Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Brenton Strange

Wednesday, September 24, 9:58 AM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (hamstring) remains on injured reserve after exiting in Week 1. Kittle scored an early touchdown before leaving the game and was placed on IR shortly afterward. His earliest return date is Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, though his fantasy outlook is now clouded in the 49ers' crowded receiver room. With rookie Ricky Pearsall emerging, Jauan Jennings performing when healthy, and Christian McCaffrey leading the team in targets, Kittle may not return to the same dominant workload he had in 2024. Brandon Aiyuk is also tracking toward a late-season return, which could further limit his target share. While Kittle still carries name value and touchdown upside, he might not reclaim elite fantasy status. If he returns strong in midseason, he could be a smart sell-high candidate before the 49ers' offense becomes even more crowded.

Monday, September 15, 12:23 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange was drawing waiver-wire consideration after catching all four of his targets for a team-high 59 yards in the Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers. However, he took a step back in Sunday's 31-27 Week 2 loss on the road to the Cincinnati Bengals, catching three of five targets for just 17 yards. On the bright side, the 24-year-old was Jacksonville's clear TE1, playing 90 percent of the offensive snaps. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence leaned more on receivers Dyami Brown and Parker Washington in this one, but don't overlook the fact that Strange has nine targets through the first two weeks of the 2025 season. Strange will probably continue to have up-and-down weeks, but he's been on the field enough to be considered a borderline TE1/2 in fantasy as the Jags head into a Week 3 divisional matchup against the Houston Texans.