Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Demario Douglas

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.

Sunday, January 5, 8:41 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas caught three of his four targets for 34 yards during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills. The second-year slot receiver finishes his 2024 campaign with 66 catches, 621 yards, and three touchdowns. Although he technically out-produced all other Patriots receivers this season, he lost significant ground to Kayshon Boutte as soon as Drake Maye took over as New England's starting quarterback. Heading into 2025, both Boutte and Douglas can expect to face competition as the Patriots bring in a new coaching staff and look to bolster their offense with a big-name wide receiver addition.