49ers activate star tight end George Kittle from injured reserve ahead of Falcons game

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers activated star tight end George Kittle from injured reserve on Saturday after he had missed the past five games with a hamstring injury.

Kittle went down in the first half of the season opener for San Francisco but returned to practice this week and is ready to return to game action on Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons.

The 49ers also activated defensive lineman Kevin Givens from injured reserve. Givens sustained a pectoral injury in training camp and is set to make his season debut on Sunday.

The Niners are hoping the return of Kittle will provide a needed boost to the offense. Kittle is perhaps the top two-way tight end in the NFL as both a dominant run blocker and a threat in the passing game.

San Francisco has struggled to run the ball in Kittle’s absence and ranks last in the NFL in yards per carry (3.1) and third worst in yards rushing per game (82.2).

Kittle had four catches for 25 yards and a TD in the opener before the injury. He has had four seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving and led San Francisco with 78 catches for 1,106 yards and eight TDs last season.

Kittle is a two-time All-Pro and was a second-team selection three other times. He has 542 career catches for 7.405 yards and 46 touchdowns.

San Francisco also signed defensive lineman Trevis Gipson from the practice squad to the active roster. Gipson had played 20 defensive snaps the past two weeks.

The 49ers made room on the 53-man roster by placing four-time All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner on injured reserve with an ankle surgery and waived tight end Brayden Willis. The team had previously placed receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on IR this week with a calf injury.

San Francisco also elevated receiver Malik Turner and offensive lineman Nick Zakelj from the practice squad to be available for Sunday’s game.

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