San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (foot) has a serious shot at being the TE1 overall in 2024. Despite missing one game, he's made 34 catches (2nd among TEs) on 42 targets for 375 yards (2nd again) and five touchdowns (leads the league among tight ends). He's been an absolute stud.
He's had finishes as the TE3, TE2, TE4, TE3 and TE5 in the past six years, so it's no surprise that he's having such a great season. He's one of the best to ever play the position. It's a bit surprising to see that his target numbers have increased significantly from last year, though.
Unfortunately, he's listed on the injury report now. So is George Kittle hurt or healthy, and how will his Week 8 shape up?
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George Kittle Injury Update for Fantasy Football
The 31-year old is now dealing with a sprained foot. He was held out of practice entirely on Wednesday. He's now considered day-to-day, so it's unlikely that this is simply veteran's rest. The exact nature of the ailment and when he picked it up haven't been revealed.
#49ers TE George Kittle is considered day-to-day with a foot injury.#NFLTwitter #NFL pic.twitter.com/cYrWBMLeZJ
— Pick 6 Pack (@Pick6PackFB) October 21, 2024
Fantasy managers should have a backup plan ready to go. There's not much else to speculate over now, though. We'll get a clearer picture toward the end of the week.
George Kittle Fantasy Football Outlook for Week 8
The big increase in targets has been the most surprising part of Kittle's season. He saw 25 targets in his first six games in 2023. That's jumped to 42 through his first six this year. That's a 68% increase. It's not totally clear why the offense has changed this way, but it could be due to the absence of target hog RB Christian McCaffrey.
Expected vs. Actual Fantasy Points per Route Run
[Through Week 7, @FantasyPtsData]- George Pickens is popping to me on every chart this week as a somewhat-believable positive regression candidate
- George Kittle is a top-10 WR rest-of-season pic.twitter.com/6mK9QIgamf
— Ryan Heath (@RyanJ_Heath) October 23, 2024
The former Iowa Hawkeye has been absolutely elite, but it's hard to imagine his usage will remain the same when CMC returns. The stud RB was targeted 83 times in 2023. Backup RB Jordan Mason averages less than two targets per game. Those targets have to come from somewhere.
He's an absolute smash start for Week 8 and for the rest of the season. We should see these ridiculously elite usage numbers continue until No. 23 returns to the backfield. Start Kittle in all leagues (obviously).
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