George Kittle Fantasy Stats

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told ESPN that tight end George Kittle (Achilles) is "shooting to return" Week 1 against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams after tearing his Achilles tendon in the playoffs against the Philadelphia Eagles in January, according to David Lombardi of The San Francisco Standard. It's unclear if Kittle is actually on track to be ready for the season opener, but it's where he's aiming. Kittle suffered a clean tear of his Achilles, which is expected to allow him to return quicker than usual for someone with a torn Achilles. While Kittle is hoping to be ready for Week 1, there's still a good chance he won't be ready for the start of the 2026 season, which will make him a pretty risky and volatile high-end TE1 target in fantasy football drafts. If Kittle is not ready to go by Week 1, Jake Tonges will be in play as a streaming option at the position early on. The 32-year-old Kittle only played in 11 games last year due to injuries and finished as the TE13 in half-PPR scoring. When healthy, he's been one of the top TEs in the league, though, catching at least six touchdown passes in five straight seasons.

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch told NFL Network that tight end George Kittle (Achilles) is doing well in his recovery and "is going to be ready at some point, if not for the first game." Kittle tore his Achilles in the playoffs last season, putting him at risk of missing the upcoming season opener. As of now, it sounds like Lynch is leaving the door open for Kittle to play in Week 1, but it's not a guarantee. The team should gain a clearer understanding of his recovery timeline as the offseason progresses. After all, the regular season opener is still more than four months away. Having Kittle healthy and on the field is huge for the 49ers and fantasy managers. He's one of the best tight ends in fantasy football, ranking as a top-five PPR tight end in each of his last six healthy seasons (minimum 12 games played). The injury factor complicates his draft price this year, but if he's ready within the first couple weeks of the season, he's a relatively safe bet to finish among the top five tight ends in PPR leagues once again.

At 31 years old, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (knee) came into the 2025 season still in the conversation as a top-five dynasty tight end. Six games missed due to a hamstring injury and an unfortunate postseason Achilles tear that now threatens his availability for the start of the 2026 season have pushed him well down the rankings. However, even without the injuries, the emergence of rookie stars Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren, and Harold Fannin Jr. would have already had a hand in shaking up the rankings. The two factors working together may have created a perfect buy-low window for Kittle, who could now be viewed as undervalued as RotoBaller's dynasty TE13. Yes, he will be only eight months removed from his Achilles tear by the time the 49ers next play meaningful football, and he will turn 33 shortly after that, but he has not scored fewer than 10.6 fantasy points per game since his rookie season. For reference, over the past five seasons, the TE13 has averaged 8.0 Half-PPR points per game. While it could, and likely will, take Kittle time to get back up to speed, even 80% of the player he has historically been represents a smart dynasty buy for contenders with the surrounding roster strength to bank on a fantasy playoff appearance.

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said that tight end George Kittle (Achilles) is doing "very good" in his recovery from a torn Achilles in the postseason and that the team is hopeful that he'll be ready to play in Week 1 of the 2026 season, according to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. Kittle will be managed carefully during training camp this summer, but "he's progressing at a good rate." The 32-year-old veteran tore his Achilles tendon in the team's Wild-Card round win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Jan. 11 and went under the knife a week later. Fantasy managers shouldn't take this as gospel that Kittle will be ready for the start of the regular season, as ESPN's Nick Wagoner reported over a month ago that the Pro Bowl tight end might not return until around Week 5. Kittle is a high-end TE1 option for fantasy managers when he's healthy, but the uncertainty around his injury going into 2026 will cause his price to drop. He finished as the TE11 in half-PPR scoring in 2025 with 57 catches for 628 yards and seven touchdowns in only 11 regular-season games played.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (Achilles) is working his way back from injury, and his medical status has started to impact his price tag in both dynasty and redraft leagues. Kittle isn't expected to miss too much time in 2026; he'll likely be sidelined for the first four weeks or so. Still, that short-term absence is already lowering his ADP in redraft leagues, and the overall recovery process is slightly reducing his price in dynasty leagues. Dynasty managers want to trade for Kittle knowing that they're getting a healthy top-tier TE1, and while Kittle fit that description before his injury, there's always a little risk and concern associated with a player coming back from an Achilles tear. Factors baked into a slightly reduced price tag include potential injury setbacks, Kittle being less than 100% when healthy, and the risk of re-injury. While Kittle is a borderline top-three tight end when healthy, his injury is already starting to influence his pricing this offseason. He's a typical "hold" in most dynasty leagues for now.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle's (Achilles) optimism for a speedy return in 2026 following a torn Achilles that he suffered in the Wild-Card round win over the Philadelphia Eagles is realistic, according to Dr. Daniel Kaplan, an orthopedic surgeon. Kittle suffered a clean tear that happened high up by his soleus. "They didn't have to drill into my heel," Kittle said. "And where the repair was is where there's more blood flow. And so, it takes some time off the recovery time." Barring a setback during his rehab, it's possible that Kittle could return to the field sometime around September. "It's reasonable to think Week 5 or so would be on the long end of a return," according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. Kittle and the Niners are hopeful that when he's back, he'll be able to "return to somewhere close to his usual level of production." The 32-year-old will obviously be pretty risky in fantasy in 2026, but he'll be worth stashing everywhere. If Jake Tongues returns as a restricted free agent, he'll be a low-end TE1 sleeper in the first part of the year until Kittle returns.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (Achilles) said on Monday that he expects to return from his torn Achilles "well before November" while also saying he could play close to the 2026 regular-season opener, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Kittle tore his Achilles tendon in the Wild-Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Jan. 11 and had successful surgery last week. Kittle's Achilles tear was a best-case scenario because he suffered a "clean tear." "They didn't have to drill into my heel," Kittle said. "And where the repair was, there's more blood flow. And so it takes some time off the recovery time." The 32-year-old only played in 11 regular-season games due to injuries in 2025, although he was the TE3 in half-PPR fantasy points per game (12.1), catching 57 passes for 628 yards and seven TDs. While Kittle is optimistic about his recovery, fantasy managers should expect him to miss potentially half the 2026 season.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (Achilles) underwent successful surgery to fix his torn right Achilles tendon on Wednesday, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. Kittle was placed on Injured Reserve on Wednesday and will miss the rest of the playoffs. Because his injury occurred so late in the year, too, the 32-year-old veteran almost certainly won't be ready for the start of the 2026 campaign this fall. In fact, he could end up missing the majority of next regular season after tearing his Achilles in the Wild-Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday. Going into this Saturday's NFC Divisional contest against the Seattle Seahawks, Jake Tonges will take over as the Niners' top pass-catching tight end. Kittle, a seven-time Pro Bowler, still has high-end TE1 upside when healthy, but durability concerns will drastically affect his 2026 fantasy value.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced on Tuesday that star tight end George Kittle (Achilles) will have surgery to fix his torn Achilles tendon on Wednesday. Kittle tore his right Achilles tendon in Sunday's win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild-Card round, so the team will be without him for the rest of the postseason and most likely the start of next season. He also missed time with injuries in 2025, but when healthy, he was a top-five fantasy TE in terms of half-PPR points per game (12.1) with 57 catches on 69 targets for 628 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 regular-season contests. The rest of the way, Jake Tonges will step in as San Fran's top pass-catching TE. In the win over the Chicago Bears on Dec. 28 without Kittle available, Tonges had seven catches for 60 yards and his fifth touchdown of the year.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle was officially diagnosed with a torn Achilles following Sunday's Wild Card victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed. The superstar tight end suffered a non-contact injury while catching a pass during the second quarter. Video from the FOX broadcast appeared to show a pop in the back of Kittle's leg, and he was carted to the locker room in visible pain. The 49ers quickly ruled him out with an Achilles injury, and it was later confirmed to be a tear. The 32-year-old will now embark on a lengthy recovery process. Not only is he done for the 2025 playoffs, but he could miss the start of the 2026 regular season. If so, he'll likely drop several spots in the 2026 fantasy football draft tight end rankings. Jake Tonges should step up as the 49ers' top tight end for the rest of the playoffs before he becomes a restricted free agent in March. In the six games that Kittle missed during the regular season, Tonges totaled 29 catches, 269 yards, and three touchdowns. He caught just one pass for 14 yards in Kittle's absence this Sunday.