The San Francisco 49ers will face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding TE George Kittle.
Is George Kittle Playing in Week 8?
George Kittle has gotten off to a terrific start, leading all tight ends with five touchdown receptions. But despite playing 91% of the snaps in the Week 7 loss to the Chiefs, the All-Pro tight end apparently came out of that game with a sprained foot.
The San Francisco 49ers managed Kittle’s practices this week. Indeed, he was a DNP on Wednesday. However, on Thursday, he was a limited participant, which is a great sign. Kittle practiced again on Friday and is officially questionable for Week 8.
Unfortunately, fantasy football managers are in a tough spot because San Francisco plays on Sunday night. Hopefully, we’ll have clarification on Kittle’s status so that managers are scrambling for a TE replacement.
Kittle missed the 49ers’ Week 3 game vs. the Rams, and no San Francisco tight end was usable from a fantasy perspective. Eric Saubert started and had two catches for 41 yards.
We’ll continue to monitor the 49ers injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit George Kittle in Week 8?
I must have missed the memo, but apparently, it is illegal for primary 49ers offensive pieces to come away from a game at full strength. Kittle is dealing with a foot sprain labeled as a “day-to-day” situation — a minor limp makes him the healthiest of the preseason Big Four in this San Francisco offense.
His overall target rate, red zone target rate, slot usage, and drop rate are all better than last season. Now, he figures to add a volume bump to those efficiency stats with Brandon Aiyuk out of the mix, not to mention the uncertain nature of Deebo Samuel Sr.
A day before his 30th birthday last season, Kittle turned three targets into 67 yards and three scores against the Cowboys, making the headlines when he flashed a “F Dallas” shirt underneath his pads. Yeah, I think he takes this matchup personally, and he’s in a position to impact it in a significant way.
Kittle is my TE1 this week and for the remainder of the season, giving managers who drafted him this summer a decided advantage on the rest of their league.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 8 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
George Kittle’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 8
Kittle is projected to score 18 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 5.9 receptions for 73.8 yards and 0.8 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
George Kittle’s Week 8 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 6:00 AM ET on Thursday, January 2. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 18 TE PPR Rankings
1) Brock Bowers | LV (vs. LAC)
2) Sam LaPorta | DET (vs. MIN)
3) Trey McBride | ARI (vs. SF)
4) T.J. Hockenson | MIN (at DET)
5) Jonnu Smith | MIA (at NYJ)
6) Mark Andrews | BAL (vs. CLE)
7) Tucker Kraft | GB (vs. CHI)
8) George Kittle | SF (at ARI)
9) Chigoziem Okonkwo | TEN (vs. HOU)
10) Pat Freiermuth | PIT (vs. CIN)
11) Zach Ertz | WAS (at DAL)
12) Hunter Henry | NE (vs. BUF)
13) Kyle Pitts | ATL (vs. CAR)
14) Isaiah Likely | BAL (vs. CLE)
15) Jake Ferguson | DAL (vs. WAS)
16) Mike Gesicki | CIN (at PIT)
17) Juwan Johnson | NO (at TB)
18) Noah Gray | KC (at DEN)
19) Brenton Strange | JAX (at IND)
20) Dalton Schultz | HOU (at TEN)
21) Dalton Kincaid | BUF (at NE)
22) Cole Kmet | CHI (at GB)
23) Tyler Conklin | NYJ (vs. MIA)
24) Austin Hooper | NE (vs. BUF)
25) Noah Fant | SEA (at LAR)
26) Grant Calcaterra | PHI (vs. NYG)
27) Travis Kelce | KC (at DEN)
28) Foster Moreau | NO (at TB)
29) Jordan Akins | CLE (at BAL)
30) Daniel Bellinger | NYG (at PHI)
31) Stone Smartt | LAC (at LV)
32) Ja'Tavion Sanders | CAR (at ATL)
33) Payne Durham | TB (vs. NO)
34) Dawson Knox | BUF (at NE)
35) Michael Mayer | LV (vs. LAC)
Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers Insights
Dallas Cowboys
Team: Dallas beat Cleveland by 16 points in Week 1. Since then, they have a 2-3 record with a -58 point differential.
QB: Brock Purdy threw 17 passes on Sunday with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings all off the field. He only had 14 career pass attempts with his top 3 WRs off the field before that, including playoffs.
Offense: Dallas has converted just 37.5% of its red zone trips into touchdowns, putting it on pace to be the worst Cowboys team of the 2000s (current low: 38.5% in 2002).
Defense: The Cowboys have the worst run defense in the league by EPA this season.
Fantasy: Rico Dowdle has taken over this backfield, and with the Cowboys owning the lowest opposed loaded box rate, we should have running lanes moving forward.
Betting: Since the beginning of last season, the Cowboys are 5-0 ATS on extended rest (Week 7: bye), covering three of their last four games by at least 15 points.
San Francisco 49ers
Team: Don’t forget that it took a little time for this team to get into form last season – they opened 5-3 before rattling off six straight wins after their Week 9 bye. After this game, San Francisco takes their bye.
QB: Brock Purdy’s yards per pressured pass attempt are down 18.3% from a season ago, and he faces off against a defense this week that ranks fifth in pressure rate.
Offense: The 49ers have converted just 45.2% of their red zone trips into touchdowns this season, their lowest rate since 2018 (41.2%).
Defense: The 49ers allow a league-high 9.5 yards per pass to the slow this season largely because those slot routes are extending down the field (11.1 aDOT, fourth highest).
Fantasy: Brandon Aiyuk (46.9%) is easily the team leader in target rate on the perimeter. If we view Deebo Samuel and George Kittle as the primary targets with Aiyuk now done for the season, it’ll be the receiver who assumes that usage. This season, Samuel has been targeted on 38.9% of his perimeter routes, while Kittle’s rate sits at a predictably low 2.5%.
Betting: The 49ers have covered six straight games against the NFC East (Week 5, 2023 vs. DAL: 42-10 win as a 3.5-point favorite).