Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Justin Herbert

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.

Saturday, January 11, 11:25 PM

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert had the worst game of his career at a very inopportune time, losing 32-12 to the Texans in the first round of the playoffs. Herbert attempted 32 passes, completing just 14 for 242 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions. He was also sacked four times, losing 31 yards. Herbert threw three interceptions all season. In 17 regular season games, he threw three interceptions. In one playoff game, he threw four. Herbert got no help from anyone besides Ladd McConkey, but it was still a rough performance from Herbert, who is still looking for his first playoff win.