San Francisco 49ers

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.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk posted a video on his TikTok account saying that the team "don't want me back." It's highly unlikely that is the 49ers' actual stance on the ascending wideout, but Aiyuk held out of mandatory minicamp this month as he seeks a long-term contract extension. If an extension isn't reached with the Niners, Aiyuk will play the 2024 campaign on his fifth-year team option, which was exercised earlier this year. The 26-year-old former 25th overall pick in 2020 out of Arizona State had 75 receptions for a career-high 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 regular-season starts and helped lead the team to a Super Bowl appearance last year. There's a chance that Aiyuk extends his holdout into training camp at the end of July, but contract issues aside, he profiles as a low-end WR1 in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy feels better positioned for success heading into the 2024-25 campaign. Unlike last offseason, when the signal-caller was working his way back from an elbow injury, he has been training since the 49ers were defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. "We got all the way to the end. We're right there and weren't able to finish it," Purdy said during an interview. "So for me, I had that taste in my mouth, and then get back into the gym, start slowly, working into it. And then here, in OTAs, getting with [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and going over all the games that we played in, every play, and going over situational football and stuff, and taking that and actually going out on the field and running things and repping things, and throwing to receivers. Last year, I didn't have that, so now that I'm able to attack those things, I feel like I've gotten better." Purdy finished the regular season by throwing for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 picks while completing nearly 70% of his throws. It remains to be seen if the 24-year-old will be better than he was in 2023-24. But he's a viable fantasy quarterback in nearly all formats, even more so if Brandon Aiyuk remains with the Niners.

According to The Athletic's David Lombardi, San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell is the team's clear No. 2 back behind All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey. Mitchell is an all-around back, but his health is the key. If training camp this summer yields a productive backfield logjam, Lombardi points out that the 49ers have previously traded Matt Breida and Jeff Wilson Jr. when they have an excess of depth at the position. As of right now, the 26-year-old Mitchell is the best handcuff option for fantasy managers that take McCaffrey first overall in fantasy drafts this fall. Mitchell has produced 4.7 yards per carry in his three years in the NFL in the Bay Area, but he's also played in just 27 games in a three-year span. If CMC misses time with an injury in 2024, Mitchell will become a hot commodity.