George Kittle Injury Update Crushes Fantasy Outlook, Improves Ross Dwelley and Jordan Reed Value

When healthy, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is one of the most productive players in the NFL, making him an elite fantasy football option. That "when healthy" caveat continues to rear its ugly head, however.

Kittle has suffered a foot fracture, which will cause him to miss basically the remainder of the regular season. That completely tanks his fantasy football outlook.

Kittle has played five full games this season, averaging 7.0 receptions, 87.0 yards and 0.4 touchdowns on 9.0 targets per game in that sample. He made an early exit from Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks, posting a season-low 39 yards on 2 receptions.

Of course, none of his impressive numbers matter now. Set to miss eight weeks, we can't expect him to be back until Week 17 at the earliest — which is after most fantasy football leagues have played their championship games. That means, as painful as it may be, fantasy managers can safely drop Kittle.

Ross Dwelley Fantasy Outlook

Backup tight end Ross Dwelley stepped up and played 56% of the Niners' offensive snaps on Sunday, catching his first touchdown of the season in the process.

He also played 81% of the offensive snaps when Kittle was out in Week 3, catching 4 passes. Jordan Reed was healthy in that one too, and with Kittle and Reed both on the shelf for now, Dwelley is a viable fantasy option at tight end thanks to what should be a solid target number.

Jordan Reed Fantasy Outlook

When Reed does return, he will be the preferred option over Dwelley. He was tied for second on the team in targets (6) in Week 3, also picking up 8 targets with Kittle on the shelf in Week 2. He's been designated for return from the injured reserve, and fantasy managers with bench space would be well served to add him this week in preparation for a return in the next couple weeks.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. 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 his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.