If you have not seen, 49ers star tight end George Kittle is expected to miss 3-5 weeks with a hamstring injury. He sustained this injury in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks and was placed on injured reserve shortly after.
With this unfortunate news, there are a lot of fantasy football managers who are going to have to pivot to other TEs in the meantime. Here are some of our favorite widely available names to hold down the position for you while Kittle is out.
Note: Player rostership percentage are based on Yahoo Fantasy Sports data as of Tuesday.
FANTASY WEEK 2 RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST | PK
George Kittle fantasy TE replacements
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints (3% rostered)
This is someone we discussed in the Week 2 waiver wire, but Juwan Johnson is a great candidate. Johnson was targeted 11 times in Week 1, more than any other TE. He was also just two targets shy of leading the Saints, but fell just short of WR1 Chris Olave.
Juwan Johnson's Week 1 usage was ELITE:
96% route rate
24% target share
Resulted in an 8-76-0 receiving line.
Darkhorse to finish as a top-12 fantasy TE this year.
— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) September 8, 2025
However, Johnson did put up 8 catches for 76 yards, which led the Saints in receptions and receiving yards.
The Saints are going with Spencer Rattler for the foreseeable future, and Johnson seems to offer a safety blanket for Rattler to trust.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars (22% rostered)
Across the board, Brenton Strange has everything in place to be a breakout TE this season. The fact that he's still widely available is a blessing to those who just lost Kittle.
In Week 1, Strange had a 79% snap share and played on 90% of the Jags' third downs. The Jags look to him early and often, as just five minutes into the game against the Panthers, Strange had 3 catches for 49 yards.
Strange can absolutely be a viable start at the TE position in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns (3% rostered)
If there is one thing to come out of Week 1, it's that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is madly in love with running 12-personnel (two TE sets).
In Week 1, Harold Fannin played 55 snaps in his NFL Debut and made the most of it. Fannin was targeted 9 times and caught 7 passes for 63 yards. He saw the fourth-highest snap share among every Browns offensive player, and according to PFF, played 41.7% of these snaps in the slot.
Fannin is a little less proven than the previous two options, but he is a fascinating choice for your TE slot.
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Who is George Kittle's backup?
The San Francisco 49ers will turn to Jake Tonges in the absence of Kittle. The third-year TE out of the University of California saw 3 targets in Week 1 and caught all 3 of them for 15 yards.
Tonges wasted no time making an impact against Seattle and caught the game-winning touchdown for the Niners after Kittle left.
Brock Purdy with an answered prayer.
Jake Tonges has been in the league since 2022. Today, he’s made his first three catches and first touchdown catch, all in the clutch. pic.twitter.com/Z2T5ukBUFa
— Logan Brown (@LoganABrown) September 7, 2025
The other TE on the squad is Luke Farell, the fourth-year guy out of Ohio State. Farrell caught his lone target in Week 1 for 4 yards.
Between the two, you would absolutely start Tonges over Farell if you're ever pressed into staying in San Francisco for your TE. However, Strange, Johnson, and Fannin are all better options than Tonges.