Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Harrison Butker

Monday, March 25, 2:31 PM

Both San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and cornerback Charvarius Ward had core-muscle surgery this offseason and will be back, fully cleared, in time for training camp this summer, according to general manager John Lynch. It's worth noting, but for Kittle's sake, it's probably not going to have any effect on his 2024 fantasy value unless he suffers a setback during offseason training. The 30-year-old former fifth-round selection in 2017 out of Iowa has made the Pro Bowl in five of his seven NFL seasons and led all tight ends with 1,020 receiving yards in 16 regular-season games in 2023 while also catching 65 passes for six touchdowns on 90 targets. Despite undergoing offseason surgery, Kittle should be considered a no-doubt, top-five fantasy tight end this fall.

Sunday, December 31, 12:21 AM

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker joined in on the team's uncharacteristic woes in last Monday's 20-14 loss to the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders, sinking both of his extra-point attempts but missing his lone field-goal try. Butker had been flawless on kicks from last year's Super Bowl up until Week 14 of this season, but the 28-year-old has now missed two boots in his last two weeks. With K.C.'s scuffling offense netting just 19.4 points per game through their last eight contests, Butker has secured a single-digit fantasy outcome just twice over this period. The Chiefs next welcome in the Cincinnati Bengals, who have surrendered the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing kickers on the campaign. Butker should be treated as a top-10 choice in Sunday's plus draw for title-hopeful fantasy rosters.