Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Michael Mayer

Wednesday, August 26, 7:00 AM

San Francisco 49ers All-Pro tight end George Kittle (Achilles) was activated from the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list on Sunday and has since taken part in two training camp practices, though his involvement has been limited to non-competitive periods, according to 49ers digital editor Brooke Evans. On Tuesday, Kittle continued to run routes against air while working with quarterbacks and the offensive line in hopes of a potential return to action for a Week 1 divisional matchup with the Rams in Melbourne, Australia. Kittle ruptured his Achilles in a Wild Card playoff game against the Eagles less than eight months ago and has made remarkable progress just to get to this point, but now almost 33 years old and coming off a serious injury, there are reasons to fade Kittle as draft season ramps up. That said, he has been one of the position's most exciting and productive players for the better part of a decade, and even without the benefit of a possible early-season IR stash, he could prove to be one of the best values in 2026 drafts at his current ADP of TE13.