Should I Start George Kittle?

Thursday, August 20, 5:53 PM

According to ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter, San Fransico 49ers tight end George Kittle (Achilles) visited Wednesday in Los Angeles with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed the surgery on his torn Achilles in January. It was said to be an encouraging visit, with Kittle's recovery ahead of schedule, giving him a legitimate chance to play in the regular-season opener in Australia against the Los Angeles Rams. Kittle injured his Achilles in January during the second quarter of the 49ers' NFC Wild Card game, and while he is now 32 years old, it's a very encouraging sign for a 49ers offense that is dealing with injuries to wide receivers Mike Evans (quad) and has already lost Ricky Pearsall (knee) for the season. Kittle played in 11 games last season and was extremely efficient, hauling in 57 of his 69 targets for 628 yards and seven touchdowns with an 11.02 yards per reception. RotoBaller currently ranks Kittle as the TE9 for upcoming drafts; however, if he is cleared to play Week 1, that will surely go up. He has finished in the top five at the position in six of the last eight seasons, and in the two seasons he didn't, he played in no more than 11 games.