Who Should I Start? Evan Engram or George Kittle

Sunday, January 25, 9:51 AM

Denver Broncos tight end Evan Engram has continued to occupy a smaller role throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. As a result, he's difficult to trust ahead of Sunday's AFC Championship game. Engram finished the regular season with a modest 50 catches, 461 yards, and one touchdown, ranking as the TE29 in full-PPR leagues despite playing 16 games. He added just one reception for seven yards in the Broncos' playoff win last weekend. Moving forward, we expect Engram to remain in a similarly small and discouraging role against the New England Patriots, who allowed the 15th-most fantasy points to tight ends during the regular season. Denver prefers targeting its very talented receiver room, and we could also see the Broncos run the ball more with Bo Nix (ankle) out. The quarterback change is perhaps the biggest question mark surrounding Engram's outlook. Although he underperformed while catching passes from Nix, we can't exactly project how he'll play with Jarrett Stidham, who hasn't thrown a pass all year. As a result, we're continuing to temper our expectations. Engram is the overall TE6 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football rankings for this weekend.

Tuesday, January 20, 12:48 PM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (Achilles) said on Monday that he expects to return from his torn Achilles "well before November" while also saying he could play close to the 2026 regular-season opener, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Kittle tore his Achilles tendon in the Wild-Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Jan. 11 and had successful surgery last week. Kittle's Achilles tear was a best-case scenario because he suffered a "clean tear." "They didn't have to drill into my heel," Kittle said. "And where the repair was, there's more blood flow. And so it takes some time off the recovery time." The 32-year-old only played in 11 regular-season games due to injuries in 2025, although he was the TE3 in half-PPR fantasy points per game (12.1), catching 57 passes for 628 yards and seven TDs. While Kittle is optimistic about his recovery, fantasy managers should expect him to miss potentially half the 2026 season.