The San Francisco 49ers have activated George Kittle off injured reserve, which gives Fantasy managers an interesting choice in their championship games.
One the one hand, Kittle is the No. 3 tight end on a per-game basis this year and he's been a top-three option for three years straight. Tight end is a notoriously bad position for Fantasy and it's hard to imagine sitting someone who has been as consistently awesome as Kittle.
On the other hand, Kittle hasn't played football since Week 8, he has C.J. Beathard as his starting quarterback and he's facing a Cardinals defense that has allowed the fourth-fewest Fantasy points to tight ends this season. As we saw with Michael Thomas earlier in the year, sometimes even elite players need a shake-the-rust off game.
Projections don't take rust into account, so you'll see Kittle projected at No. 3 below, behind only Travis Kelce and Darren Waller. Personally, I'd also start T.J. Hockenson and Mark Andrews over him as well, and Logan Thomas in full PPR. Those three all have a higher floor than Kittle coming off a two-month layoff and they've shown enormous ceilings as well.
More Week 16 help: Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | Starts & Sits, Sleepers & Busts | PPR Cheat Sheet | Non-PPR Cheat Sheet | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Matchup Notes | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: RB | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: WR | Waiver Wire | Who Can You Trust?
Week 16 TE Preview
Numbers to Know
- 65.5 -- The Jets haven't just allowed a lot of touchdowns, they've also allowed the most yards per game to tight ends.
- 26.5% -- Darren Waller is responsible for more than a quarter of the Raiders air yards, tops among tight ends.
- 11 -- Noah Fant saw 11 targets in Week 15 and has 18 in his past two games.
- 153 -- Mike Gesicki had 153 yards in the two games before he injured his shoulder.
- 91.1 -- Logan Thomas has scored 91.1 PPR points since Week 9, trailing only Travis Kelce and Waller.
Matchups that matter
Waiver Wire Targets
Higbee is the only tight end on the waiver wire I wouldn't necessarily call touchdown-or-bust.
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Hooper is definitely touchdown-or-bust but at least he's playing the defense that has allowed the most touchdowns to tight ends.
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Akins' inconsistency has been maddening, but Deshaun Watson is playing great and there's plenty of opportunity in Houston.
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DFS Plays
It's not so much a lack of creativity as the fact that Travis Kelce has 141 more Fantasy points this season than any other tight end on the slate.
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Heath's Projections
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