Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Darnell Mooney

Tuesday, September 16, 8:07 PM

San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice urged fans to temper expectations for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk earlier this offseason, noting, "It's going to take some time for him. I'd rely on those other guys to do most of the work and blend (Aiyuk) back in." Aiyuk is still recovering from the torn ACL and MCL he suffered in Week 7 of last season and has yet to resume practicing. In his absence, the 49ers have started 2-0 with steady contributions from Jauan Jennings and rookie Ricky Pearsall. With no firm return timeline, Aiyuk remains an uncertain fantasy asset and should not be counted on for meaningful production in 2025.

Saturday, September 13, 10:47 AM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (shoulder) was a full participant in practice on Friday after being limited earlier in the week, and heads into Sunday night's matchup with the Vikings without an injury designation. The 27-year-old should slide back into his role as No. 2 receiver behind Drake London (shoulder), who also practiced fully on Friday. Mooney owned a solid 21.3 percent target share last season with the same receiving corps, although much of that was with Kirk Cousins under center. In the two games he played with Michael Penix Jr. at the helm, Mooney's target share dropped to 17.7 percent. Going up against a tough run defense, the Falcons may prefer to attack Minnesota through the air, but with plenty of receiving options at their disposal and Mooney potentially getting eased back into action, the sixth-year pro should be viewed as a high-end WR4/Flex play in Week 2 with some slight upside in PPR formats.