Update, Sept. 8 — Kittle has been listed as questionable heading into the weekend. He was able to practice in a limited fashion again on Friday, so he feels like a game-day decision on Sunday.
#49ers status report for Sunday against Steelers:
QUESTIONABLE – TE George Kittle (groin), CB Charvarius Ward (heel)
Everyone else is good to go, per Kyle Shanahan.— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) September 8, 2023
Update, Sept. 7 — Kittle logged a second consecutive limited practice on Thursday. It is good to see that he was able to return to practice this week, but he is likely going to head into the weekend questionable for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Limited: DE Nick Bosa (not injury related – resting player), LB Oren Burks (knee), S Tashaun Gipson (back), TE George Kittle (groin), RB Jordan Mason (foot), WR Ray-Ray McCloud (wrist), K Jake Moody (right quadricep)
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) September 7, 2023
Update, Sept. 6 — Kittle was able to practice on Wednesday and received a limited designation. It appears he is on track to play against the Steelers as long as he doesn’t have a setback.
The San Francisco 49ers start their 2023 campaign in Pittsburgh against the Steelers this Sunday. As usual, San Francisco is dealing with injuries, with starting tight end George Kittle one of those injured players.
Kittle has been nursing an abductor/groin strain, and even after playing 12 snaps in the final preseason game, the team wanted to get him more rest. He may have tweaked something in that game, but no reports have surfaced as to his exact status right now.
But, Kittle wasn’t practicing on Monday, per Eric Branch. Instead, Kittle worked on the side, which is still a good sign. The team won’t need to put out an official injury report until Wednesday, and hopefully Kittle will participate and get in a limited workload. If so, he should be well on his way to playing, but if not, it could be time to worry about his status.
Betting and DFS implications for Week 1
Kittle is a huge weapon for Brock Purdy and the 49ers, especially as touchdown scorer. If he were to miss this game against a good Pittsburgh defense in Pittsburgh, it would hurt their overall chances to come out with a win.
For fantasy, Kittle remains a must-start as long as he appears ready to go. If he can’t go, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey should all see a higher fantasy ceiling.