National TE Day takes on new meaning as George Kittle prepares a jaw-dropping showdown with the Texans.QQ

National Tight Ends Day means a big afternoon for George Kittle.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle | Brooke Sutton/GettyImages

For the first time since suffering a hamstring injury in the first half of the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks, George Kittle took the field last week and made a major impact in the Niners’ 20-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Now, it certainly wasn’t the kind of performance that fantasy football managers who have him on the roster wanted to see, as the six-time Pro Bowler failed to record a single reception in his highly anticipated return.

Instead, his impact was felt in the running game, as Kittle, who has long been one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL, created hole after hole after hole in helping the San Francisco rushing attack get back on track, with the 49ers gaining a season-high 174 yards on the ground, 129 of which came from Christian McCaffrey.

But fear not, fantasy folks, as Kittle seems primed for a big afternoon this Sunday when the Niners visit the Lone Star State for a Week 8 matchup with the Houston Texans.

For starters, the Texans’ defense, while one of the best overall units in the league, can be vulnerable in areas where Kittle likes to attack.

And secondly, it’s National Tight Ends Day, and he has a habit of breaking out for big performances on the holiday he helped create.

George Kittle typically steps up on National Tight Ends Day and will do so again vs. Texans

While National Tight Ends Day was technically conceived in 2018, it became an official NFL holiday (or as close as something like that can be called official) the following year.

And Kittle has absolutely thrived when the occasion rolls around.

How’s this for having fun with numbers? In 110 regular-season games not played on National Tight Ends Day, Kittle has put up rock-solid numbers, averaging roughly 63.3 receiving yards per game. In the five games he’s played on the fourth Sunday of October since the holiday’s inception (he missed 2021), he’s averaged 89.0 yards per game, recording just over six catches per contest.

A season ago marked his best performance yet, as Kittle torched the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in a 30-24 Niners victory, catching six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown.

But beyond his affinity for filling the stat sheet on his position’s special day, Kittle can genuinely exploit a Houston defense that’s been great overall against the pass but merely average when tested down the field.

Against short passes, the Texans thrive. But against intermediate passes, which range from 10 to 19 yards, they have the fifth-worst EPA/play allowed in that area at 0.11. And where does Kittle typically do a lot of his damage? Houston is also in the middle of the pack when it comes to EPA on deep targets, which is how the Seattle Seahawks did some of their damage against Houston this past Monday night.

So, again, the Texans are fantastic against the pass, allowing the fifth-fewest yards per game (179.0) in that regard, but they’re vulnerable where Kittle likes to do his work as a receiver.

And on National Tight Ends Day, No. 85 is the last guy DeMeco Ryans wants to see.