Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Adam Thielen

Monday, March 25, 2:31 PM

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.

Sunday, January 7, 5:35 PM

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen caught two of his three targets for 12 yards in a 9-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 18. Thielen was quiet in the season finale, although his 12 receiving yards were good enough for second-most on the team on an afternoon where Bryce Young only threw for 94 yards. Thielen finishes his first season with the Panthers with 103 catches for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns. He's under contract with Carolina for two more seasons with a potential out after the 2024 campaign.