Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Noah Gray

Sunday, January 11, 8:39 PM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle was officially diagnosed with a torn Achilles following Sunday's Wild Card victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed. The superstar tight end suffered a non-contact injury while catching a pass during the second quarter. Video from the FOX broadcast appeared to show a pop in the back of Kittle's leg, and he was carted to the locker room in visible pain. The 49ers quickly ruled him out with an Achilles injury, and it was later confirmed to be a tear. The 32-year-old will now embark on a lengthy recovery process. Not only is he done for the 2025 playoffs, but he could miss the start of the 2026 regular season. If so, he'll likely drop several spots in the 2026 fantasy football draft tight end rankings. Jake Tonges should step up as the 49ers' top tight end for the rest of the playoffs before he becomes a restricted free agent in March. In the six games that Kittle missed during the regular season, Tonges totaled 29 catches, 269 yards, and three touchdowns. He caught just one pass for 14 yards in Kittle's absence this Sunday.

Wednesday, December 31, 12:49 AM

After a career year in 2024, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray hasn't played a major role in the offense in 2025. Gray has totalled 18 catches (32 targets) for 148 yards in 15 games this season and has yet to find the end zone after scoring five times last year. The 26-year-old's lowest snap share in a game this season was 32.3% in Week 12, so the veteran was still a part of the Chiefs offense, but he has only been targeted on 13% of his routes, down from 16% last year. The Chiefs' pass-catching situation was much more dire in 2024 than in 2025, with Rashee Rice back in the mix for most of the season, which in part led to the dip in production for Gray. However, with plenty of rumors surrounding the possibility of legendary tight end Travis Kelce retiring at the end of the season, Gray could be stepping into a starting role in 2026, which would be a big boost to his fantasy value.