Who Should I Start? George Kittle or Trey McBride

Monday, October 13, 6:46 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday that he expects tight end George Kittle (hamstring) to return to practice this week ahead of the Week 7 game on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. It means that the Niners should be designating Kittle to return from Injured Reserve on Wednesday so that he can rejoin the team at practice. It's good news that the Pro Bowl tight end is close to returning to the practice field, but it's not a guarantee that he'll officially be activated from IR to play in Week 7. The 32-year-old has been out since injuring his hamstring in the season opener. It's unclear if Kittle will have restrictions on his snap count when he's officially back, but his return will be a massive boost to San Fran's banged-up receiving corps. When Kittle is back, he'll be a no-doubt TE1 in fantasy that should be peppered with targets from either quarterback Mac Jones or Brock Purdy (toe).

Sunday, October 12, 10:44 PM

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (foot) was unable to play in the Week 6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but tight end Trey McBride was still able to put up numbers while working with veteran backup Jacoby Brissett. McBride finished with eight catches on 11 targets for 72 yards and his second touchdown of the year in the 31-27 loss. He was second on the team in receiving yards on the day, but his 11 targets and eight receptions led the Cardinals in a near-upset victory on the road. The 25-year-old's eight grabs and 72 receiving yards were both season highs, giving you an idea of how much Arizona's offense has struggled in the first five weeks of the season. It's possible that Murray won't be able to play in Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers, either, but McBride might not skip a beat given the chemistry he showed with Brissett this weekend.