George Kittle fantasy projection: Is 49ers TE a good pick in 2023?

George Kittle has been one of the best tight ends in the NFL ever since being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

For many years, there was an argument to be made that Kittle was the best tight end in football, even ahead of Chiefs All-Pro Travis Kelce. However, he's suffered various injuries in recent years, and now his name is rarely mentioned among the top TE talents in football.

George Kittle - NFL Top 5 TE?

George Kittle's 2023 Fantasy Outlook

The 49ers TE is currently ranked as TE5 by fantasypros.com, behind Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, T.J. Hockenson, and Darren Waller.

His ADP currently stands at #50, meaning he's going between rounds four and five of most fantasy football drafts.

He is ranked fairly lowly by his standards due to injury concerns. There are reports he may miss the Niners' season opener, in a similar vein to 2022, as he struggled with injuries at the beginning of last season, too.

However, Kittle recovered and became a fantasy asset as the season progressed. He had 60 receptions for 765 yards and 11 TDs last year, setting a career-high for touchdown receptions. To juxtapose this, though, Kittle's 51 receiving yards per game last term were the fewest since his rookie year in 2017.

Kittle's numbers went up since Brock Purdy came in and took over as QB1 for the 49ers. With Purdy at the helm, Kittle averaged 3.9 catches, 55.9 yards, and 0.9 TDs per game including playoff matchups.

Is George Kittle a good pick in Fantasy Football this year?

Barring any health concerns, George Kittle is an excellent pick in fantasy football and could be a difference-maker for your team.

As San Francisco announced the decision to roll with Purdy as the starter heading into 2023, Kittle fantasy owners rejoiced as he became the safety blanket for the former Mr. Irrelevant.

The main issue with Kittle is that the 49ers have a lot of mouths to feed. Their offense involves Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk, who all seek a fair target share.

In 2022, Kittle registered an 18.9% target share last season, which is solid enough but way down from his 24%+ target shares the previous four years.

Where should you draft George Kittle this year?

If you miss out on Kelce, Andrews, or Hockenson, you should have no issues with drafting George Kittle.

He ended 2022 as TE2 in PPR and non-PPR despite struggling with injuries for much of the year. Despite all the mouths to feed on the 49ers' offense, Kittle still has a pivotal role.

If he falls to you in round four or five and you're yet to grab a tight end, you could do much worse than pick him up. After Kittle, Darren Waller, Dallas Goedert, and Kyle Pitts, the tight end market fell off a cliff, with many fantasy football players having to take a shot in the dark on players like Gerald Everett and Evan Engram.

Kittle's ADP of #50 puts him around players like D.J. Moore, Miles Sanders, and Alexander Mattison. Depending on your team up to that point, getting a solid tight end is arguably more important than extra depth at other skill positions. Every year, we see rookie WRs and RBs dominate, yet elite tight ends in fantasy football are hard to come by, so take George Kittle.

However, keep in mind he's currently dealing with an adductor strain and may miss week 1, so draft a backup tight end just in case!