George Kittle DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle had another valuable fantasy day in a 40-34 home loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday night. Kittle hauled in all eight of his targets for 112 receiving yards. For most Kittle managers, tonight caps off an excellent fantasy season. It marks his fourth 1,000-yard season and while he falls short of his 2022 career-high 11 touchdowns -- he's at eight with one game to play -- Kittle was incredibly dependable this season after a rollercoaster 2023 campaign. Excluding the two games missed due to injury, Kittle has come in below 10 half-PPR points just three times this season. He'll try to defend his 0.2-point lead as the season-long half-PPR TE1 over Las Vegas Raiders rookie phenom Brock Bowers when the 49ers travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals on Sunday in Week 18. He'll be a must-start for anyone still in redraft championships, but DFS players would be wise to consider the injury status of starting quarterback Brock Purdy (elbow).

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle will clash with the Detroit Lions at home on Monday Night Football. Last week in Miami, Kittle hauled in eight of nine targets for 106 yards. Kittle has been an excellent fantasy asset this season, no doubt occupying the TE slot for more than a few teams fighting for a championship this week. He is the leader at the position in half-PPR points per game (13.7), and just 3.9 points off the total pace set by Las Vegas Raiders rookie phenom Brock Bowers despite Kittle missing two games to injury. Detroit's pass defense ranks sixth-worst in terms of yardage but is the single stingiest defense to tight ends in fantasy at 6.4 points allowed per game. Regardless, Kittle has been too steadily productive all year to start worrying about matchups. Fire up Kittle as a top-2 option in Week 17.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle delivered another solid performance during a Week 16 loss to the Dolphins in Miami on Sunday. The two-time first-team All-Pro took a co-team-leading nine targets to pace the 49ers in receptions (8) and receiving yards (106). Besides missing two games with injury, Kittle has been extremely reliable this season, surpassing half-PPR Yahoo projections in 10-of-13 starts. One would imagine that Kittle will be well-represented among fantasy teams vying for championships in Week 17 when the 49ers host the Detroit Lions. Kittle will be a no-brainer start in that one regardless of matchup but should be played with increased confidence as the Lions' prolific offense is likely to force the 49ers to make heavy use of their passing attack.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is in Miami this week for an interconference matchup against the Dolphins on Sunday. Last week at home versus the Rams on Thursday Night Football the 49ers offense was anemic overall, but Kittle pulled in four of seven targets for a team-leading 61 yards. While Miami's pass defense has been very stingy to fantasy quarterbacks and receivers, it has allowed its fair share of tight end points, representing the median of the league. As the fantasy season winds down, Kittle managers playing for a shot at the championship this week owe him his props as he leads the NFL in half-PPR points per game at the tight end spot (13.7), and is just 3.1 behind leader Brock Bowers in total points. Kittle is a must-start top-3 option in Week 16.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle caught four of his seven targets for a team-best 61 yards during Thursday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Even as the 49ers struggled to mount scoring drives in this primetime divisional battle, Kittle found ways to get involved to salvage his fantasy performance. The 31-year-old now has double-digit fantasy points in point-per-reception scoring in 10 of his 12 games, ranking as the overall TE2 in fantasy football. He's on pace to have his second-best fantasy season ever, giving managers a major boost down the stretch and potentially helping them advance in the fantasy playoffs. Kittle should continue to be started in all leagues when the 49ers take on the Miami Dolphins in Week 16.