Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Colby Parkinson

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.

Friday, December 13, 12:50 PM

Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson caught two of his five targets for 21 yards during their victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night. Parkinson's five targets and 21 yards were the second-most on the team. Over his previous four games leading up to Thursday, Parkinson caught just one pass in each contest and never surpassed 20 receiving yards. With 31-year-old Tyler Higbee (knee) nearing a return to action, fantasy managers should expect Parkinson to soon revert to the No.2 role on the depth chart. Next weekend, Parkinson will face the New York Jets, who have allowed the seventh-fewest PPR points to opposing tight ends. If he is given another start, he should be viewed as a low-end TE2, given his low target share.