Injury Date: Week 1 — September 10, 2026. Expected Time Missed: TBD. Tonges was carted off with a knee injury that Shanahan identified as involving the MCL rather than the ACL. The MCL stabilizes the inside of the knee and resists the knee collapsing inward. An injury can make planting, cutting, and holding position against a defender painful or unstable. Many isolated MCL injuries heal without surgery, but Shanahan’s comments suggest this may be more complicated than a routine sprain. Tonges does not need to be rostered in redraft.
Kittle typically plays more than 86% of the 49ers’ offensive snaps, except in blowouts or games he leaves early due to injury. When Kittle initially suffered the injury less than nine months ago, he was expected to miss the start of the season. Instead, he worked his way back in time for Week 1 and appeared ready to play. Still, he was held without a reception in his first game back from injury last season, which, combined with the matchup, gave fantasy managers reason to be cautious about putting him in starting lineups. Kittle started the game and played extensively on the first drive, but he rotated out more frequently as the game progressed. Last season, Jake Tonges served as Kittle’s direct replacement, but the 49ers leaned more heavily on blocking tight end Luke Farrell in this game. Tonges suffered a knee injury late in the second quarter and didn’t return, leaving Farrell to generally handle first and second downs while Kittle played primarily on third downs.
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