George Kittle Injury Update: Is the 49ers TE playing in Week 9?

After a three-game absence due to injury, George Kittle is set to return to the field in Week 9 as fantasy football managers hope to get back one of the most eclectic men in the NFL. With that said, does time away from the field, the matchup, and the current state of the San Francisco 49ers’ offense make Kittle a shakier fantasy football option than some are willing to admit in Week 9?

The 49ers activate George Kittle ahead of kickoff 

When Kittle is around, life is just better. The grass is greener, people smile more, and beer goes down smoother. After a four-week absence (three games), ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported Friday that the 49ers are activating Kittle (calf) from the IR. He will rejoin the team for their Week 9 contest against NFC West foe Arizona Cardinals, but will reportedly play around half the game.

Kittle initially suffered the calf injury in the opening game of the season against the Detroit Lions. But in true Kittle-like fashion, he played through the injury for the following three games, despite being limited in practice. Kittle’s calf felt worse after the team’s Week 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco decided to shut him down. 

Kittle has played just 12 of the past 23 games due to injury. But when he is on the field, he is a top-three TE and rarely comes off the field. Even while banged up this season, Kittle averaged 62.8 snaps a game in the first four weeks, playing on 97% of the offensive reps.

In his four games this season, he was still productive despite being less than 100%. He recorded 19 receptions on 28 targets with 227 yards. Kittle recorded 9 or more targets in two games and had over 75 yards in Weeks 1 and 3.  

Kittle steps into an immediate role for the 49ers’ offense

There were legitimate questions coming into the season of there being too many mouths to feed in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk were seen as 1A-1B WRs who both could see ample targets as they bring a similar skill set. And then there was Kittle, who had seen his targets already drop since his breakout 2018 campaign but was still carrying a three-year average of 8 targets per game. 

Many people came to the conclusion Kittle might be the odd man out. You know fantasy football and the NFL have this nack for reminding you that you have no idea what will happen despite all the metrics and best guesses. For one, Samuel is in another world right now in terms of production. In seven games, he has 44 receptions (72 targets) for 819 yards and 4 touchdowns. For perspective, he is on pace for 1,872 yards, which would be the second-most in NFL history. 

Brandon Aiyuk has been a rollercoaster the last two years

Then we have Aiyuk, and oh boy, this has been fun. Apparently, Halloween is his favorite holiday as he decided to spend the whole year dressed up as Dante Pettis. A guy who comes in, splashes as a rookie, has high expectations for the following season, gets in the coach’s dog house with practice issues, then massively disappoints. Go ahead, tell me I am wrong. I’ll wait. In six games, Aiuyk has 4 or fewer receptions in four games and just one contest with 40 or more receiving yards (45). 

Related | Pat Freiermuth Waiver Wire Week 9: Fantasy outlook for Steelers TE

Right now, there is no No. 2 option on the 49ers. The thoughts that Kittle would see his role reduced are gone out the window. Samuel is responsible for a 33% target share, which is the highest of any player in the NFL. The next closest player in San Francisco is still Kittle (13.7%) despite missing three games. No one else has stepped up to fill the role, so there is also no reason to believe Kittle will not step into his usual position in the offense in his first game back.

Kittle is a must-start option in Week 9 for fantasy

We all know how good Kittle can be on the field. Week in and week out, he is a top-three player. Over the past three seasons, Kittle has finished as a TE1 in 69% of his games, which is No. 2 behind only Travis Kelce — Kelce is in a league of his own. Over this time, Kittle has averaged 8 targets, 5.7 receptions, 78.4 yards, and 15.4 PPR fantasy points per game.

There is concern about the matchup. The Cardinals are no joke. They are No. 1 in fantasy points allowed to TEs (6.31) and are giving up just 28.1 yards per game. Still, they have yet to forfeit a touchdown to a TE. 

In the first four weeks, Kittle was the TE10. That’s his floor, in my opinion. He has been practicing this week and, by all accounts, is near 100%. I have no trepidation when it comes to his calf. He is a top-seven play this week. The only concerns for me come from the matchup against Arizona. They were once the team you started every TE against.

In 2019, they allowed 14 touchdowns to TEs. Then, Arizona went out and drafted Isaiah Simmons in the 2020 NFL Draft. Since then, they have allowed just 3 TDs to the position. Simmons is an elite athlete (6’4″ and 230 pounds) who can outrun (4.39 40-yard dash) any TE. He takes away the mismatch NFL offenses love to exploit with an athletic TE vs. an LB. That is why Kittle might struggle. Nevertheless, when he is on the field, Kittle is a must-start TE for fantasy managers, including in Week 9.