Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Sam LaPorta

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.

Saturday, January 31, 11:47 AM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta was on a 17-game pace of 76 receptions for 924 yards and six touchdowns before a back injury prematurely ended his season. Expected to be healthy for the 2026 season, LaPorta should see heavy involvement in new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's tight end-friendly system. With Petzing calling plays in Arizona for the past three seasons, Cardinals tight end Trey McBride has emerged as a fantasy superstar. While target competition in Detroit will be significantly stronger than McBride faced in the desert, LaPorta already has a TE1 season under his belt and is an obvious dynasty buy until his market recovers to its pre-injury form.