Fantasy Football Stock Watch: George Kittle is a Risky, but High-Upside Tight End

Do not panic about George Kittle quite yet. He has future fantasy football value that is promising as he is fresh off of his hamstring injury.

Oct 19, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) runs onto the field prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Fantasy football owners entered this week in high hopes as George Kittle was back on the field. However, it did not go quite as planned. Kittle played 81% of tight end snaps but had just two targets for zero catches — a giant goose egg. I find that that there is very little reason to panic about Kittle and I will explain that today.

Why the Week 7 Struggles

First off, we need to learn to never trust the 49ers injury report. They have been wrong time and time again. Look back on 2024 where Christian McCaffrey was active for Week 1 up until gametime. He then did not play for weeks. Kyle Shanahan was correct that Kittle would not be limited, but that had to be dove deeper into.

During the week, Kittle had stated how he was still not in great shape but that he would give it his all. During the first drive of the game, Kittle did tweak his hamstring. Given the fact that he fully tore his hamstring, I do not think that he should have yet been active but that, he was.

49ers Depth Chart

The 49ers depth chart does show an array of pass catchers. In fact, Brandon Aiyuk is due back within the next month, or so. In the past, Kittle has been a TE1 and he has also been a deeper stash. He has had volatile output over the years.

In the passing offense, the 49ers have: Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne, Christian McCaffrey, and some deeper options such as Demarcus Robinson and Jake Tonges. Any given week, anyone can have a big game and another can flop.

What to Expect Going Forward

George Kittle did not record a catch against the Falcons, but his impact was felt in the run game:

🔹 Kittle on-field: 28 carries, 151 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1.4 avg. yards before contact
🔹 Kittle off-field: 6 carries, 12 yards, -2.1 avg. yards before contact#ATLvsSF | #FTTB

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 20, 2025

The fact is, Kittle is vital to this offense. He is both a pass-catcher and a blocker and he does both at an elite level. This commands some volatility as the game plan can shift how they leverage him in the offense. Ultimately, he should find value regardless.

In 2024, no single tight end has a better EPA (Expected Points Added) than Kittle did (+95). It would be rash to reduce his invovlement in the offense. Even with Kittle out, Tonges was a key piece in this offense as a tight end. The tight end will remain a key piece and for that reason, Kittle should retain value as a top 10 tight end with top 3 upside.

A Consensus on George Kittle

You should not panic about Kittle. However, you should air some caution. I would make sure that I have a good backup. He is both injury prone and as I have stated, he is volatile. He can have an 8 Catch week and follow it up with 1 Catch. It all goes on the game plan and game script. Kittle is getting older and that adds volatility. He is a volatile player.

Stay tuned to our weekly rankings and tight end must-starts as the position has held great sleeper value all year long.