Who Should I Start? George Kittle or George Pickens

Sunday, January 5, 11:54 PM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (ankle, hamstring) was outproduced by his backup Eric Saubert during the team's 47-24 loss to the Cardinals in Arizona. Kittle caught two of three targets for 27 yards. The affable team captain was questionable and ultimately activated but had his snap count reduced in the meaningless game. Most likely, the 49ers organization was showing appreciation to Kittle by giving him the start since he has a $500,000 per-game roster bonus in his contract. Kittle finishes an excellent season as the overall half-PPR TE2, behind only Las Vegas Raiders rookie Brock Bowers and just ahead of Arizona's Trey McBride. He amassed 78 receptions, 1,106 yards, and eight touchdowns in 2024. He was hyper-efficient this year, setting career marks in catch percentage and yards per target. Kittle will enter his age-32 season in 2025 once again as a fantasy TE1 with San Francisco.

Tuesday, January 14, 12:15 PM

The Athletic's Mike DeFabo suggests that the Pittsburgh Steelers should consider trading wide receiver George Pickens this offseason despite the fact that he's without a doubt the team's best offensive player. However, Pickens will enter the fourth and final year of his rookie deal in 2025, which means he could be a "hold in" during training camp this summer as he seeks a contract extension. DeFabo believes giving Pickens a big extension would be a mistake when considering some of his antics on the field. Instead of paying Pickens, the Steelers could choose from receivers scheduled to hit free agency in March that includes Tee Higgins, Chris Godwin, Marquise Brown, Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen, DeAndre Hopkins and Stefon Diggs. In fantasy, Pickens was the WR41 in 2024 with 59 catches for 900 yards and only three touchdowns in 14 games played.