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When will George Kittle return and play? Will George Kittle be back again this season? Read the latest George Kittle injury updates and return date for Week 4 (2025).
San Francisco tight end George Kittle was a popular target in drafts as he has been a reliable TE1 throughout his entire career.
However, the star tight end suffered a hamstring injury during their season opener and was later placed on the injured reserve.
When will George Kittle return to action, and what is his fantasy football outlook when he does? Let's dive in.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
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- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
George Kittle Injury Update
Since being placed on the injured reserve on September 9, the team has not provided any update on the star tight end. However, given this transaction, Kittle would not be eligible to return until Week 6.
As a result, fantasy managers should not be surprised if he doesn't return to practice for a few weeks, as he still needs to wait an additional two games before being cleared to return.
If Kittle were to remain sidelined during practice leading up to their Week 6 title against the Falcons, he could then be in danger of missing an extended period of time.
George Kittle Eligible to Return in Week 6 https://t.co/WVZPtZN9cn
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 17, 2025
George Kittle Fantasy Football Outlook
Before exiting in Week 1, Kittle wasted little time making an impact. In just 20 offensive snaps, Kittle caught all four of his targets for 20 yards and a touchdown. During the 2024 season, Kittle posted his second-straight 1,000-yard campaign and brought in 78 receptions for 1,106 yards and seven touchdowns.
His reception total was the third-highest of his career, and his yardage total was the second-highest. Despite entering his age-31 season, Kittle was on track to enjoy another dominant season and finish as one of the most valuable players at the position in fantasy,
While he has been sidelined, the 49ers have turned to Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell to serve as the TE1, but neither has made a significant impact. Instead, much of the offense as a whole revolved around running back Christian McCaffrey and second-year wideout Ricky Pearsall, who is on pace to enjoy a breakout season.
However, when Kittle returns to the field, he should immediately carry must-start status and will be a top target in the offense on a weekly basis. He is a must-stash in all formats as he continues to work his way back.
Quarterbakc Brock Purdy (toe/shoulder) is nearing a return as well and will likely lean on Kittle to hurt most of the second half as he did during the 2024 campaign. On a point-per-game basis, Kittle could make a strong case to be the overall TE1 once he is cleared for game action.
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...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Need a replacement? Some common Week 4 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Ricky Pearsall, Keenan Allen, Jameson Williams, Chris Olave, Tucker Kraft, Jake Ferguson, Marquise Brown, Tyler Warren, Sam LaPorta. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 4. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 4 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 4 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Ricky Pearsall, Keenan Allen, Jameson Williams, Chris Olave, Tucker Kraft, Jake Ferguson, Marquise Brown, Tyler Warren, Sam LaPorta. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 4.
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 name. In the second box, search for the second player 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.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
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.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 4 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 4 (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 4 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Need a replacement? Below are some popular Week 4 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Ricky Pearsall, Keenan Allen, Jameson Williams, Chris Olave, Tucker Kraft, Jake Ferguson, Marquise Brown, Tyler Warren, Sam LaPorta compared to others:
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