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George Kittle injury: status, history and who gets his targets if he is out

San Francisco 49ers · Tight end · status this week: not on the week 7 injury report (week 7 report, captured Wed 21 Oct, 6:15am)

Checked Oct 21, 2026.

Over his 9 full seasons on record, George Kittle played 124 of 149 regular-season games (83%), and 6 of 6 so far in 2026. Season by season.

The San Francisco 49ers room absorbs +1.97 receptions, and Brayden Willis takes the largest single share at +0.76. The work stays overwhelmingly inside the tight end room.

Where the work goes

Change in projected receptions for every other player in the offense. The bars are small on purpose — a vacated role is shared out, and any tool showing one replacement absorbing a whole target load is telling you something the data does not support.

Receptions gained if George Kittle sitsBrayden Willis+0.8TE 14% snapsLuke Farrell+0.7TE 48% snapsMike Evans+0.1WR 50% snapsDeebo Samuel Sr.+0.1WR 62% snapsDemarcus Robinson+0.1WR 31% snapsBrandin Cooks+0.1WR 35% snapsJordan Watkins+0.1WR 45% snapsMalik Turner+0.1WR 5% snapsJacob Cowing+0.1WR 35% snapsKhaDarel Hodge+0.1WR 47% snapschange in projected receptions

Every player in the room

PlayerCatches nowIf he sitsChange
George Kittle TE · 81% snaps4.60—OUT
Christian McCaffrey RB · 75% snaps4.504.50+0.00
Mike Evans WR · 50% snaps3.903.97+0.07
Deebo Samuel Sr. WR · 62% snaps2.502.57+0.07
Demarcus Robinson WR · 31% snaps2.002.07+0.07
Brandin Cooks WR · 35% snaps1.501.57+0.07
Jordan Watkins WR · 45% snaps1.001.07+0.07
Malik Turner WR · 5% snaps0.800.87+0.07
Jacob Cowing WR · 35% snaps0.600.67+0.07
Luke Farrell TE · 48% snaps0.300.95+0.65
Brayden Willis TE · 14% snaps0.100.86+0.76
KhaDarel Hodge WR · 47% snaps0.100.17+0.07

Injury history

Over his 9 full seasons on record, George Kittle played 124 of 149 regular-season games (83%), and 6 of 6 so far in 2026.

SeasonTeamPlayedMissedListed outQuestionableInjuries listed
2026SF6 of 6000—
2025SF11 of 17602Ankle
2024SF15 of 17204Hamstring, Ankle, Foot
2023SF16 of 17101Groin
2022SF15 of 17202Groin
2021SF14 of 17301Calf
2020SF8 of 16830Knee, Foot
2019SF14 of 16202Knee, Groin
2018SF16 of 16001Knee
2017SF15 of 16112Ankle, Hamstring, Hip

Regular season only. Games played counts games with at least one offensive snap; designations are from the official weekly injury report, which does not list players on injured reserve, so a long absence shows as missed games rather than as weeks listed out.

What the data says happens

Measured across every regular-season game from 2018 onward, each beneficiary compared against his own trailing four-game form and net of what the same players do in weeks the room’s number one actually plays.

When a team’s number-one tight end does not play, what each position group gains:

RoomReceptions gainednt
Receivers+0.1072,1602.29
Tight ends+0.4921,0249.57
Backs-0.0451,259-0.92

The room total is predictable. Which player takes it is not. Every candidate predictor of who gains — pecking order, snap share, route depth, trailing targets — correlates at roughly r = 0.02. In any single week one player usually takes about 60% of what was vacated; it is simply not predictably the same one.

George Kittle’s full stats and usageSnap share, target share, game log and this week’s projection

Cascade effects 2018–2026, paired within player, net of control · projections as-of-week with no lookahead · 2026 week 7