George Kittle or Michael Pittman Jr.: Who Should You Start?

The call

• Usage is top-tier for the position: 81% snap share and a 19% target share over 11 games means Kittle is the focal point of this passing game when he's on the field at full volume.
• The projection doesn't match the role — 8.4 PPR points and a TE16 consensus rank put him at replacement level, and a 22.8 implied team total with a 3.0 spread points to a moderate, non-explosive script rather than a pass-heavy shootout.
• Risk factor: he carries no injury designation, but the report that he's practicing at full speed with his game-day workload still undecided means a snap-count trim is live.
• Tip it to start if he's confirmed for a normal rep count pregame; if there's any hint of a managed workload, a higher-floor TE with a locked-in role is the safer play.

The call

• Role is locked in: 86% snap share and a 21% target share across 17 games means he's on the field for essentially every meaningful passing snap regardless of the WR-2 label.
• A 12.3-point projection at WR24 is squarely startable in a 12-team PPR league — that's a weekly WR2/flex floor, not a bench profile.
• Game script is neutral-to-favorable: 3-point favorite with a 22.8 implied team total, enough offense to support volume without forcing a run-heavy shell.
• Risk is capacity, not health — no injury designation, but as the WR-2 he needs the target volume to hold up for the ceiling; his 21% share says it has.