Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Dayton Wade

Monday, March 31, 3:16 PM

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the San Francisco 49ers are not expected to trade wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee). The sixth-year pro will be due a bonus of $22.85 million on Tuesday if he is on the team's roster. Aiyuk exploded in 2023 with a 75-1,342-7 line and signed a four-year $120 million contract extension as a reward. However, a torn ACL and MCL in Week 7 of 2024 cut his season short, though it's worth noting he wasn't overly productive before the injury. The 49ers have already flipped one star wideout this offseason, sending Deebo Samuel Sr. to the Washington Commanders, so it is in the team's best interest to hold Aiyuk despite the hit to their cap. There is still no timetable for the 27-year-old's return, but he recently got good reviews regarding his recovery. He'll compete with teammates George Kittle and Jauan Jennings for targets when he's healthy.

Sunday, August 18, 7:42 AM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Dayton Wade continued to be the top pass-catcher in both targets and receiving yards on Saturday afternoon. This time, the rookie out of Ole Miss registered a big-time scoring play in the third quarter while working with fellow rookie Emory Jones. Wade was targeted four times in this contest and caught two of them for 67 yards and a touchdown. His biggest play was a 56-yard catch-and-run where he used a great stutter-step move to fake out the defensive back and break free. Once he was wide open, Jones delivered a perfect ball and Wade trotted in for the score. After two preseason games, Wade has six receptions on nine targets for 94 yards and one touchdown. With Devontez Walker (ribs) ailing from a rib injury, Wade could be playing himself higher up on the depth chart than expected.