It’s been a frustrating year for San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, who’s already missed five of his team’s 15 games on the season. If things continue as they’ve been trending this week, he’ll be missing a sixth on Sunday.
Kittle is questionable for San Francisco’s Week 17 game against the Chicago Bears due to an ankle injury that kept him out of practice all week. His lack of practice time would seem to indicate he can’t play, though Kittle plans to test out the ankle pregame to see if he can go, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
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With it being a Sunday night game, Kittle’s uncertain status complicates things for his fantasy managers.
Should I start George Kittle in fantasy?
If he’s cleared to play, Kittle should absolutely be in all lineups, as he’s averaging the third-most fantasy points of all tight ends on the season. However, based on his practice status, I wouldn’t expect Kittle to be cleared. Therefore, his fantasy mangers should have a backup plan, whether that’s rolling with someone from one of the earlier games or grabbing Kittle’s backup or another TE from the prime-time slots to plug in once he’s officially ruled out.
Who is George Kittle’s backup?
Jake Tonges is San Francisco’s backup tight end, and he’s been very serviceable in absence of Kittle. In fact, his four receiving touchdowns rank fourth on the team behind Jauan Jennings, Kittle and Christian McCaffrey.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: George Kittle injury update for Sunday night vs. Bears
