Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Mike Gesicki

Monday, February 23, 8:24 AM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle's (Achilles) optimism for a speedy return in 2026 following a torn Achilles that he suffered in the Wild-Card round win over the Philadelphia Eagles is realistic, according to Dr. Daniel Kaplan, an orthopedic surgeon. Kittle suffered a clean tear that happened high up by his soleus. "They didn't have to drill into my heel," Kittle said. "And where the repair was is where there's more blood flow. And so, it takes some time off the recovery time." Barring a setback during his rehab, it's possible that Kittle could return to the field sometime around September. "It's reasonable to think Week 5 or so would be on the long end of a return," according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. Kittle and the Niners are hopeful that when he's back, he'll be able to "return to somewhere close to his usual level of production." The 32-year-old will obviously be pretty risky in fantasy in 2026, but he'll be worth stashing everywhere. If Jake Tongues returns as a restricted free agent, he'll be a low-end TE1 sleeper in the first part of the year until Kittle returns.

Thursday, February 19, 1:37 PM

Following a 65-reception, 665-yard campaign in his first year with the Bengals, tight end Mike Gesicki signed a three-year extension before the 2025 season. Missing parts of five games with a pectoral injury, the 30-year-old vet turned in his second-lowest yardage total since his rookie season, topping seven Half-PPR points only twice. With a relatively low-cost out to his existing contract, Gesicki could find himself as an offseason or training camp cut, but regardless of where he lands in 2026, his best fantasy days look to be safely behind him. Since his TE11 finish with Miami in 2021, he's seen fantasy finishes of TE23, TE37, TE14, and TE40, and he can be treated as a cut candidate as dynasty managers make space for the incoming rookie class.