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Is George Kittle out for the season? When is George Kittle coming back? The latest George Kittle injury update and fantasy football outlook heading into Week 18.
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (ankle) is dealing with a low-to-mid ankle sprain that he suffered in his team's Week 16 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Kittle has been one of the best tight ends in the NFL since he entered the league, and it was a disappointing outcome for both 49ers fans and fantasy football managers when he was injured in Week 16. But San Francisco has a big game coming up.
They were able to eke out a win against the Chicago Bears in Week 17, but they'll have to face the elite Seattle Seahawks team in Week 18 for the NFC West division title. There's a first-round bye on the line, too, as only one of these two teams can clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC. So will Kittle play in Week 18, or is he out for the season? Let's dive in.
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Is George Kittle Out For The 2025 Season?
It's highly unlikely. If that were the case, he probably would have been put on injured reserve. As far as being out for the rest of the regular season, that's less clear. While he'll likely be playing through a ton of pain if he takes the field, it's ostensibly better to get the first-round bye.
If the 49ers are able to beat the Seahawks, and they might struggle to do so without Kittle's help, he'll have an extra week to heal before the team plays in the divisional round for their first playoff game. Kittle also purportedly tested out his ankle prior to the Week 17 game in the off-chance he could play.
How many tight ends in the NFL are making this catch? George Kittle has a guy holding onto his arm and still able to come down with it 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/jBsmNb9oTd
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) December 1, 2025
Kittle is still absolutely elite as a receiving tight end, and even if he doesn't get a ton of work in the receiving game, he is the best run-blocking TE in the NFL. There aren't many all-around weapons like him in the league, and he's absolutely crucial to his team's success.
An elite tight end is one of the most underrated and most important parts of elite teams' abilities to consistently win games and make it to the postseason. That was the case with Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce, parts of the NFL's two most recent dynasties.
If Kittle was able to test his ankle out pre-game in anticipation of potentially playing, there seems to be very little chance that he'll miss the rest of the season, especially considering the importance of the upcoming game.
George Kittle 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook
In Week 18, we unfortunately might see one of 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's classic "decoy" games. When Kittle returned from his hamstring tear, he scored zero PPR fantasy points in his first game back and was targeted only once. Shanahan has repeatedly had "healthy" players hardly used as pass-catchers despite them being good players.
So, Week 18 is a tough time to start Kittle, and it's possible he could mostly serve as a blocker. But in the playoffs, he'll be rested up more and become a must-consider player for your DFS lineups. With Brandon Aiyuk not playing for the team this year, Kittle has easily been the best pass-catcher for the 49ers.
This is a bigtime Momentum Double Team into Pancake from George Kittle 😤 pic.twitter.com/TLtNvqgw6F
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) December 23, 2025
The run game has also been absolutely abysmal without him on the field, at least compared to how it's been season-long when he plays. 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey averages over a full yard less per carry on plays that Kittle isn't on the field than on plays where Kittle is blocking for him.
This at least ensures him plenty of playing time, which also leads to quite a few routes run and targets. That is easily enough to make him one of fantasy football's best tight ends. The 49ers are thin at pass-catcher, with only WRs Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings consistently garnering high target shares aside from Kittle.
And both of them have dealt with major injuries this season that appear to be holding them back. Kittle is effectively the team's WR1 and is a good bet to score 20 or more PPR fantasy points in any game he plays when he's fully healthy.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 18 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Jauan Jennings, Rico Dowdle, Michael Carter, Courtland Sutton, Tony Pollard, Jordan Addison. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 18. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 18 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Jauan Jennings, Rico Dowdle, Michael Carter, Courtland Sutton, Tony Pollard, Jordan Addison. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 18.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool, but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
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How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
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Popular Week 18 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 18 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 18 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 18 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Jauan Jennings, Rico Dowdle, Michael Carter, Courtland Sutton, Tony Pollard, Jordan Addison compared to others:
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