Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Jack Bech

Wednesday, January 21, 3:30 PM

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said on Wednesday that "it's safe to say" that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee), who missed the entire 2025 season, has "played his last snap as a Niner," according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. The 27-year-old has been trying to get the 49ers to release him for a while, and it was essentially a done deal when the team voided guarantees in his contract. An official transaction releasing Aiyuk will probably come in the weeks following the Super Bowl. The former 25th overall pick in 2020 out of Arizona State had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023 before signing an extension with the team before the 2024 campaign. Aiyuk wasn't living up to expectations that year before tearing his ACL and MCL in Week 7. In addition to concerns about whether he can return to his pre-injury form, Aiyuk's fantasy value going forward will depend largely on where he ends up.

Sunday, December 28, 2:50 PM

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jack Bech (back) is inactive for his team's Week 17 matchup against the New York Giants due to a back injury. The 23-year-old rookie has recorded 20 catches for 224 yards on 27 targets across 15 games in 2025. Las Vegas placed star tight end Brock Bowers (knee) on Injured Reserve earlier this week, so the team is running out of capable pass catchers. With Bech sidelined, Raiders wideouts Tre Tucker and Tyler Lockett figure to lead the team in wide receiver snaps against New York. Wideouts Dont'e Thornton Jr., Alex Bachman, and Shedrick Jackson could all see an uptick in playing time as well.