Kittle brought in six of seven targets for 82 yards and two touchdowns in the 49ers' 36-30 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.
Kittle led the 49ers in receptions, receiving yards and targets on the afternoon, marking what may have been his return to both full health and a full workload following last January's Achilles tear. The veteran tight end struck from 10 and 20 yards out for his pair of fourth-quarter scoring grabs, his first multi-TD tally since Week 11 of last season. Kittle has now hit or exceeded the 80-yard mark in consecutive games, and he should remain heavily involved in a Week 4 home matchup against a Broncos defense that tends to funnel passing toward the middle of the field due to its outstanding cornerback play.
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49ers' George Kittle: TEs to start
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The 49ers are being cautious with Kittle in his comeback from last year's Achilles injury, and he has yet to play 50 percent of the snaps in the first two games against the Rams and Dolphins. But his route participation increased by 10 percent from Week 1 to Week 2, and hopefully he's even more involved in Week 3 against Arizona. He had four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown on four targets against Miami, and Kittle has scored at least 13.2 PPR points in six of his past 10 meetings with the Cardinals. I'm back to trusting Kittle as a top-10 Fantasy tight end in all leagues.
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49ers' George Kittle: Racks up 80 yards and TD
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Kittle caught all four of his targets for 80 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 35-13 win over the Dolphins.
Kittle gained half of his yardage on a 40-yard catch to start the second half, and he scored a 12-yard touchdown three plays later. He had just 12 receiving yards in the Week 1 win over the Rams, as Kittle returned from an Achilles tear sustained in January. Kittle will try to build on Sunday's strong performance in Week 3 against the Cardinals.
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49ers' George Kittle: Cleared for Week 2
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Kittle (Achilles) practiced fully Friday and does not have an injury designation for Week 2, according to David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Kittle was limited at San Francisco's first two practices of the week, but he was able to get in a full session Friday. As such, consider him ready to go for his team's Week 2 matchup with the Dolphins.
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49ers' George Kittle: Another limited showing
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Kittle (Achilles) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Kittle continues to operate with a cap on his practice reps in the early going this season, which isn't a surprise considering he tore his right Achilles nine months ago. In Week 1 against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, he recorded two catches (on five targets) for 12 yards on a 46 percent snap share, more or less looking like his normal self. Because WRs De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle), Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Christian Kirk (calf) are all sidelined for varying lengths of time, Kittle stands to benefit in the 49ers' passing game, assuming he's active on a weekly basis.
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49ers' George Kittle: Limited in Wednesday's practice
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Kittle (Achilles) was limited in practice Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Kittle operated with a cap on his practice reps last week before returning to action just nine months removed from tearing his right Achilles in a wild-card win at Philadelphia. In the 49ers' Week 1 victory against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, he started, played 30 of 65 offensive snaps and gathered in two of five targets for 12 yards. San Francisco may continue to take it easy on Kittle in the early going with the long term in mind, but his status for game days doesn't appear to be in any question.
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49ers' George Kittle: In clear to play Week 1
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Kittle (Achilles) isn't listed on the 49ers' injury report ahead of Thursday's contest against the Rams, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
The game technically will be taking place Friday local time in Melbourne, Australia, but Kittle has made quick work in his recovery from the torn right Achilles that he suffered in San Francisco's wild-card win at Philadelphia on Jan. 11. Kittle was listed as limited on the team's first two practice reports of Week 1 prep, so it stands to reason he may operate with a cap on his snaps. Still, he's in line to be out there for the 49ers' regular-season opener.
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49ers' George Kittle: Remains limited Wednesday
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Kittle (Achilles) remained limited in Wednesday's practice, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Coach Kyle Shanahan has already indicated Kittle will play in Thursday night's season opener against the Rams in Australia, but the team is monitoring his practice reps. The veteran tight end is coming off a torn Achilles and is expected to see his snaps dialed back some against Los Angeles, though he should remain a staple in the red zone. Kittle is probably more of a TE2 than a locked-in TE1 for fantasy in Week 1.
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49ers' George Kittle: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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It's great that Kittle will play in Week 1 against the Rams after suffering a ruptured Achilles in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs last year. But it sounds like his playing time will be limited. Coach Kyle Shanahan said, "We've got to be smart with that," in regards to how much Kittle will be on the field, and offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said Kittle's "workload will be determined." We all want to start Kittle in our Fantasy lineups based on his upside, but I don't expect him to do much in Week 1 against the Rams. If you can sit him, that's probably the right thing to do.
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49ers' George Kittle: Could see limited Week 1 role
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Coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that Kittle (Achilles) could have his workload monitored against the Rams on Thursday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
"We got to be smart with that," Shanahan said. With Kittle having been listed as a limited participant Tuesday after returning from the active/PUP list a little over two weeks ago, Shanahan's comments suggest San Francisco is preparing to manage the tight end's Week 1 snaps. Kittle figures to be featured on third downs and in the scoring area if his playing time is limited, and Jake Tonges could see elevated snaps as the Niners' TE2.
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49ers' George Kittle: Listed as limited participant
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Kittle (Achilles) was listed as a limited participant on Tuesday's injury report, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Kittle has been practicing regularly since being activated from the active/PUP list a little over two weeks ago, and although he seemingly did not take part in every drill Tuesday, he was able to get at least some work in. The fact that he traveled with the 49ers to Australia remains the strongest evidence he'll be able to suit up for Week 1.
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49ers' George Kittle: Looking likely to face Rams
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Kittle (Achilles) is in full uniform for the 49ers' practice session in Melbourne, Australia on Tuesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Earlier in the day, 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said of Kittle: "Super impressed with how he's looked considering the injury and how quick he got back on the field. It's cool to me to see how Kittle looks ... Workload will be determined," per Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News. While that doesn't fully confirm that the star tight end will be ready to play in the season opener against the Rams, the fact that the team seems to be focused on Kittle's gameday workload, rather than his general playing status, suggests that he's more likely than not to suit up. Kubiak did give the caveat that Kittle will need to get through San Francisco's final practices before a decision is ultimately made, and the club's injury reports this week should shed further light on Kittle's level of participation in practice as well as his outlook for the Friday (local time) NFC West clash.
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49ers' George Kittle: In line to practice Monday
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Kittle (Achilles) is slated to practice Monday in Melbourne, Australia, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
Kittle has made a speedy recovery from the torn right Achilles that he suffered in the 49ers' wild-card win at Philadelphia on Jan. 11, for which he underwent surgery three days later. Both GM John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan and the tight end himself expressed optimism in the offseason about Kittle being available Week 1 against the Rams, and his activation from the active/PUP list Aug. 23 begin to set the stage for such a reality. Kittle then logged team drills last week and made the trip to Australia with his teammates. The 49ers will post their first injury report of the season Monday, which will reveal how much activity he was able to manage.
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49ers' George Kittle: Traveling to Australia with team
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Kittle (Achilles) will travel to Australia with the 49ers and "is trending in the right direction to play" in the season opener Sept. 10 versus the Rams, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
A final call on Kittle's availability for Week 1 isn't expected to be made until the 49ers arrive in Australia, but his involvement in practice this week and presence on the road trip suggest that he's on track to play. Kittle -- who tore his right Achilles tendon Jan. 11 and underwent surgery three days later -- could have his snaps limited to some degree if he's cleared to play in the season opener.
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49ers' George Kittle: Will be limited in practice this week
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Kittle (Achilles) will be eased back into practice this week, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
Kittle was activated from the active/PUP list last week and continues to make a push to play Week 1 against the Rams on Thursday, Sept. 10. He'll be limited in practice this week, and San Francisco figures to then ramp things up for Kittle next week to see if he can make himself available in the season opener. If Kittle is unable to go, Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell would handle tight end duties for the Niners.
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49ers' George Kittle: Activated from active/PUP list
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Kittle (Achilles) was activated from the active/PUP list Sunday.
Kittle has been ahead of schedule in his recovery from a torn Achilles that he suffered in January. His activation from the PUP list clears Kittle to participate in training camp practice, though he'll likely have his workload managed and be held out of Thursday's preseason finale against the Raiders. All signs are pointing to the veteran tight end having a chance to be available for the 49ers' regular-season opener against the Rams on Thursday, Sept. 10, with more context on that front slated to arrive in the coming days. In any case, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com suggests that Sunday's move is a sign that the team is confident that Kittle will be back before Week 5.
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49ers' George Kittle: Confident he'll avoid PUP for Week 1
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Kittle (Achilles) said Sunday that he's "very confident" he won't start the season on the reserve/PUP list and that he's still got a chance to play Week 1 versus the Rams, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Kittle is recovering from a torn Achilles suffered on Jan. 11, and he's maintained this offseason that he'll be ready for the Week 1 opener versus the Rams in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10. He added that the decision about whether he'll play Week 1 should be made before the 49ers depart for their international game versus the Rams, per Wagoner. The soon-to-be 33-year-old recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in 2023 and 2024, but he tallied 628 yards on 57 catches across 11 appearances during the 2025 regular season. When healthy, Kittle should still be a key target for San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy, especially after wide receiver Ricky Pearsall underwent a season-ending surgery to repair his PCL this August.
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49ers' George Kittle: Starting training camp on PUP
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The 49ers placed Kittle (Achilles) on the active/PUP list Saturday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Kittle continues to recover from a torn right Achilles that he suffered in the 49ers' NFC playoff win over the Eagles in January. The veteran tight end has been optimistic that he's ahead of schedule in his recovery and will be ready for Week 1 against the Rams on Sept. 10. By being placed on the active/PUP list, Kittle is eligible to participate in practice once he's fully recovered from his injury, but he'll be limited to side work for the time being. If Kittle ends up missing regular-season games, then Jake Tonges (foot) would be in line to serve as the 49ers' TE1.
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49ers' George Kittle: Still targeting Week 1
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Kittle (Achilles) said Wednesday that he is still targeting the 49ers' regular-season opener against the Rams in Week 1 as his return date, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.
Kittle acknowledged the challenge of completing his rehab in time for Week 1, though he noted that "I was told it's not a crazy goal." Optimism surrounding his recovery has remained steady throughout the offseason, aided by the fact that he suffered what surgeon and team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache described as a "best-case scenario" Achilles tear near the soleus muscle, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. GM John Lynch said in late March that he's "hopeful" Kittle will be available Week 1. Still, given the timing of the injury he suffered during San Francisco's wild-card win over the Eagles in January and how capable No. 2 tight end Jake Tonges (foot) looked across his spot starts in 2025, the 49ers are expected to take caution with Kittle's recovery process.
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49ers' George Kittle: Aiming to play Week 1
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Coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday that Kittle (Achilles) is aiming to be ready for the 49ers' Week 1 game against the Rams, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com reports.
This has been the sentiment all offseason after Kittle suffered a "clean" tear near the soleus muscle higher up on the Achilles in the 49ers' wild-card win over Philadelphia back in January, which typically results in a quicker rehab process. Working against Kittle, however, is his advanced age (32 years old) and just eight months between the injury and Week 1. The 49ers are surely going to be careful with Kittle and not rush him back just to have him at less than 100 percent for the first game of the 2026 season. Jake Tonges (foot) would be next in line at tight end if Kittle isn't ready to face Los Angeles in four months.
