Yahoo Sports NFL player prop of the day: George Kittle has some challenges to reach 1,000 yards
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle put up 1,377 yards in 2018. At the time, it was the NFL single-season record for a tight end.
Kittle was great in 2019 again, gaining 1,053 yards and was named first-team All-Pro. Then 2020 wasn't quite as easy, as injuries limited him to eight games.
As Kittle comes back in 2021, there are challenges to him getting over the 1,000-yard mark.
George Kittle's situation is uncertain
Kittle's receiving yardage total at BetMGM is 1,025.5. Kittle has the talent to reach that mark, but it won't be easy.
When Kittle had his record-breaking season, he was the only target the 49ers had. No other player on that team reached 500 receiving yards. He had 136 targets, which is a lot for any tight end.
This 49ers team has more options. Deebo Samuel will be healthy. Brandon Aiyuk, a 2020 first-round pick, was excellent late last season. The 49ers always like to run the ball. It's not like Kittle will be marginalized in the offense, but he's probably not going to be a 136-target player again.
There's a good chance the 49ers will have a rookie starting quarterback at some point this season. San Francisco didn't draft Trey Lance with the third overall pick to sit him all season. First-round quarterbacks don't sit all season anymore, especially if they go in the top five. Lance could actually be a better asset to the 49ers' pass game than Jimmy Garoppolo, but we don't know yet. Also, Garoppolo is a short passer who meshed very well with Kittle. Kittle has the ability to stretch the field if Lance is a more adept deep passer, but it's tough to bet on a tight end getting 1,026 yards if we don't know how his chemistry will be with a rookie quarterback.
Kittle's durability shouldn't be a question after an unlucky 2020, but injuries do happen and that would sink any over bets too. There are a lot of questions for Kittle. Kittle is a fantastic player and could still play at an All-Pro level without reaching 1,000 yards. There are just a lot of obstacles in front of Kittle to reach 1,000, more than there were in seasons past.
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