JakeTonges

News: 4 days agoTonges did not record any stats in Thursday's 41-17 preseason win against the Chargers.

Spin: Tonges only played 18 snaps during Thursday's contest, and the ball was never thrown his way. He currently projects to start at tight end for the 49ers come Week 1 in the event that two-time All-Pro George Kittle (Achilles) is not available. However, per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Kittle still has a real chance to suit up in that Week 1 matchup in Australia against the Rams, a development that would leave Tonges with a significantly smaller role.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Tonges enters his fourth NFL season very much on the fantasy radar due to a torn Achilles suffered by George Kittle during last season's playoffs. Kittle is expected to return at some point this season, but while he's out, Tonges is set to replace him as the 49ers' top pass catcher at the position. Kittle missed seven full games last season, including the playoffs (Weeks 2-6, 17, 20). During those games, Tonges handled a 17.9% target share (6.6 per game) and posted a 34-328-3 receiving line. That works out to 11.8 fantasy PPG, which would've ranked eighth among all tight ends last season, ahead of the likes of Harold Fannin Jr., Travis Kelce, Tyler Warren and Jake Ferguson. Tonges will be a fringe TE1 as long as Kittle is sidelined and is thus worth late-round consideration.