On an offense loaded with firepower, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is one of the league’s best at his position. But have his up-and-down performances from last season kept Kittle from being recognized as a top-five tight end in fantasy football?
Here’s a look at the fantasy outlook for George Kittle this upcoming season.
George Kittle’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
By most accounts, Kittle had a solid 2023 season. He topped 1,000 receiving yards (1,020) for the first time since 2019. He improved his receptions total (65) from the previous season (60), and his yards per reception (15.7) was a career high.
That average also was easily the highest among tight ends with at least 30 catches in 2023, and it ranked eighth overall among all players who had 60 or more receptions last season.
But not all of Kittle’s numbers saw year-over-year improvement. Kittle’s six touchdowns were way down from 2022 (11 touchdowns), and three of those six scores came in one game — Week 5 vs. the Dallas Cowboys.
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And, Kittle’s 2023 season was full of ups and downs. Although his receptions per game (4.1) was about the same as in 2022 (4.0), Kittle had six games with four or more receptions, and 10 games with three or fewer grabs.
Those numbers were almost the complete opposite in 2022 — 10 games with four or more catches, five games with three or fewer receptions.
The 2023 postseason was a perfect example of Kittle’s inconsistency. In the win over the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round, Kittle had four receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown.
But in the NFC Championship Game vs. the Detroit Lions and in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs, Kittle had four total receptions for only 31 yards and no touchdowns.
Is George Kittle a Good Fantasy Pick?
Kittle slots in at TE7 in Pro Football Network’s Consensus Fantasy Football Rankings as of Aug. 13.
As already mentioned, Kittle is part of an offense full of explosive players. Kittle, who was named AP first-team All-Pro last season, not only shares pass-catching duties with wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, but the 49ers also have the league’s best multi-purpose running back in Christian McCaffrey.
It’s therefore difficult to envision Kittle’s numbers taking a significant climb in 2024 if everyone on the 49ers’ offense is healthy, considering the host of Pro Bowl-caliber weapons quarterback Brock Purdy has to work with.
However, Kittle remains a workhorse at his position, playing in at least 80% of the 49ers’ offensive snaps in 13 of 16 games last season. And for fantasy managers who remain fans of Kittle, they can take solace in the fact the talented tight end had the second-most targets (90) on the 49ers behind only Aiyuk (105).
Kittle also remains a rock-solid option when it comes to maximizing his targets. For the fourth time in the last five seasons, Kittle had a catch percentage over 70% (72.2%) in 2023, a figure even more impressive when you consider he had the highest yards-per-target average of his career (11.3).
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When managers decide to focus on tight ends within their fantasy draft strategy, Kittle can certainly be considered as a TE1. His inconsistency is probably a concern, but overall, Kittle’s numbers will likely mirror last season’s in a worst-case scenario.