Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Christian Watson

Friday, November 15, 7:10 PM

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.

Monday, January 6, 12:42 PM

Green Bay Packers standout wide receiver Christian Watson (knee) is believed to have suffered a torn right ACL and additional damage to his knee in the loss to the division-rival Chicago Bears on Sunday in the Week 18 regular-season finale. It will put an end to Watson's season for the playoffs and also put him in jeopardy for the start of the 2025 regular season this fall. The 25-year-old former second-rounder in 2022 out of North Dakota State was held out of the Week 17 loss to the division-rival Minnesota Vikings due to a bruised knee he suffered the week prior, but he returned on Sunday and suffered a non-contact injury in the second quarter before being carted off. The oft-injured pass-catcher has lots of big-play ability but has struggled to stay on the field in his three seasons. Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks and tight end Tucker Kraft should all benefit in the playoffs with Watson sidelined.