The San Francisco 49ers have been crushed by significant injuries for most of the 2020 season. Worst of all, for fantasy football players, one of those injuries happens to be associated with San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle, arguably the best at his position in the NFL. Now, fantasy GMs will have to target the Week 9 waiver wire for replacement options who can fill in for Kittle while he recovers from his injury.
Kittle, who was TE3 on the season in PPR formats, will miss several weeks and potentially could have his year shut down after getting injured against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8.
What is George Kittle’s injury, how long will it keep him out of action, and who are some waiver wire targets and options for fantasy managers if they are now in desperate need of a replacement in Week 9?
49ers TE George Kittle’s injury will keep him out at least eight weeks
After making a beautiful catch on Sunday night, Kittle came down and landed awkwardly on his left foot. At the time, it didn’t look overly concerning when George Kittle landed, but on Monday, it became apparent how severe this injury was.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Kittle suffered a broken bone in his foot that will keep him out action for at least eight weeks. It’s unclear whether he’ll be able to return this season, and given the trajectory of the 49ers right now, I don’t see why they would bring him back.
As we head into Week 9, the current timeline gives him a return date of either Week 16 or Week 17. The team will know its playoff fate by that point, and given the risk of aggravating an injury (especially when it comes to the foot), there would be little point to rush George Kittle back. Add all of that to the fact that fantasy leagues will be done (or just about done) by the time Kittle returns, and you pretty much have a no-win situation on your hands.
This isn’t the first time the 49ers TE has missed time this season. George Kittle missed two games with a knee injury suffered in San Francisco’s Week 1 loss to Arizona, returning in Week 4, and looked to be arguably the best tight end in the NFL since then.
I cannot overstate how massive a loss George Kittle is to the 49ers. I don’t know if there is another player in the NFL, outside of a quarterback, that impacts his offense as much as Kittle does both pre and post-snap. From his motion and giving away defensive schemes, to his unbelievable run-blocking ability, all the way to his receiving ability and skills after the catch, Kittle does it all.
The 49ers TE had played on 97% of the team’s offensive snaps this year and has seen a team-leading 49 targets (17.8% target share) despite only playing in six games. He leads the 49ers in targets, catches (37), yards (474), and is tied with two touchdowns.
He had seen the third-most targets and catches for a tight end across the entire NFL and was second in receiving yards. Only Travis Kelce and Kittle have eclipsed the 400 yards receiving mark on the year for the position.
No one can replace what 49ers TE George Kittle brings to either the 49ers or your fantasy team. What we can do is try to find some waiver wire replacements to keep your team afloat as we enter the back half of the fantasy season.
Week 9 waiver wire targets & replacements for 49ers TE George Kittle as he recovers from his injury
All of the waiver wire options and replacements I am going to mention below are under the 50% threshold in current fantasy leagues. Just because I don’t mention an obvious guy does not mean you shouldn’t go and get him if he is available; you clearly should do that.
I am putting this constraint on myself so I can try to hit guys who will be available in the majority of leagues. Here are some waiver wire replacements and options to try to limit the damage of losing Kittle for the season because of his foot injury.
Jordan Reed – 49ers (Rostered in 1.6% of fantasy leagues)
Kittle’s absence will open a significant target share in San Francisco’s passing game. 49ers backup tight end Jordan Reed was designated to return from injured reserve last week and is back practicing. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Sunday he’s optimistic Reed could be ready for Thursday’s matchup with the Packers.
Reed caught nine passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns during George Kittle’s two-game absence earlier this season, though he went down with a knee injury during the second game, which put him on the IR.
He will be the most plug-and-play option on this list. Both Reed and WR Brandon Aiyuk need to be rostered moving forward, even if Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be out for an extended time.
Ross Dwelley – 49ers (Rostered in 0.0% of leagues)
There are not very many waiver wire options out there, but a deep sleeper would be Ross Dwelley. The 49ers TE had five catches for 54 yards during Kittle’s two-game absence earlier this year, but Reed was the primary option. Dwelly caught a 16-yard touchdown after Kittle left on what was his first target since Week 3.
Though Reed is eligible to come back, they might not want to risk rushing him back due to the game being on Thursday. This would leave Dwelley as the starting tight end. Out of the two, I prefer the upside of Reed in fantasy, but this will come down to availability.
Eric Ebron – Steelers (Rostered in 49.8% of leagues)
I am not saying this is 2018 Ebron, but this version is very good in the Steelers offense. Currently, the TE15 in PPR scoring, he has seen 37 targets on the season, catching 26 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns.
However, it has been the last two weeks that we need to focus on. During this time, Ebron has seen his snap percentage go up to 77% and has caught ten of his 13 targets for 98 yards and a touchdown. He has also recorded double-digit fantasy point totals in back-to-back games.
Moving forward is where things get exciting. Pittsburgh will face the 16th, 31st, 28th, 20th, 24th, 30th, and 31st-best defenses against TEs. If that isn’t an intriguing option to fill in for George Kittle while he recovers from his injury, then I dont know what is at this point.
Dallas Goedert – Eagles (Rostered in 47.9% of leagues)
Playing for the first time since suffering a high-ankle sprain and fractured tibia on September 27, Goedert was thrust into a sizable role and played on 53 of the Eagles’ 63 offensive snaps. With Zach Ertz on IR, Goedert is going to be a TE1 moving forward and needs to be rostered in every league.
The downside of Goedert is that the Eagles have a bye in Week 9. You will need another option for this week, but I would not let that stop you from acquiring him off the waiver wire. Fantasy is a season-long game, not just a single week. He should be a priority waiver wire target for Week 9.
Logan Thomas – Washington (Rostered in 8.1% of leagues)
Coming into the team’s Week 8 bye, Logan Thomas had been on fire, catching touchdown passes in back-to-back games, totaling a combined 102 yards in the process. His 29.2 fantasy points during that stretch has him as the TE12 on the year.
The issue with Thomas is consistency, as he has posted four games with under 7.1 PPR points. However, he has seen no less than four targets in every game and has touchdown upside each week. The rest of season schedule is not great, but in deeper leagues, he is likely sitting on waivers for you to snag.