What to do with George Kittle, Jordan Reed in Week 16 of the fantasy football playoffs

A subset of fantasy football managers might be getting a heck of a Christmas present this week. San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told the media earlier this week that tight end George Kittle will play on Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals. He did not however that Kittle would be on a pitch count.

Kittle has been on injured reserve since breaking a bone in his foot in Week 8. The team opened his practice window in Week 15, but he did not play. It was unclear what his status would be for Week 16, but Shanahan confirmed it to close out the practice week.

Fantasy Football analysis: 49ers TE George Kittle, Jordan Reed

A pitch count is never easy to sort out for fantasy football roster decisions. Kittle’s upside is tremendous, but will he get enough snaps to find opportunities? Will the game script change how his snap count works? These are questions we won’t know until we see how the game progresses, which is not ideal for fantasy managers.

Reed gets downgraded with Kittle back, but in 14+ team leagues, there is still going to be some value to be had. Reed is a dynamic playmaker and if Kittle is not seeing his full workload, Reed retains some value.

The tight end position is incredibly shallow, so if you have held Kittle for this long, you might as well roll him out. If you are shorthanded, Reed is useful in a pinch for deep leagues.

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

Start Kittle in all formats.

Sit Reed outside of deeper leagues