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If George Kittle is out, who gets his targets?

The San Francisco 49ers room absorbs +1.91 receptions, and Jake Tonges takes the largest single share at +0.71. The work stays overwhelmingly inside the tight end room.

Where the work goes

Change in projected receptions for every other player in the offense. The bars are small on purpose — a vacated role is shared out, and any tool showing one replacement absorbing a whole target load is telling you something the data does not support.

Receptions gained if George Kittle sitsJake Tonges+0.7TE 12% snapsLuke Farrell+0.7TE 53% snapsMike Evans+0.1WR 54% snapsDeebo Samuel Sr.+0.1WR 59% snapsJordan Watkins+0.1WR 28% snapsDemarcus Robinson+0.1WR 47% snapsKhaDarel Hodge+0.1WR 32% snapsDe'Zhaun Stribling+0.1WR 32% snapsJacob Cowing+0.1WR 28% snapschange in projected receptions

Every player in the room

PlayerCatches nowIf he sitsChange
Christian McCaffrey RB · 63% snaps4.704.70+0.00
George Kittle TE · 60% snaps4.10—OUT
Mike Evans WR · 54% snaps3.703.77+0.07
Deebo Samuel Sr. WR · 59% snaps3.603.67+0.07
Jordan Watkins WR · 28% snaps1.901.97+0.07
Demarcus Robinson WR · 47% snaps1.401.47+0.07
Jake Tonges TE · 12% snaps1.302.01+0.71
Luke Farrell TE · 53% snaps0.801.51+0.71
KhaDarel Hodge WR · 32% snaps0.700.77+0.07
De'Zhaun Stribling WR · 32% snaps0.700.77+0.07
Jacob Cowing WR · 28% snaps0.600.67+0.07
Kaelon Black RB · 30% snaps0.600.60+0.00

What the data says happens

Measured across every regular-season game from 2018 onward, each beneficiary compared against his own trailing four-game form and net of what the same players do in weeks the room’s number one actually plays.

RoomReceptions gainednt
Receivers+0.1072,1602.29
Tight ends+0.4921,0249.57
Backs-0.0451,259-0.92

The room total is predictable. Which player takes it is not. Every candidate predictor of who gains — pecking order, snap share, route depth, trailing targets — correlates at roughly r = 0.02. In any single week one player usually takes about 60% of what was vacated; it is simply not predictably the same one.

George Kittle’s full stats and usageSnap share, target share, game log and this week’s projection

Cascade effects 2018–2026, paired within player, net of control · projections as-of-week with no lookahead · 2026 week 4