San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle had a great start to his 2024 season. Through two games, he was a breath of fresh air in the otherwise mostly empty interstellar vacuum that is the tight-end position in fantasy football in 2024. However, Kittle suffered a hamstring injury in practice before Week 3.
Kittle wasn't able to play in the Week 3 game. Hamstrings are notoriously persistent injuries, so managers need to keep up with Kittle's evolving injury situation.
When will George Kittle come back? Will he play in Week 4? Let's dive in.
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George Kittle Injury Update for Fantasy Football
The 49ers are optimistic that Kittle may return to practice this week. Yes, that's the update. There's nothing fantasy managers love more than non-committal statements about key players' availability for games, but at the very least, it's not terrible news.
George Kittle might return to practice this week and Shanahan says that Charvarius Ward, who was listed on the injury report last week, "is good to go"
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 23, 2024
As with all hamstring injuries, Kittle's injury deserves close monitoring. They can reappear at any time even when the player thinks they're in the clear, so it's difficult to get reliable information, even from the player himself.
George Kittle Fantasy Football Outlook
Kittle has a great shot at being the No. 1 overall tight end this year on a points-per-game basis. The consensus top-3 tight ends from this year's draft are off to glacial starts, and it may not get much better for them.
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews blanked his fantasy managers in Week 3. Despite being considered a safe pick and guaranteed hit as QB Lamar Jackson's top target, Andrews has been an afterthought in an offense that runs when it can and hardly passes if the run game is humming.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce hasn't done much of anything. It's not surprising that a 34-year-old tight end is in the twilight of his career, but it's been an abrupt falloff. He could be recovering from an undisclosed offseason injury, but to be the TE22 in PPR through three games was unthinkable before the season started.
Lions tight end Sam LaPorta isn't faring much better. He's the TE18 through three contests, and he's now designated as Questionable with a low ankle sprain he picked up in Week 1. He has a total of 10 targets through three games, which isn't a recipe for success.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't get the memo the rest of the NFL got detailing to not use their elite tight ends much at all. Kittle brought in 11 of 13 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown in the two games he's played.
George Kittle TOUCHDOWN!pic.twitter.com/KwtCdUxt82 https://t.co/RBZrnhLTQo
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 15, 2024
As usual, Kittle is a must-start in all leagues.
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