Are the 49ers TE playing the Seahawks today?

The San Francisco 49ers enjoyed a week with a fully healthy offense, but they once again look like they could be without a key contributor.

George Kittle’s status remains uncertain today. This will officially happen around 2:30 p.m. ET, when inactive reports are due. However, in the meantime, speculation is rife about the tight end’s hamstring injury.

San Francisco enters Week 11 with a 5-4 record, behind the Cardinals in the NFC West. They are fighting to stay in the division race. That’s a big factor in Kittle’s decision today. Typically, teams err on the side of caution when dealing with a hamstring issue, but with a division battle on deck in Week 11, Kittle’s services are needed.

The 49ers are a team that has been battered all season, they already have experience playing without their top dogs. Here’s the latest on Kittle ahead of Sunday’s kickoff at Levi’s Stadium against the Seahawks.

George Kittle injury update

ESPN’s Adam Schefter delivered some discouraging news on Kittle’s status early Sunday morning. Schefter shared that Kittle is “unlikely to play.”

Of course, things can change quickly when injuries occur. The 49ers will see how their All-Pro tight end is feeling before the game, but at this point the team is not optimistic that Kittle will be able to take the field.

Despite being a weekly staple of the injury report, Kittle only missed one game, Week 3 against the Rams. However, alarms began to ring heading into Week 11, when Kittle sat out Wednesday’s practice and then only managed limited sessions Thursday and Friday before receiving the “questionable” tag. .

The Niners have been no strangers to playing without their stars on offense this season. Christian McCaffrey missed the first nine weeks of the season before making his season debut last Sunday. Deebo Samuel missed a game earlier this season and left another early in the first quarter due to pneumonia. They also lost Brandon Aiyuk for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ACL in Week 7.

49ers TE Depth Chart

San Francisco’s offensive depth has been tested all season. Here’s a look at how the tight end room would break down if Kittle were to sit today:

The veteran Saubert would assume the TE1 spot, but that would require a community effort behind him. Kittle missed a game earlier this season and Saubert played 86 percent of the snaps, catching two passes for 41 yards. However, the reality is that San Francisco will likely look elsewhere if Kittle is sidelined. Shanahan’s offense likely looks to fullback Kyle Juszczyk and fullback to make up for that missing production in the passing game.

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