Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Isaiah Likely

Wednesday, December 31, 12:11 PM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (ankle) remains on an excellent track to play on Saturday against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks in the Week 18 regular-season finale, according to David Lombardi of The San Francisco Standard. General manager John Lynch said on KNBR Radio on Wednesday that he'd be "very surprised" if Kittle didn't play in a game that will decide the No. 1 seed going into the NFC postseason. The 32-year-old veteran didn't practice at all last week and was ruled out for the Sunday night win over the Chicago Bears. He returned to a limited practice on Tuesday, though, and should play this weekend, barring a setback over the next two days. It's great news for a Niners offense that looked unstoppable in Week 17 on its way to putting up 40-plus points against Chicago. Despite a tough matchup, Kittle will be a must-start TE1 in fantasy if he's active in Week 18.

Friday, December 26, 11:42 AM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely had some big hopes and expectations entering this season after breaking out in a handful of games last year. He had a bunch of "almost big plays" this season, but ultimately, he's cracked the TE1 level twice and TE2 once. Now, the Ravens are probably operating without Lamar Jackson (doubtful - back), and even Mark Andrews has struggled to produce much over the last few weeks. Likely is riding two straight goose egg weeks into a Week 17 matchup with the Green Bay Packers who are eighth against tight ends in the last four weeks. The fourth-year pro projects as the TE27 on RotoBaller's rankings, which means there are better options on the waiver wire for fantasy managers looking for a streamer in their playoff matchup.