49ers Get Bad News with George Kittle Injury Update

Week 1 of the NFL season is finally here, but that means the dreaded injury bug is, too. The San Francisco 49ers will likely be without one of their top offensive players against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Tight end George Kittle is not expected to suit up due to a groin injury he suffered in practice.

#49ers TE George Kittle, dealing with a groin injury and listed as questionable, is not likely to play today, source said. He didn't practice this week, and in a long season, pushing it early doesn't make sense.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 11, 2022

George Kittle Injury Update

While Kittle's status was trending toward this outcome all week, it's still a brutal blow no matter how you look at it. The Pro Bowler had been healthy throughout training camp and preseason work. That was until he went down on Monday and stayed on the sideline for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Kittle has been unstoppable for the 49ers during his five-year career. That is when he is healthy enough to play. The 28-year-old has played in every regular season game only once. Kittle has racked up 1,544 yards and eight touchdowns on 119 receptions in 22 games played since the start of 2020.

Fans should expect to see Charlier Woerner step into the starting role against the Bears. The 2020 sixth-round pick out of Georgia has posted 88 yards on eight receptions over three NFL starts. Veteran Ross Dwelley will move into the No. 2 role and should see increased snaps on Sunday, too.

The absence of Kittle means that quarterback Trey Lance will not have his full arsenal of weapons for his debut as the full-time starter. San Francisco is still slated as a 6.5-point road favorite, though, according to FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds. The 49ers have odds set at -275 on the moneyline.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.