Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Brenton Strange

Wednesday, January 7, 3:18 PM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (ankle) will be a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. Kittle suffered an ankle injury in Week 16 and was held out of Week 17, but the 32-year-old Pro Bowler made his return for the Week 18 regular-season finale showdown against the Seattle Seahawks last Saturday night. He tied for the team lead in targets in the loss, catching five of his seven targets for only 29 yards in a game in which the Niners couldn't find the end zone at all. Kittle should be fine to play on Sunday in the Wild-Card playoff tilt against the hosting Philadelphia Eagles, and he'll have a good chance to bounce back if receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle) misses a second straight game. Despite missing time with various lower-body injuries in 2025, Kittle averaged 12.1 half-PPR fantasy points per game. He should be one of the top TE targets for fantasy managers competing in playoff leagues this week.

Monday, January 5, 11:00 PM

Across 12 games played in 2025, Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange hauled in 46 receptions for 540 yards and three touchdowns on 60 targets. The 25-year-old ended the regular season strong, recording 14 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 18 targets over his last three contests. Strange may not offer tremendous production upside, but he has established himself as a low-risk tight end option for fantasy managers. Strange recorded at least 9.9 PPR fantasy points in seven out of the 12 games he was active for this season. The Jaguars will host the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the AFC playoffs on Sunday. Buffalo's pass defense has been one of the strongest in the NFL this season, allowing the fewest total passing yards (2,894) of any unit. Still, given his projectable role, Strange profiles as a solid TE1 option for fantasy managers in playoff leagues.