Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or George Pickens

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 20, 6:15 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring) didn't officially practice this week and was ruled out for Saturday's game against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens for the third straight game, but he is running and did make an effort to be cleared this week. The Steelers are optimistic that Pickens will be ready to go next Wednesday on Christmas Day to face the Kansas City Chiefs. The 23-year-old picked the worst possible time to miss games for fantasy managers relying on him in the postseason, but he could be back next week to resume his role as Pittsburgh's No. 1 wideout. If Pickens is active next week, fantasy managers will be hard-pressed not to throw him back in their starting lineups, even in a tough matchup against the Chiefs' stingy defense. Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson and Mike Williams have done little in Pickens' absence, with tight end Pat Freiermuth being the biggest beneficiary.