George Kittle's Fantasy Outlook vs. Cardinals in Return from Injury for 49ers

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle was a major loss for fantasy managers when he went down with a foot injury in the team's Week 8 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.

But the 27-year-old, who was an All-Pro last season after accruing 1,053 yards and five touchdowns on 85 receptions, will play Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals, according to NFL Network's Omar Ruiz. 

With fantasy championships on the line, there are multiple factors to consider as Kittle takes the field for the first time since Nov. 1, since coach Kyle Shanahan noted that the star will have a limited snap count in his return. 

According to ESPN's Nick Wagoner, Shanahan wouldn't share the exact details of Kittle's return but said "he won't get his usual workload" on Saturday. 

Even though he has appeared in just six games for the 49ers this season, Kittle isn't all that far behind other receivers on the team's leaderboards. He had 474 yards and two touchdowns on 37 receptions before he was sidelined.

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has picked up the extra touches in Kittle's absence, with 733 yards and five touchdowns on 59 receptions (94 targets). Since Kittle went down in Week 8, Aiyuk has had at least 73 yards in each outing, with three performances of 90-plus yards highlighted by a 119-yard game against Washington in Week 14. Fellow wideout Kendrick Bourne has 575 yards and two scores on 43 receptions for the season.

The 49ers have had to cycle through quarterbacks in the second half of the season. With Garoppolo going down, Nick Mullens was handed the ball beginning in Week 9, but he sprained his elbow last week against the Dallas Cowboys. That means the team is back to C.J. Beathard, who hasn't started a game since Oct. 28, 2018.

But that should be no problem for Kittle, who collected 472 yards and two touchdowns on 30 receptions through the six starts Beathard made in 2018. While the 49ers are banged up, also missing running back Raheem Mostert and wide receiver Deebo Samuel, the quarterback trouble shouldn't necessarily factor into managers' decisions about going with Kittle this weekend. 

Starting Kittle was once a no-brainer. But with his exact usage remaining murky, managers should assess the rest of their lineup to see if they can afford to take a hit, should his return from injury not go as planned or be over sooner than intended. He should be considered a TE2 to be safe—and if he gets more touches than Shanahan hinted at, managers can enjoy that championship trophy even more.