By George, Kittle Will be a Fantasy Superstar Again in 2025

The world is far from a certain place, with very few things left that we can count on. However, if 2024 is any indication, George Kittle's performance in fantasy football appears to be something we can still rely on. And all signs point towards that trend continuing into 2025.

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Kittle's Finest Year

2024 was something of a disappointing season for the 49ers, who were ravaged by injury and limped to a 6-11 finish, their most losses in a season since 2018. But Kittle still brought home the bacon. He caught 78 of his 94 targets for 1,106 yards – his second consecutive 1,000-yard campaign – and scored eight touchdowns. Kittle was among the elite producers in several key stats among tight ends, ranking second with 21 red zone targets and 522 yards after contact. But Kittle wasn’t solely reliant on YAC for his production, as an average depth of target of 8.5 attests. Kittle posted 13.2 Half-PPR points per game, finishing as the TE1 in points per game.

While not statistically Kittle’s best season, a strong case can be made for 2024 being one he should rightly be proud of. Kittle averaged 5.2 receptions and 73.7 receiving yards per game – his highest tallies since 2020. He set a new career high with 11.8 yards per target, and while he could only manage Second Team All-Pro honours, he did come 11th in Offensive Player of the Year voting.

Same Place, New Opportunities

Kittle should continue to be productive in 2025 after signing a lucrative deal with the 49ers in April. The 49ers have 124 vacated targets from last year, with Deebo Samuel taking a large chunk of those with him. Kittle has benefited from Samuel’s absence in recent times and has the numbers to bear this out. Over his career, Kittle’s splits with and without Samuel have been flat, but between 2023 and 2024, there is a definite spike. When Samuel has been in the lineup, Kittle has averaged 5.1 targets, 3.6 receptions, 56.6 yards, and 10.1 Half-PPR points. When Samuel has missed time, Kittle’s numbers jump to 6.6, 5.4, 78.4, and 13.4.

Kittle has developed excellent chemistry with quarterback Brock Purdy, another contract recipient this offseason, with Purdy averaging 11.69 Adjusted Yards per Attempt when targeting Kittle. Purdy cannot boast a more efficient linkup than this. Juan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall will hope to get significant pieces of the action, as will Christian McCaffrey, but even if they do, Purdy would be foolish to ignore his favourite target for too long.

Reasons for Concern

There are a couple of factors that could negatively impact Kittle’s fantasy output in 2025, and they do warrant serious consideration. The 49ers' struggle last season has seen them “rewarded” with something of a soft schedule. Indeed, Sharp Football has the 49ers' schedule ranked as the easiest in the NFL in 2025. This soft run of games could see the 49ers lean on the run somewhat, something they have required very little invitation to do in the Kyle Shanahan era. Since 2018, the 49ers have had a 53% pass rate in neutral situations, the third-lowest mark in the entire NFL.

When Kittle plays, he has shown himself to be an elite performer. But the last few seasons have seen him miss the odd game here and there. Indeed, Kittle hasn’t played a full season since 2018. He is getting up there in terms of age – he turns 32 in October – and his all-action style has seen him amass a large snap count. He hasn’t averaged less than an 84% snap count since his rookie season, and he has played at least 800 offensive snaps in six of his last seven seasons. However, we shouldn’t go into fantasy football fixated on potential injuries, especially as Kittle, while missing games, has only missed seven games over the last four seasons. His efficiency means that his absences can be excused, as he is as likely to deliver an explosive game flipping a week’s slate as any other tight end when he is on the field. Plus, every-down tight ends are a rare thing these days, and Kittle being on the field increases his chances of doing the stuff that you can score fantasy points doing (catching), as well as the stuff he loves doing (blocking).

2025 Fantasy Outlook

Kittle is currently the TE3 over at Underdog, which is the same spot he occupies on our Half-PPR rankings. He has become more popular over the last few months, with his ADP rising from 50.5 to 44.7 since the end of April. For fans of drafting an elite tight end early, I believe Kittle’s current ADP represents something of a bargain.

The two tight ends being taken ahead of him, Brock Bowers and Trey McBride, are going off the board in the middle of the 2nd and 3rd rounds, respectively. Both are, of course, fine players coming off productive 2024 seasons, but I feel I would much rather have Kittle at his price than either of the two younger bucks at theirs. Even accounting for the likelihood of the 49ers establishing the run to close out games, Kittle’s penchant for hyper efficiency makes him a player that can, and has, get there in fantasy even without a monster number of targets. His heavy red zone use makes him a safe weekly bet to find the end zone, and we can never underrate the appeal of scores at the tight end spot in fantasy football.

The 49ers are poised to bounce back in 2025, and Kittle is, in my opinion, your best option to get aboard the train as it gets back on the tracks.

The Bottom Line

• Kittle was as dominant in 2024 as he has ever been, and his chemistry with Brock Purdy allied to a host of vacated targets should keep him afloat in 2025.
• Kittle has thrived in recent years whenever Deebo Samuel has missed time. With Deebo now in Washington, Kittle should continue to feast.
• Kittle seemingly never comes off the field, which can be annoying at times but does increase his odds of scoring fantasy points.
• Kittle is going many rounds later than younger players that he is likely to match, or even exceed, in terms of production, thanks in no small part to his nose for the end zone.