably going around TE5 or TE6, probably in the first five rounds. We’re getting a significant injury discount here. For my money, I’m willing to bet on him.
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George Kittle’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
No one in their right mind thought Kittle would be on the field in September, never mind making a push for the opener this season, but he was activated in the second half of August and is doing just that.
Built. Different.
I’m guessing that if you drafted Kittle, you either grabbed a TE2 late or have the ability to add one to your roster, and I think I’d do that to insulate yourself. Not only do we now know the plan for him, but there is the weird trend out there that he hasn’t cleared 40 receiving yards in his first game of a season since burning the Lions for 78 yards back in 2021 (Jimmy Garoppolo was the QB back then, and Elijah Mitchell was a force to be reckoned with on the ground in that contest).
That’s not something I’m taking to the bank as predictive, but it’s one more piece of data to weigh before you make a decision here should Kittle play.
If he were to be ruled out, Jake Tonges is the easy plug-and-play option: my concern is more if he “plays” against the team that allowed the third-fewest YPA on tight-end targets a season ago. I find that a little unlikely given the nature of the travel schedule, but it is within the realm of possibilities.
From a roster-construction standpoint, I disagree with holding a backup tight end. Vehemently. This, however, is one of those rare instances where I think it makes sense, and unless we get news that there will be no limitations, I’ll end up having Brenton Strange and Terrance Ferguson types ranked over him (both of whom are available in over three-quarters of ESPN leagues).
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Where Kittle Ranks Among 2026 Tight Ends
- Trey McBride | ARI
- Colston Loveland | CHI
- Tucker Kraft | GB
- Tyler Warren | IND
- Sam LaPorta | DET
- George Kittle | SF
- Harold Fannin Jr. | CLE
- Kyle Pitts Sr. | ATL
- Dalton Kincaid | BUF
- Isaiah Likely | NYG
- Juwan Johnson | NO
Analysts Jason Katz and Kyle Soppe rank every tight end on PFN's 2026 PPR Consensus Board.
