George Kittle DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle looked sharp in a 24-24 preseason tie with the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday night. Kittle, who suited up in neither of the 49ers' two previous preseason games, caught three of four targets for 34 yards in Vegas. Kittle got his work in during the first quarter with the first team, including quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receiver Deebo Samuel. It was noted during the broadcast, however, that San Francisco's starters were facing Las Vegas' number three defensive unit. Kittle will be ready to roll as a mid-level fantasy TE1 in Week 1 when the 49ers open up at home against the New York Jets.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (groin) is fully healthy for the start of the team's training camp on Tuesday. Kittle dropped to 214 pounds, a 30-pound loss, after his core muscle surgery because he wasn't able to work, but he's now back up to his playing weight of 240-243 pounds. While the 29-year-old star tight end tends to be boom-or-bust from a fantasy perspective, he still totaled 65 catches on 90 targets for 1,020 yards and six touchdowns overall across 16 appearances in San Fran in 2023 and remains one of the game's top-tier options at the position. If star wideout Brandon Aiyuk ultimately has his trade request satisfied ahead of the regular season, Kittle's floor would become more stable as more of an offensive focal point in the Niners' high-octane attack.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle was rehabbing a fractured rib, issues with his shoulder and toe, and a core-muscle injury that required surgery this offseason. As a result, Kittle revealed that he lost almost 30 pounds after the Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, a significant blow to his typical 250-pound frame. "I couldn't lift," Kittle explained. "I couldn't do any upper body because of my shoulder and my rib, and I couldn't do lower [body] because of my core surgery. I didn't lift from the Super Bowl until like almost mid-March." However, Kittle remains confident going into the 2024 season and is recovered from surgery on his core. The 30-year-old led the NFL with 1,020 receiving yards in 16 regular-season games in 2023 and is still one of the high-end targets at the position in fantasy. However, with only 65 catches in an offense with many mouths to feed, his 2023 production may be his ceiling at this point in his career.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (groin) has recovered from core muscle surgery and was back on the field as a full participant at Tight End U on Tuesday, according to David Lombardi of The Athletic. The 30-year-old is coming off a huge campaign in which he was named a Pro Bowler and First Team All-Pro after totaling 65 catches, 1,020 yards, and six touchdowns in 2023. He's the undisputed No. 1 tight end in San Francisco and has also firmly cemented himself as one of Brock Purdy's favorite targets. Now fully healthy and ready for the 2024 campaign, Kittle finds himself in the high-end TE1 tier for fantasy football once again.

Both San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and cornerback Charvarius Ward had core-muscle surgery this offseason and will be back, fully cleared, in time for training camp this summer, according to general manager John Lynch. It's worth noting, but for Kittle's sake, it's probably not going to have any effect on his 2024 fantasy value unless he suffers a setback during offseason training. The 30-year-old former fifth-round selection in 2017 out of Iowa has made the Pro Bowl in five of his seven NFL seasons and led all tight ends with 1,020 receiving yards in 16 regular-season games in 2023 while also catching 65 passes for six touchdowns on 90 targets. Despite undergoing offseason surgery, Kittle should be considered a no-doubt, top-five fantasy tight end this fall.