GeorgeKittle

News: 8 hours agoKittle (Achilles) is in full uniform for the 49ers' practice session in Melbourne, Australia on Tuesday (local time), Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Spin: Earlier in the day, 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said of Kittle: "Super impressed with how he's looked considering the injury and how quick he got back on the field. It's cool to me to see how Kittle looks ... Workload will be determined," per Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News. While that doesn't fully confirm that the star tight end will be ready to play in the season opener against the Rams, the fact that the team seems to be focused on Kittle's gameday workload, rather than his general playing status, suggests that he's more likely than not to suit up. Kubiak did give the caveat that Kittle will need to get through San Francisco's final practices before a decision is ultimately made, and the club's injury reports this week should shed further light on Kittle's level of participation in practice as well as his outlook for the Friday (local time) NFC West clash.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Kittle is undoubtedly among the best tight ends in the NFL and fantasy, but he simply can't dodge the injury bug. The 2017 fifth-round pick has played one full season (2018) and tore an Achilles in the team's wild-card victory after missing six regular-season games last season. Kittle may be ready for Week 1 and isn't expected to miss more than a game or two, though he's now 32 years old and might not be his usual, dominant self even when he returns. Kittle has finished sixth or better in fantasy PPG in each of the past eight seasons (including first in 2024), so his upside makes him worth a late-round flier.