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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 5 (2025).
Fantasy football has had some brutal injuries to start the 2025 season. One of the most significant injuries was to San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle.
Fantasy managers who drafted the veteran tight end were under the assumption that their tight end position was set for the season. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury in Week 1 kept Kittle off the field until Week 6.
When will Kittle return to your fantasy lineup? Read below to find out.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
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- Wide receiver (WR) rankings
- Quarterback (QB) rankings
- Tight end (TE) rankings
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- FLEX rankings
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George Kittle Injury Update
Kittle was set to start the season as the focal point of San Francisco’s passing attack. Unfortunately, he suffered a hamstring injury during the first quarter of the 49ers' Week 1 game against the Seattle Seahawks after catching four passes for 25 yards and a touchdown in just 21 offensive snaps.
Kittle was placed on injured reserve shortly after the game, which guaranteed he would miss at least four weeks. Based on that, Kittle is not eligible to return until Week 6 at the earliest.
49ers placing TE George Kittle (hamstring) on IR. (via @tompelissero) pic.twitter.com/hIAhkjTSIk
— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2025
There haven’t been many updates regarding Kittle’s health since he landed on the injured reserve, but there is also no reason to believe that he isn’t on track to return when eligible.
George Kittle Fantasy Football Outlook
The most significant benefit to drafting Kittle this summer was that he would finally have an opportunity to blend his hyper-efficient playstyle with a high volume of passing targets due to injuries and uncertainty in the 49ers' passing attack. Those dreams were seemingly dashed just 21 snaps into 2025.
However, despite being out for four weeks, Kittle is set to return to a situation that isn’t drastically different than the one he left.
Brandon Aiyuk still isn’t close to returning from his 2024 multi-ligament knee injury. Jauan Jennings missed the start of the season while navigating a calf injury. He was able to return briefly but was injured again (ankle and ribs) and is at risk of missing more games. Ricky Pearsall enjoyed a strong start to the season but had a minor knee injury that could cost him at least a game in Week 4. Even Brock Purdy has missed time due to a nagging toe injury.
There is a chance that all of these pieces are healthy once Kittle returns to the field. However, there is also a chance that these injuries linger and pop up throughout the season, limiting all of the pass game weapons surrounding the veteran tight end.
When Kittle is healthy, he can finish as the TE1 regardless of his target volume. However, he also has a chance to return to a 49ers offense, which needs a player who can emerge as a reliable target down the field.
Kittle’s overall fantasy outlook hasn’t changed despite the injury as long as he returns on time. He is still a player who can finish as the TE1 overall every week, regardless of scoring format. He can start with confidence the second he is back on the field.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 5 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.
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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.
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 circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Looking for a replacement? Below are some popular Week 5 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Woody Marks, Tyler Warren, Jake Ferguson, Hunter Henry, Tee Higgins, Jordan Addison, Elic Ayomanor, Brenton Strange, Darren Waller compared to others:
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