George Kittle has Sprained MCL, 49ers Believe he'll Return Week 3

The 49ers may have received some good news.

The 49ers may have received some good news.

Tight end George Kittle has a sprained MCL and the 49ers believe he'll return Week 3 when they play the New York Giants, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Kittle sprained his knee last Sunday during the second quarter 49ers' 24-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. But he returned to the game and finished it. So initially, he and the 49ers were optimistic he would play Week 2 against the Jets, even though an MRI revealed the sprained MCL on Monday, September 14.

On Tuesday, September 15, the NFL Network's Mike Silver reported Kittle was "good to go" for Week 2 against the Jets. So take this latest report with a grain of salt.

Kittle is tough. He wants to play through injuries and has missed only four games in his career. But he has a sprained MCL, an injury which would sideline most players for a few weeks, according to Schefter. So who knows if he'll return Week 3 against the Jets? And even if he does, who knows how effective he'll be? He could be a decoy.

While Kittle is out, the 49ers starting tight end most likely will be Ross Dwelley, while the No. 2 tight end probably will be pass-catching specialist Jordan Reed, and the No. 3 tight end will be rookie Charlie Woerner.

Woerner struggled during his NFL debut last week -- he missed a block on fourth down at the goal line and prevented Raheem Mostert from scoring a touchdown. Woerner doesn't seem ready to contribute. 

Dwelley and Reed both are quality players.