Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Ben Sinnott

Monday, February 23, 8:24 AM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle's (Achilles) optimism for a speedy return in 2026 following a torn Achilles that he suffered in the Wild-Card round win over the Philadelphia Eagles is realistic, according to Dr. Daniel Kaplan, an orthopedic surgeon. Kittle suffered a clean tear that happened high up by his soleus. "They didn't have to drill into my heel," Kittle said. "And where the repair was is where there's more blood flow. And so, it takes some time off the recovery time." Barring a setback during his rehab, it's possible that Kittle could return to the field sometime around September. "It's reasonable to think Week 5 or so would be on the long end of a return," according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. Kittle and the Niners are hopeful that when he's back, he'll be able to "return to somewhere close to his usual level of production." The 32-year-old will obviously be pretty risky in fantasy in 2026, but he'll be worth stashing everywhere. If Jake Tongues returns as a restricted free agent, he'll be a low-end TE1 sleeper in the first part of the year until Kittle returns.

Tuesday, February 10, 8:50 AM

Washington Commanders tight end Ben Sinnott's role could change in 2026 with new offensive coordinator David Blough calling plays, according to JP Finlay of NBC Sports. "It seemed pretty clear that Kliff didn't see him as a long-term piece of the offense, just because he didn't get many looks," The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala said. Sinnott only had 11 catches on 13 targets for 114 yards and one touchdown in 16 games for the Commanders in 2025 in his second year in the NFL, even though Ertz missed four games after tearing his ACL. Ertz probably won't be ready for the start of the 2026 campaign and is also a free agent, so Sinnott's role could grow significantly in Washington's offense in his third year in the league. That could change, depending on who the team adds via the draft and free agency in the offseason, but as of right now, Sinnott could be a TE sleeper to monitor.