Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Drew Sample

Thursday, April 30, 11:21 AM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told ESPN that tight end George Kittle (Achilles) is "shooting to return" Week 1 against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams after tearing his Achilles tendon in the playoffs against the Philadelphia Eagles in January, according to David Lombardi of The San Francisco Standard. It's unclear if Kittle is actually on track to be ready for the season opener, but it's where he's aiming. Kittle suffered a clean tear of his Achilles, which is expected to allow him to return quicker than usual for someone with a torn Achilles. While Kittle is hoping to be ready for Week 1, there's still a good chance he won't be ready for the start of the 2026 season, which will make him a pretty risky and volatile high-end TE1 target in fantasy football drafts. If Kittle is not ready to go by Week 1, Jake Tonges will be in play as a streaming option at the position early on. The 32-year-old Kittle only played in 11 games last year due to injuries and finished as the TE13 in half-PPR scoring. When healthy, he's been one of the top TEs in the league, though, catching at least six touchdown passes in five straight seasons.