Will George Kittle Have Over or Under Seven Touchdowns in 2020?

George Kittle and the San Francisco 49ers have finally got a deal done after a whole summer of it lingering. There was even some skepticism that a deal wouldn’t get done before Week 1 of the regular season. Kittle is now locked in with the 49ers for the next five years.

Now that his deal can be put to rest, it’s time to focus back on his production for the 2020 season.

One area of production that i will look at will be his touchdowns. In 2019, Kittle reeled in five scores in 14 games. Not a bad output for a player who didn’t see a full season and is heavily featured in the run game.

DraftKings sportsbook has set the over/under of touchdowns for Kittle at seven. Assuming he is healthy, seven can be an easy achievement for him. We’re talking about an All Pro tight end. It should be a given.

So will Kittle have over or under seven touchdowns this season?

Surprisingly, I am going to say under and it is by no means a slight on Kittle. He can reel off double-digit touchdowns -- that’s how talented he is.

However, talent isn’t the only factor that gets these players touchdowns. Play calling also comes into account. It’s no secret that Kittle is the 49ers' best offensive player. Defenses will definitely scheme around him and force the supporting cast to beat them. And knowing how deceptive Kyle Shanahan is, he will certainly use Kittle as a decoy.

In fact, Shanahan has already done that.

Why else did Kendrick Bourne lead the 49ers in red-zone scoring?

No one is expecting the ball to go to him when there is Kittle and Deebo Samuel out there. So unless he’s breaking off big-play touchdowns like he did against the Packers in Week 12, then I see Kittle going under seven as a stronger likelihood than over.