Should I Start George Kittle?

Wednesday, May 27, 1:21 PM

Despite tearing his Achilles tendon in the postseason back in January, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (Achilles) is holding out hope that he'll be ready for the Week 1 regular-season opener in Australia against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams, according to Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire. Making it more difficult for Kittle is the fact that the team will have to leave much earlier than they would for a regular road game. Kittle admitted it will be a "little bit difficult" to be active for Week 1 due to the flight to Australia. Though the 32-year-old seven-time Pro Bowler only played in 11 regular-season games in 2025 due to injuries, he still caught 57 passes for 628 yards and seven touchdowns to finish as a top-15 TE in half-PPR fantasy scoring. Kittle's Achilles tear was considered a best-case scenario, but it doesn't mean he won't miss a couple of weeks early on in 2026. For that reason and because of ongoing durability questions, Kittle has fallen outside of RotoBaller's top-10 fantasy TEs going into the upcoming season.