Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Colby Parkinson

Thursday, January 15, 7:07 PM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (Achilles) underwent successful surgery to fix his torn right Achilles tendon on Wednesday, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. Kittle was placed on Injured Reserve on Wednesday and will miss the rest of the playoffs. Because his injury occurred so late in the year, too, the 32-year-old veteran almost certainly won't be ready for the start of the 2026 campaign this fall. In fact, he could end up missing the majority of next regular season after tearing his Achilles in the Wild-Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday. Going into this Saturday's NFC Divisional contest against the Seattle Seahawks, Jake Tonges will take over as the Niners' top pass-catching tight end. Kittle, a seven-time Pro Bowler, still has high-end TE1 upside when healthy, but durability concerns will drastically affect his 2026 fantasy value.

Thursday, January 15, 10:07 AM

Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson hauled in two of three targets for 34 yards and a touchdown in the 34-31 win over the Carolina Panthers. Parkinson was quiet for most of the game, but he reeled in the game-winning 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford, sending the Rams to the divisional round. Despite joining a mess of a tight end room this offseason, the former Seahawk has stepped up in a major way this season, scoring nine touchdowns in 16 games. He faces a Chicago Bears defense that has ranked middle-of-the-pack against tight ends this season, despite being close to the bottom in total yards allowed. With only eight teams left and star tight ends injured among those teams, Parkinson ranks as one of the top options at the position this week.