Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Theo Johnson

Saturday, December 13, 6:18 AM

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has finished in TE1 territory in five of his eight games played in 2025. After a five-week stint on injured reserve, Kittle put up an unprecedented goose egg in his first game back. But in Weeks 8 through 13, he ranked fourth in targets and second in both receptions and yardage among tight ends. In the 49ers' last four games, Kittle led the team with 30 targets and averaged 6.3 receptions and 74 yards per game. Kittle should remain one of Brock Purdy's top targets, along with Jauan Jennings and Christian McCaffrey, when the Niners host the Titans on Sunday. Tennessee hasn't been particularly vulnerable to tight ends in 2025, but was gashed for 114 yards and a touchdown by Harold Fannin Jr. last week. Kittle is a safe start for Week 15.

Friday, December 12, 8:41 PM

New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson (toe) has sidestepped the final Week 15 injury report and will play on Sunday against the division-rival Washington Commanders. Coming out of the bye week, Johnson was limited on Wednesday and Thursday due to a toe injury, but his ability to practice in full on Friday has cleared him to play this weekend. The 24-year-old should be considered a low-end TE1 for fantasy purposes after seeing a season-high eight targets before the Week 14 bye in the Monday night loss to the New England Patriots in rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart's first game back from a concussion. Dart gives the entire Giants offense more upside, including Johnson, especially in a matchup against a Washington defense that allows a league-high 8.7 yards per pass attempt. Johnson has had double-digit half-PPR points four times this year and has found the end zone three times.