Kittle Off PUP, But Kirk Could Land on IR: 49ers Injury Roundup
George Kittle is activated and could play Week 1 in Melbourne, but Christian Kirk's calf has Kyle Shanahan floating IR just three weeks out.
Off PUP and trending toward Week 1 — draft him as a top-tier TE1.
- Kittle activated from PUP, ahead of Achilles schedule
- 49ers open vs Rams in Melbourne on Sept. 10
- Kirk signed 1-yr, $6M; IR now 'possible' per Shanahan
- Evans out Tuesday with groin tightness
- McCaffrey full participant Aug. 25, looked healthy
The 49ers got their best injury news of camp on Aug. 25: tight end George Kittle is off the PUP list and officially activated, roughly seven months after tearing his Achilles in the NFC wild-card win over Philadelphia. He'd already been reported as ahead of schedule, and Kyle Shanahan says there's a real chance Kittle suits up for the Week 1 opener against the Rams in Melbourne on Sept. 10.
That's the good half. The bad half: newly signed slot man Christian Kirk — a one-year, $6 million pickup — has been limited by a calf issue, and Shanahan admitted it's "possible" Kirk ends up on injured reserve. For a receiver room already thin on healthy bodies, that's a meaningful hit three weeks before kickoff.
Kittle Is Still Building Up
Shanahan explained that Kittle has only been working non-competitive periods so far — routes on air, timing with the quarterbacks, working alongside the offensive line. The next benchmark is the three practices San Francisco holds after their mandatory three days off, which will tell the staff whether he can handle contact reps in time for the opener.
The receiver picture is messier. Veteran Mike Evans sat out Tuesday with groin tightness, though he was throwing and catching on the sideline; Shanahan is hoping to have him back next week. Nick Bosa, still working back from a 2025 ACL tear, is described as doing well and could return to practice next week too. Defensive lineman Mykel Williams and running back Isaac Guerendo remain on PUP.
The one guy giving fantasy managers zero stress: Christian McCaffrey. He was a full participant on Aug. 25 and looked healthy — exactly what you want from the RB we have ranked #1 overall (#1 at RB), coming off a monster 417 PPR points across 17 games in 2025.
The Fantasy Takeaway
Kittle is a hold-and-draft-with-confidence tight end — being off PUP with a Week 1 shot keeps him a top-tier TE1, so don't let the Achilles noise push him down your board. Evans and Bosa are wait-and-see; monitor next week's practice reports before adjusting. Kirk is a straight fade for now — he mustered just 58 PPR points over 13 games in 2025 and is trending -2.2 fantasy points below his season average, and IR would end the conversation entirely. McCaffrey? Lock him in and stop reading injury articles about him.
