Is George Kittle Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for 49ers vs. Rams)

The latest injury update for San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Rams.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers are down several weapons on offense on Thursday night, including star tight end George Kittle.

Kittle, who is currently on short-term injured reserve with a hamstring injury, is not eligible to return until Week 6. Kittle was injured in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks, and he must miss a minimum of four games before returning to action. So, Oct. 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be the All-Pro's first chance to suit up again in 2025.

Prior to going down in Week 1, Kittle made four catches for 25 yards and a touchdown. Even though the 49ers have a ton of weapons out in Week 5 -- including Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings -- Kittle will not be able to play.

Since Kittle went down, the 49ers have relied heavily on Jake Tonges at the tight end spot. In four games, Tonges has 12 receptions on 16 targets for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns. While he's not nearly as dynamic as Kittle with the ball in his hands, Tonges has been a serviceable replacement so far in 2025.

There's a chance that the 49ers' backup tight end could see a major workload in Week 5 with Pearsall and Jennings also out of the lineup. Oddsmakers at DraftKings have set Tonges' receptions prop at 2.5 with the OVER (-168) as a heavy favorite. In addition to that, Tonges is projected to pick up 27.5 receiving yards.

He's averaging 31.2 receiving yards per game this season, and he's had a pretty consistent target share. Lastly, Tonges is set at +400 to find the end zone, which may be a solid value since he's scored twice in four games in 2025.

Hopefully for the 49ers, Kittle will be able to return to action in Week 6 against Tampa.

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