George Kittle (Achilles) upgrades to FP, will play

After three straight big weeks, Kittle finally came back down to earth in Sunday’s win over the Seahawks. His longest reception came on a 13-yard gain in the third quarter, but proved inconsequential after Deebo Samuel lost a fumble on the following play to end the drive. Kittle has been targeted 19 times over the last three weeks and has gone for 70-plus yards in three of his last four games. He should be primed for a bounce-back next week when the Niners play host to the Commanders on Monday night.

It was reported earlier on Sunday that Kittle was dealing with an illness, but that he was still expecting to play. Kittle was not listed with the 49ers’ inactives when the team announced them 90 minutes before kickoff, meaning he is good to go and can be treated as a TE1 as usual.

It was a quiet day for Kittle before a fourth quarter screen pass went for a 58-yard score that sealed the game for the Niners. Displaying explosiveness less than a year after tearing his Achilles tendon, Kittle outran the Broncos secondary for his second touchdown in as many weeks. His six looks from Brock Purdy was second most among Niners pass catcher, trailing only Mike Evans (eight targets). Kittle’s big play upside and his role in the red zone make him a potential matchup flipper in fantasy. He gets the Seahawks in Week 5.

Kittle saw a season-high seven targets in the 49ers’ win, becoming the team’s No. 1 pass-catcher after Mike Evans (rib) left the game. He caught a 10-yard touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter and later sealed the win with a 20-yard score with under two minutes left. Kittle seems to be all the way back from his Achilles tear, leading all 49ers offensive skill players in snaps, only trailing Brock Purdy and the offensive line. With Evans’ status in the air, Kittle is the team’s top receiver and is squarely in the fantasy TE1 conversation for Week 4 against the Broncos.

This was the expected outcome for Week 3. Reports on Robinson’s injury indicate this could be a multi-week issue. With WR1 Mike Evans (hip) questionable, WR Deebo Samuel and TE George Kittle could take on sizable workloads, though the team will likely still try to limit Kittle’s snap count.

Kittle looked good in this one, finding space over the middle of the field and showing good burst after the catch. That’s important considering he’s still working his way back from last year’s Achilles injury. The veteran played just three fewer snaps than Mike Evans and was fourth on the team in routes run, just one behind Christian McCaffrey. His playing time will continue to increase as the year goes on, but he looks pretty close to the George Kittle we’ve gotten used to.

Kittle’s continued limited participation is not concerning. The 49ers are likely just managing the veteran’s reps early in the year, coming off a season-ending injury. Kittle is a TE1 for the 49ers’ Week 2 game against the Dolphins.

Kittle also started out last week as limited, so this seems to be regular practice management for the veteran. He appeared in Week 1 and was targeted five times. Expect Kittle to be back out there for Week 2 against the Dolphins, barring any setbacks.

Tonges injured his MCL in Week 1. His return timeline has not yet been reported. With Tonges sidelined, TE George Kittle’s ramp-up period could be expedited. Backup TE Luke Farrell should also see more playing time, though he is not fantasy-relevant. The 49ers correspondingly promoted WR KhaDarel Hodge to the active roster and signed TE
Jack Stoll.

Brock Purdy tried to get Kittle involved early in the contest, but it was the one legitimate option that Purdy wasn’t able to find success with. It’s amazing that the 32-year-old was even able to play in this game considering he tore his Achilles in January, but it is also fair to say it was a fantasy dud. Expect better things going forward for Kittle, and the next chance comes in Week 2 against a not-so-great Dolphins defense.