San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle just got paid. Reportedly, his contract is for 5 years and $75 million, with over half of that guaranteed for injury. With San Francisco committing a big portion of their future to Kittle, what does this mean for his fantasy value in dynasty leagues entering 2020?
Kittle’s contract is the biggest tight end contract ever
Kittle, 26, now holds the records for both the highest total value for a tight end contract as well as the highest average annual value (AAV), $15 million. This contract will pay Kittle into his 31-year-old season, well within his prime age for production at the position. This is a brilliant move for the 49ers, having come up a single win short of a title and having aspirations of more Super Bowl trips in the near future.
For comparison sake, Travis Kelce signed a 5-year contract with the Chiefs when he was also 26, but for just under $47 million, an AAV of $9.4 million. That was back in 2016 and the cap has risen considerably since then. This past offseason we saw both Hunter Henry, on the franchise tag, and Austin Hooper surpass Kelce. Now Kittle has surpassed them all.
What do the metrics tell us about Kittle and his fantasy value?
Relative Athletic Score
Kittle is worth every penny of his record-breaking contract, and his metrics reinforce that. When Kittle entered the league in 2017, he had a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.49, putting him in the 95th percentile in terms of measurables. The only knock on Kittle was his size, but he’s shown that he can overcome that with tenacity.
Offensive Share Metric
In terms of Offensive Share Metric (OSM), which illustrates how impactful a player is within their offense, Kittle registered an elite 41.48 for the season, which ranked fourth among all qualifying tight ends. The only players ahead of him for 2019 were Jonnu Smith, Kyle Rudolph, and Tyler Higbee, none of which are as dominant as Kittle when it comes to fantasy.
Consistency Score
Last but not least, Kittle is not only super athletic and impactful to his team, but he’s consistent for his fantasy owners. His Consistency Score for 2019 was third at the position, only behind Kelce and Darren Waller. Kittle finished as a top 12 TE 85% of the time in 2019, which ranked second behind only Kelce. A Consistency Score that high combined with his OSM and RAS metrics means that George Kittle’s fantasy value when it comes to dynasty leagues in 2020 is higher than anyone else’s at the position, hands down.
George Kittle’s dynasty fantasy football outlook entering 2020
Dynasty owners have been clamoring for Kittle on their teams for over a year now. He stood out even further last season and both he and Kelce are constantly being drafted as the top two tight ends in every league.
Purely through a dynasty lens, it’s not hard to see why Kittle is often being taken ahead of his fellow tight end. He’s five years younger than Kelce and now has his future tied to a somewhat similarly high powered offense in San Francisco. Both of these players should provide plenty of fantasy value over the coming years but with age on his side, and now his future secure, Kittle deserves to be selected ahead.
If you thought his price couldn’t get any higher, you’re wrong. Now that he’s the highest-paid player at his position, it’ll be even harder to acquire him in a trade. This contract only solidifies what many people already thought, that he is the best tight end to own in dynasty leagues. Any team that he’s on will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come, consistently having one of the top contributors at a notoriously volatile position.