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George Kittle (Achilles) still hopeful for 'a chance' to face Rams in Week 1 in Australia

George Kittle is optimistic about returning from a torn Achilles and potentially playing in Week 1 against the Rams in Australia.

First seen Aug 17, 2026 · 1:04 PM UTC · last updated Aug 17 4:09 PM

Scoring Zone's Take

George Kittle's road back from a torn Achilles is trending in a positive direction, at least according to his own optimism, with Week 1 against the Rams in Australia floated as a target return. That's encouraging news, but it's worth treating with caution during draft prep — Achilles injuries are notoriously slow to fully clear, and "optimistic about returning" from the player himself is not the same as a confirmed clearance from the team's medical staff. Both sources here carry the same 80% confidence and identical framing, which tells you this is still speculative territory rather than a locked-in outcome.

For fantasy value, this keeps Kittle in a gray zone at the tight end position. If healthy, he remains one of the more explosive receiving threats at the position when target volume flows his way in that offense. But drafting him with the expectation of a clean Week 1 workload carries real risk — even if he suits up, ramp-up usage and snap counts post-Achilles tear are common, and his early-season role could be capped compared to a fully healthy campaign.

Actionable guidance for your draft: treat Kittle as a value-based flier rather than a locked-in TE1. Let him fall a round or two below where he'd normally go on name value alone, and pair him with a safer floor option at tight end if you take the swing. Monitor camp/preseason reports closely as August progresses — those will matter more than this early optimism in determining whether he's a starter-caliber TE from Week 1 or a stash-and-wait asset. Confidence in this specific outlook: moderate, given the speculative nature of the reporting.

George Kittle (Achilles) still hopeful for 'a chance' to face Rams in Week 1 in Australia

San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle remains optimistic that he’ll be on the plane to Melbourne, Australia, for their Week 1 tilt against the Los Angeles Rams.

"I have a chance," Kittle said Sunday, via ESPN. "We're running around a lot, hitting top speeds. Hopefully, we're back in pads practicing sooner than later. Just trying to check the boxes and not be a dumbass."

Kittle called his regimen from a torn right Achilles "the most boring rehab in the entire world."

The 32-year-old tore his Achilles during a Jan. 11 playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles and underwent surgery three days later. On Sunday, Kittle said he’s “pretty close” to hitting his pre-injury GPS speed numbers.

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The tight end entered training camp on the physically unable to perform list, but is “very confident” he won’t start the season on PUP, which would knock him out for the first four weeks of the campaign. He would need to be activated to the roster before Aug. 30.

Beyond not missing the first four games, Kittle wouldn’t put a timetable on his return. While striving for Week 1, he understands that the 49ers could keep him out the first game given the lengthy flight and all that entails.

"I want to play in every football game that I possibly can play in, but I'm also aware it's an 18-week season," Kittle said. "If you miss Week 1 and you're playing Week 2, hey, it is what it is. ... I'm just going to keep that as my goal and then we'll adjust from there if we need to. But I still believe that. My team still believes that. My surgeon still believes I have a chance. So just keep attacking it."

Kittle noted that he’d probably know in the next couple of weeks whether he’ll play versus the Rams, given that he’d need to get at least one padded practice in before seeing real action. The 10-year pro added it “probably makes the most sense” for the club to determine his status before the flight to Australia on Sept. 2.

Coverage from Nfl Dot Com News · by Kevin Patra · Aug 17, 2026 · read original