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, December 16, 12:14 AM

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson helped co-lead the Packers in targets and was a solid contributor in the Packers' 30-13 win against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15. Watson co-led the Packers in targets with Jayden Reed and was their downfield thread on the boundary, leading the team with 56 yards receiving. Watson's long catch of 36 yards helped the Packers set up a second-quarter field goal. His 56-yard effort comes off the heels of a 114-yard game in Week 14, so it does feel like a disappointment, but Romeo Doubs returning from concussion protocol may have spread the targets out just a bit. With Watson and the Packers heading back home to take on the New Orleans Saints in Week 16, Watson should be considered a volatile flex option for fantasy purposes.