To freak out, or to keep calm? That’s the question almost any fantasy manager will have about at least one player on their roster each week. It can be easy to overreact and lose control over a disappointing performance, but each week, we’ll dive into a few of fantasy football’s biggest names and help you decide if we should panic over a poor fantasy output or if we should stay the course and keep them in our lineups. Are there reasonable excuses for why the player had a down week or a few concerning performances? Is it an outlier, or is there something to their struggles and time to look for alternative options? That’s what we’ll aim to answer in Patience or Panic each week throughout the season.
You might be thinking, why is this being posted late in the week? Shouldn’t we decide to panic or be patient right after the previous week’s games? The goal is to look forward to the following week regarding lineup decisions, while being a few days removed from the emotions of a down performance.
Going into Week 10, we’ll dive into two Tight Ends coming off down performances. Was it a mirage, or is there more to their struggles?
George Kittle, Tight End, San Francisco 49ers
For Kittle, forget just one down performance; it’s been a disappointing season as a whole. From a hamstring injury in Week 1 to three straight games where he hasn’t exceeded 43 receiving yards since returning, it could be tempting to bench or sell him low. The 32-year-old came at a rather significant cost during draft season, and his hamstring injury and surprisingly minimal involvement in the 49ers’ offense have made for a frustrating 2025.
For whatever reason, his connection with backup quarterback Mac Jones has been less than stellar. In his three games since he’s returned, his target shares are 8.7%, 16.1%, and 17.4%. The Iowa product was below a 20% target share just five times last year, and he’s been below that in all four games this season, all of that according to JJ Zachariason.
The caveat to not panicking when it comes to George Kittle, however, is the possible return of quarterback Brock Purdy. It’s still uncertain if the 2022 7th-round pick will return to the starting lineup in Week 10, but head coach Kyle Shanahan said his plan is to ramp up Purdy’s reps as the QB1 in practice this week. Kittle averages 66.3 yards per game with Purdy throwing him the rock, according to Statmuse.com, well above the 25 yards per game he’s averaging with Jones under center this season, though that is just a three-game sample size to be fair. Regardless, we want Purdy at the helm to feel ultra-confident about Kittle in our lineups.
The longer-term view for Kittle is to be patient due to the inevitable re-entry of Purdy into the 49ers offense, but for this week, if it’s still Mac Jones, it’s understandable to at least think about other options. If you went out and picked up Harold Fannin Jr. off waivers early in the season when Kittle was out, or added Chargers Tight End Oronde Gadsden II as insurance, it’s not crazy to think about putting those guys in over Kittle, but overall, the verdict is stay patient and keep Kittle in our lineups because of his potential ceiling.
We know the talent is still there, and it would sure be a gut-wrenching Sunday to watch Kittle barrel over defenders and put up a huge day in the stat sheet while he’s sitting on your bench. The 49ers have a pivotal matchup in Week 10 against the Rams that could go a long way in determining the division and playoff seeding. Wouldn’t you make it a priority to get Kittle the ball in this critical game? Do the right thing, Kyle Shanahan.
Verdict: Patience
Tyler Warren, Tight End, Indianapolis Colts
Another Tight End with long flowing hair had a down Week 9, putting together just a five-catch, 26-yard outing in a 27-20 loss to the Steelers. It was his lowest yardage total this season by 12 yards, having reached 38 yards in every other game and at least 63 in five of eight so far. Warren does have some significant target competition between Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce, not to mention having arguably the MVP of the NFL in his own backfield in Jonathan Taylor. Still, if someone sent you a lowball offer for Warren or you doubled up at Tight End in your draft, the thought could pop in your head to move on after his worst week or go with that other Tight End in your lineup. It would be drastic to do so at this point, however.
Considering the Colts were trailing most of the game in Pittsburgh in Week 9, it would’ve been ideal to see Warren get a few more opportunities down the field. Seven targets is still nothing to sneeze at for a rookie Tight End, however, and there are plenty of reasons to think his 26-yard performance is more of a mirage than a sign of things to come. While the Falcons in Week 10 are a tough matchup for Tight Ends, Warren still has two matchups against the Jaguars (Week 12 and Week 17), who give up the second-most fantasy points to Tight Ends, according to NFL.com Fantasy.
Hayden Winks noted that the Colts have the fourth-highest neutral pass rate, a bit of a surprise considering they have arguably the best Running Back in the NFL in Jonathan Taylor. As their schedule gets a bit more challenging with road matchups in Kansas City and Seattle, they may find themselves in more situations where they have to throw to keep up with or catch up to their opponent. A potentially natural product of more pass-heavy game scripts may mean more opportunities for Warren through the air. Warren still came away with an almost 20% target share through the Colts’ first eight games, with five of those being games where they won by at least two touchdowns. The Colts look like real contenders, but the 14-point victories might be a lot harder to come by in the second half of the season than in the first. For Warren’s fantasy purposes, that’s perfectly fine.
Also according to Winks, Warren is TE3 in usage, meaning he’s still a clear and major part of this offense. The Penn State product only trails Tucker Kraft in yards after the catch among Tight Ends in 2025, according to Sumer Sports. Warren is the furthest thing from a catch-and-fall type of Tight End. He’s capable of creating explosive plays with the ball in his hands. As the Colts continue to make their playoff push and the schedule tightens up a bit, getting Warren the ball and allowing him to make plays in space should be a major priority for Shane Steichen and the Colts offense.
Verdict: Patience
Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire | Featured image by Ethan Kaplan (@djfreddie10.bsky.social on Blue Sky and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)