The San Francisco 49ers may get a key piece of their offense back this week. Tight end George Kittle, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury, says he expects to return this Sunday for their Week 4 matchup against the New England Patriots, per ESPN.
Kittle, who didn't play in their Week 3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, says he's "feeling fantastic."
He added that he's "very excited to play football."
Kittle was limited during Wednesday and Thursday's practice, but the tight end, as well as other players on the team, are optimistic he will be good to go.
"George is a captain and one of the most important players on the team in terms of production, and just a morale boost from his positivity," defensive end Nick Bosa said on Wednesday. "And, yeah, just having a guy who's been around for a while, has been through the ups and downs of the [Kyle] Shanahan regime. So, yeah, we're excited [to have him back]."
In Kittle's absence, Eric Saubert got the start, finishing with two receptions for 41 yards. Jake Tonges and Brayden Willis also saw snaps with Kittle sidelined.
The defending NFC champions have taken a hit on offense early in the year. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is expected to miss Sunday's game, after he too was unable to play last week against the Rams. Samuel didn't practice on Wednesday and was limited on Thursday with a calf strain.
There is good news, however, for quarterback Brock Purdy, who had some concerns regarding back soreness. Purdy was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday after an MRI revealed no significant injury.
Star running back Christian McCaffrey remains on injured reserve and is seeing a specialist in Germany regarding his Achilles tendonitis.
With McCaffrey and Samuel out, having Kittle back will be massive for their offense.
In two games, Kittle has 11 receptions for 116 yards and one touchdown. Last season, he led the team in receiving yards among tight ends (1,020) and had the second-most total receiving yards on the team behind wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. He was also tied for the most receiving touchdowns on the team (7).
The 1-2 Patriots are coming off a loss to the New York Jets, while the 1-2 49ers' only win of the season came in Week 1 against the Jets. Their Week 4 matchup will kick off at 4:05 p.m. ET at Levi's Stadium.
