The San Francisco 49ers created plenty of optimism earlier in the week when the team designated tight end George Kittle to return from injured reserve.
Kittle suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1 that led to his placement on injured reserve. He was eligible to be activated in Week 6, but that did not happen.
But Kittle was positive all week about his chances of suiting up in Week 7, especially after he practiced all week.
Here's what we know about his status for Sunday night.
Is George Kittle playing tonight?
Yes, Kittle will be on the field for the Niners on Sunday night, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner.
All that was left for Kittle's path to be fully cleared to play was to be activated off IR, which happened on Saturday. Kittle will not have a limited workload in his first game back, so fantasy football owners can start him immediately.
Kittle was very lucky with his hamstring injury, as he admitted he "fully" tore it but because it didn't come off the bone, he avoided a long recovery.
"George has rehabbed really well," head coach Shanahan said. "He came back 100 percent, had a good week of practice, and we'll space it out throughout the game, but there's no pitch count."
Kittle's return couldn't have come at a more perfect time, as the Niners are short in their wide receivers room after Ricky Pearsall was ruled out.
Kittle will also be catching passes from Mac Jones, as Brock Purdy has been ruled out yet again.
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