Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Ja'Tavion Sanders

Monday, October 21, 7:24 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that tight end George Kittle (foot) is day-to-day due to a foot sprain that he picked up in the Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Kittle broke a streak of four straight games with a touchdown but still had six receptions for a season-high 92 yards on Sunday. Receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) is out for the year with a torn right ACL and MCL, while receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (illness) is currently in the hospital with pneumonia. It means that the 31-year-old Kittle could be quarterback Brock Purdy's favorite target once again if he's able to play in Week 8 on Sunday night in a great matchup against a banged-up Dallas Cowboys defense. Fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on Kittle's practice status this week, but if he's able to play on Sunday in primetime, he'll be a must-start, high-end TE1.

Sunday, October 13, 10:10 PM

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders caught 5-of-7 targets for 49 yards in Sunday's loss to their division-rival Atlanta Falcons. It was the most productive outing of Sanders' young career thus far, and he's performed well in the stead of teammate Tommy Tremble (concussion). The rookie tight end's five targets in Week 5 were more than Tremble had racked up in any contest this season, and he might have made a case for a more prominent role even when the injured Tremble returns to the lineup. It's a case worth monitoring, though the future of this offense is murky. For now, Andy Dalton is the quarterback, but for how long has yet to be determined. The 21-year-old could be busy again in Week 7 when he lines up against a Washington Commanders squad that came into this Sunday averaging the most points in the NFL. However, he'll be tough to trust as a viable source of fantasy output, especially if Tremble is active.