Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Sam LaPorta

Thursday, January 8, 5:57 PM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (ankle) was listed as a limited participant at practice again on Thursday, according to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. Kittle missed Week 17 with an ankle injury, but he returned in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Seattle Seahawks to play 95% of the offensive snaps. The entire San Fran offense struggled mightily last Saturday night, though, and Kittle caught five passes for only 29 yards on seven targets. Barring a setback on Friday, Kittle should be fine to play in the Wild-Card round of the playoffs on Sunday at the Philadelphia Eagles, where he should be heavily targeted with receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle) likely out. Kittle should be in play as one of the most expensive TEs in DFS action this weekend, even though the Eagles allowed the second-fewest half-PPR fantasy points per game to the position during the regular season.

Wednesday, January 7, 7:18 PM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (back) said earlier this week that he's entering the next stage of his rehab from back surgery, and he plans to be fully cleared before the start of training camp at the end of July, according to Richard Silva of The Detroit News. LaPorta played in only nine games in 2025 before suffering a herniated disc in his back against the Washington Commanders on Nov. 9. In addition to his rehab, the 24-year-old will be focused on trying to ink a contract extension with the Lions this offseason. LaPorta burst onto the scene in his rookie year in 2023 with 86 receptions, 889 yards, and 10 touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. He wasn't quite as good in 2024, but he still had a 60-726-7 line in 16 games. Obviously, LaPorta's production suffered in 2025 due to injury, but he'll be a prime bounce-back candidate at the TE position in 2026 for the Lions.