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When is George Kittle coming back? The latest George Kittle injury update and fantasy football outlook heading into Week 3 of 2025.
Injuries are a brutal part of football that, unfortunately, have a direct impact on fantasy. Being able to navigate injuries is crucial to ultimately winning a fantasy championship.
One key player who was lost during Week 1 is San Francisco tight end George Kittle. Kittle was expected to be the focal point of the 49ers' offense before a hamstring injury landed him on the injured reserve.
When will Kittle come back? Read below to find out.
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When is George Kittle Coming Back?
Fantasy managers who invested in an early draft pick in Kittle were undoubtedly disappointed when the veteran tight end landed on the injured reserve before Week 2’s game against the New Orleans Saints due to a hamstring strain.
49ers placing TE George Kittle (hamstring) on IR. (via @tompelissero) pic.twitter.com/hIAhkjTSIk
— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2025
That roster move means that Kittle will miss at least the next four weeks (Week 2 included), putting his earliest possible return date as Week 6’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Soft tissue injuries do linger, so it is possible that he could miss longer than the minimum four games as well.
George Kittle 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook
Part of the reason that Kittle was drafted so highly was the belief that he would smash early in the season. The 49ers were starting the year with Brandon Aiyuk working his way back from a 2024 ACL tear and Jauan Jennings missing most of the summer with a calf injury. Kittle’s first quarter in Week 1 (four receptions for 25 yards and a touchdown) showed just how much he was going to be utilized in the passing attack.
The injury (and the timing of his injured reserve stint) is unfortunate. San Francisco will hope to get Aiyuk back into the offense around the time Kittle returns. The team has already gotten back Jennings, and second-year wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is getting more repetitions. Kittle has gone from the unquestioned lead target in the offense to coming back to a fully loaded wide receiver room.
In the grand scheme of things, that doesn’t mean that Kittle can’t be useful in fantasy. We have seen him be one of the most efficient receiving tight ends in football, and he’s coming off a season where he was the TE1 in PPR points per game (15.8) despite seeing just 94 targets.
When Kittle returns, he will once again be a fixture in your fantasy lineup. The goal is simply to hope that he can fully heal and avoid any setbacks that would hinder him for the remainder of the year.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
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Popular Week 3 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 3 (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 3 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 3 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Tucker Kraft, Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts Sr., Zach Ertz, T.J. Hockenson, Dallas Goedert compared to others:
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