San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) had surgery on his right knee earlier this week to fix a torn ACL and other damage. In addition to tearing his ACL, Aiyuk also tore his MCL in the Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and will miss the rest of the season. He should have already been dropped in single-season fantasy leagues. It remains to be seen if the 26-year-old will make enough progress in his rehab in the offseason in order to be ready to play in Week 1 of the 2025 regular season next fall. For the rest of 2024, receivers Deebo Samuel Sr. and Jauan Jennings and tight end George Kittle should be the most-targeted pass-catchers, with rookie first-rounder Ricky Pearsall also seeing an expanded role in the passing attack. Aiyuk was an absolute fantasy bust this year, finishing with 25 catches for 374 yards and no touchdowns in seven games.
Nov 15, 2024 7:10 PM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) was officially placed on Injured Reserve on Wednesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The 26-year-old suffered a torn ACL and MCL in last Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. As a result, Deebo Samuel Sr. (illness), Jauan Jennings (hip) and rookie Ricky Pearsall are expected to lead the wide receiver room for the remainder of the season. However, Samuel left last game early due to pneumonia and is in danger of missing Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, which could open up a larger role for Jennings, Pearsall and rookie Jacob Cowing. Fantasy managers looking to add a receiver with upside for high volume should check their waiver wire for both Jennings and Pearsall, as they should have a profound role in the offense going forward.
Oct 23, 2024 4:31 PM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) is out for the rest of the 2024 season after tearing both his right ACL and MCL in the Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. An MRI exam on Monday morning confirmed the team's fears of a season-ending injury to one of their top wideouts. Aiyuk had a notable offseason saga with the Niners when they couldn't come to an agreement on a long-term contract extension until Aug. 29, when they signed him to a four-year, $120 million deal. The former first-rounder was a complete bust this year in fantasy, catching only 25 passes for 374 yards and no TDs in his seven games. With Deebo Samuel Sr. dealing with pneumonia, Jauan Jennings (hip) suddenly will become a hot waiver-wire pickup this week, as well as rookie first-rounder Ricky Pearsall in deeper leagues.
Oct 21, 2024 7:15 PM EST
Tests confirmed on Monday that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, according to sources. Aiyuk got sandwiched between two defenders during a hard collision on Sunday, with one hit going low and bending his knee backward in ugly fashion on Sunday. The 49ers feared a torn ACL, which could make it difficult for the 26-year-old to be ready for the start of the 2025 season. Jauan Jennings (hip) was out with an injury on Sunday, and Deebo Samuel Sr. only played three snaps due to illness, leaving tight end George Kittle to lead a decimated wideout corps that featured rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing catching their first NFL passes. Jennings, who could return in Week 8, should be a top waiver-wire priority this week with Aiyuk done for the rest of the season.
Oct 21, 2024 4:22 PM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) exited Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after taking a hit to the knee in the first half. He was carted off the field before eventually being ruled out. Unfortunately, head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated that there is concern the wideout suffered an ACL tear. Aiyuk will likely undergo further testing, but it will take a miracle for him to be on the field for Sunday night's clash with the Dallas Cowboys. With Deebo Samuel Sr. (illness) and Jauan Jennings (hip) also uncertain for that one, George Kittle, Jacob Cowing, and Ricky Pearsall could see an uptick in attention from Brock Purdy.
Oct 20, 2024 7:56 PM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) was carted to the locker room after the first half of Sunday's matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. He won't return. The wideout took a shot to his right leg in the first half, and it was apparent immediately that he was hurt. He'll finish the day with two catches for 23 yards. With Deebo Samuel Sr. (illness) under the weather and Jauan Jennings (hip) ruled out before the contest, the 49ers may need to rely on George Kittle, Ricky Pearsall, and Jacob Cowing for the remainder of Week 7.
Oct 20, 2024 6:10 PM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will look for his first touchdown of the season when the team hosts the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7. So far, Aiyuk has disappointed fantasy managers, to say the least. In Week 5 versus Arizona, Aiyuk popped for eight catches on 12 targets for 147 yards but has failed to reach eight half-PPR points in each of his other five games. As one searches for an explanation, it's worth considering whether the absence of Christian McCaffrey is allowing defenses to play back more often, affecting Aiyuk's ability to get open deep. Whatever the cause, it's time to make Aiyuk prove he's back before considering him a WR1 or even a WR2. Kansas City represents the seventh-toughest matchup for fantasy wide receivers in Yahoo default scoring. Given the slump and matchup, to call Aiyuk a WR2 this week is probably generous.
Oct 19, 2024 1:54 AM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk fell back into his early-season fantasy slump during a 36-24 victory over the Seahawks in Seattle. He finished with two catches on four targets for 37 yards, and one other reception -- for a good chunk of yardage -- called back on a holding penalty. He is still searching for his first touchdown of 2024. Coming into the game as a consensus WR1, Aiyuk has now come in under projections in five of six contests. Quarterback Brock Purdy spread the ball around in this one, as Deebo Samuel Sr., George Kittle, and Jauan Jennings had six, five, and five targets respectively. With Aiyuk's underperformance stretching into October, Jennings' out-targeting of Aiyuk in the past three of four weeks should be acknowledged -- still, sell-low at your own risk. Aiyuk is fully capable of burning impatient fantasy players. San Francisco will need Aiyuk in a Week 7 Super Bowl LVIII rematch at home against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Oct 11, 2024 3:44 AM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will look to maintain momentum in Seattle where the team faces the Seahawks on Thursday. After four consecutive sub-par performances, Aiyuk finally broke out in Week 5 at home against Arizona by snagging eight of 12 targets for 147 yards. Seattle has been relatively stingy this year against opposing wide receivers in fantasy, ranking 10th-toughest in the league, however, the Seahawks' defense is banged up this week with starters ruled out and three more contributors questionable. Most importantly for Aiyuk, they'll be without starting CB Riq Woolen (ankle). Aiyuk will look for his first touchdown of the season as he checks in as a back-end WR1 in Week 6.
Oct 9, 2024 11:12 PM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk finally broke out in a 24-23 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Aiyuk was involved early and often in this one, posting eight receptions on 12 targets for 147 yards. He's still looking for his first touchdown, but early in 2023, Aiyuk went six games without a score before rattling off four straight games with a touchdown. Regardless, 18.7 half-PPR points will do for fantasy managers who were patient enough to keep him locked into their lineups as a WR2. The Nevada native will look for his first trip to the end zone when the 49ers face the Seahawks in Seattle on a short turnaround Thursday night.
Oct 6, 2024 11:32 PM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk gets another opportunity to break out of his early-season funk when the 49ers face the Arizona Cardinals at home in Week 5. Last week, Aiyuk disappointed fantasy managers with two receptions of five targets for 48 yards. Even more disheartening was perennial fantasy non-factor Jauan Jennings continuing his hot streak to lead the 49ers in receiving on the day against New England. It isn't panic time quite yet though. Aiyuk is averaging 6.25 targets per game, compared with last year's 6.56 per-game pace and he's tied for 10th in the NFL in red zone targets to wide receivers. Arizona has been mediocre at stopping wide receivers in fantasy, allowing 27.5 half-PPR points per game to opposing wide receivers. A good matchup at home plus suitable usage so far makes Aiyuk a worthy WR2 in Week 5.
Oct 5, 2024 2:40 AM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk remained in a fantasy football rut during a 30-13 home win over the New England Patriots on Sunday. Aiyuk came away with two receptions on five targets for 48 yards and is still searching for touchdown number one -- though he did get another end zone target that was picked off. Those looking for more volume from Aiyuk have to be disappointed as today's yardage matches last week's but with five fewer targets. At least this year's career-low yards per reception figure increased today, which was his calling card in 2023. While smart money still says that Aiyuk will turn it around eventually, it has to be disturbing for Aiyuk managers to see third receiver Jauan Jennings outproduce Aiyuk in yards, receptions, and targets again in this one after Jennings' bonanza last week in the absence of Deebo Samuel Sr. It might be true that 2024 won't end up as Aiyuk's best statistical year because of the sluggish start, but he's still young and has too good of a track record to give up on. If anything, he's a good buy-low candidate from managers who have grown impatient and unaware that Aiyuk has always been somewhat volatile and dependent on big plays. He'll get another crack at it next week versus the Arizona Cardinals at home.
Sep 30, 2024 2:21 AM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will try to get on track in a Week 4 home matchup against the New England Patriots. The former first-round pick has yet to produce a satisfying performance for fantasy managers through three games. Last week in Los Angeles, Aiyuk took 10 targets but only caught half of them for 48 yards. On a Friday KNBR radio show, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he's happy with how Aiyuk is playing, but that they are not the type of offense that is going to force-feed targets to any one player. The Patriots have been rather generous to opposing wideouts in the early going, allowing 30.9 points per game in Yahoo default scoring, which ranks ninth-most. It remains to be seen whether Aiyuk will line up on Sunday with his counterpart Deebo Samuel Sr. (calf) still questionable, but whether he does seems less relevant after Jauan Jennings demonstrated last week the ability to compete for targets with Aiyuk just as well as Samuel Sr. Tight end George Kittle (hamstring) is expected to play after a one-game absence. It's just a matter of time before Aiyuk pops, especially after the healthy target volume versus the Rams. Stick with him as a back-end WR1 on Sunday.
Sep 28, 2024 12:16 PM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk once again disappointed in a 27-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sunday. His final line amounted to five catches of 10 targets for 48 yards and no touchdowns. While technically an improvement from last week -- which was itself an improvement from Week 1 -- today's game had to sting for fantasy managers. Aiyuk's inefficiency juxtaposed with backup wideout Jauan Jennings' capture of all three receiving categories was frustrating, especially since we're almost a month removed from Aiyuk starting team workouts after a lengthy holdout. It's worth noting that Aiyuk's fantasy day -; and the 49ers' -; could have ended very differently had quarterback Brock Purdy seen him streaking down the middle wide-open behind the Rams' secondary in San Francisco's penultimate drive. Aiyuk's frustration was apparent when he was involved in a scuffle after San Francisco's last-gasp lateral play bounced off his hands near the Rams' sideline. There are no indications that any disciplinary action will follow. Perhaps Aiyuk will have renewed fire when the 49ers host the New England Patriots in Week 4.
Sep 23, 2024 12:42 AM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is in Los Angeles to face the Rams in the team's first divisional matchup of 2024 on Sunday. Predictably, Aiyuk has yet to offer much to fantasy managers in the early going after choosing to sit out virtually the entire preseason. In Week 2 in Minnesota, the former first-rounder caught four of five targets for 43 yards, which was an improvement from Week 1's two-for-five, 28-yard performance versus the Jets. He has yet to score a touchdown. San Francisco is going to need him in LA though, as Deebo Samuel (calf) has been ruled out and George Kittle (hamstring) is doubtful. This game is as good as any for Aiyuk to get it going, with the Rams being shredded by rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. last week for 29 half-PPR points. The stars seem to have aligned for Aiyuk to make his first splash this season, with the matchup and likely heavy target share intersecting with another week of rust being shaken off. Start him this week as a low/mid WR1.
Sep 21, 2024 2:00 AM EST
With San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (calf) set to miss a couple of weeks with a calf strain, Brandon Aiyuk is now set up to serve as the team's WR1 heading into a divisional matchup in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams. Aiyuk played only 60% of the offensive snaps in the Week 1 win over the New York Jets after a lengthy contract hold-in during training camp this summer. He played 87% of the snaps in the Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but through two games, Aiyuk has been a fantasy disappointment with six catches on 10 targets for 71 yards and no scores. Despite the poor start, fantasy managers need to keep the 26-year-old locked into starting lineups for Week 3 with Samuel sidelined. In addition to Aiyuk being more involved, receiver Jauan Jennings should operate as the WR2, while tight end George Kittle will also have a safer target floor for as long as Samuel is out.
Sep 17, 2024 1:13 PM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk disappointed again in a 23-17 loss to the Vikings in Minneapolis on Sunday. He finished with four receptions for 43 yards on five targets and no touchdowns. Minted with a four-year $120 million extension recently, it appears that Aiyuk is still working his way back into football shape after skipping nearly all of the 49ers preseason games and team practices. On the bright side, today was an improvement from Week 1's two-catch, 28-yard performance. As Aiyuk continues to sharpen physically and regain his rapport with quarterback Brock Purdy, it's almost certain that he'll get back to 2023 form, but it could still take another week or two. In Week 3, Aiyuk and the 49ers will head south to play the Rams in Los Angeles.
Sep 15, 2024 11:33 PM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will run up against the Vikings when the team visits Minnesota in Week 2. Last week, Aiyuk disappointed fantasy players, a victim of his own offseason "hold-in" rustiness and a negative game script. The 26-year-old with the new contract extension could only muster two catches for 28 yards and no touchdowns on five targets. This week, however, he'll have the benefit of another week of practice and not having to go against Sauce Gardner and a top-rated pass defense. The Vikings dominated Daniel Jones and the New York Giants wideouts last week, whose top receiving performance came from rookie Malik Nabers at 5 catches, 66 yards, and no touchdowns. However, the Giants' passing attack was not expected to be a challenge for anybody and Minnesota's defense allowed the sixth-most half-PPR points to wide receivers in 2023. Last year's Vikings defensive secondary remains largely unchanged. Aiyuk should be in line for more action in Week 2 after having his snaps managed in Week 1 and with a better matchup, he's a solid WR2.
Sep 14, 2024 2:07 AM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk disappointed in Monday night's 32-19 victory over the New York Jets in Santa Clara after spending the preseason seeking an extension and asking to be traded while only participating in team meetings. This led to head coach Kyle Shanahan easing the former Sun Devil into game action and limiting his snaps in Week 1. At times during Monday's matchup, Aiyuk looked less-than-sharp, including dropping a sprawling, but catchable ball in the back corner of the end zone. He finished in a three-way tie with Jauan Jennings and George Kittle for the team target lead with five but only caught two for 28 yards. Time will tell how long it will take for Aiyuk to shake off the rust, but it should be sooner than later that he settles into his usual WR2 value. He'll try to get it going against the Vikings in Minnesota in Week 2.
Sep 10, 2024 5:04 AM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will open the 2024 season at home versus the New York Jets vaunted pass defense on Monday night. The 26-year-old comes into the game fresh off a four-year $120 million extension inked just over a week ago after a long holdout which caused Aiyuk to miss all of camp and the preseason, though he did attend meetings. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said during a Saturday presser that Aiyuk is in good shape, but because of the demand of the wide receiver position, he will probably play a little less than usual. Aiyuk managers with other WR/FLEX options may want to consider benching Aiyuk this week, especially since the Jets pass defense ranked 2nd in the NFL in yards allowed last year and are returning most of their key players. There will probably be weeks this season when Aiyuk projects as a back-end WR1, but this week isn't one of them. Consider him an upper-edge WR3/FLEX for Monday.
Sep 7, 2024 11:10 PM EST