Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Jalen Coker

Tuesday, August 26, 5:06 PM

The San Francisco 49ers officially placed wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list to begin the 2025 season, which means he will miss at least the first four contests. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has already said that Aiyuk might be targeting a return around Week 6 on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 27-year-old suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 7 of last season, which is why he's not ready for the start of 2025. The former first-round wideout had been a major disappointment in fantasy before his season-ending knee injury, too, as he caught just 25 of 47 targets for 374 yards and didn't find the end zone once in seven games. It's understandable for fantasy managers to want to avoid him altogether this year, although he's still worth drafting in leagues with IR spots. With Aiyuk sidelined, Jauan Jennings (calf) and Ricky Pearsall should serve as the top wideouts in San Fran.

Monday, September 1, 12:36 PM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that wide receiver Jalen Coker (quadriceps) is dealing with a "significant quad strain." It's the reason why the Panthers brought back veteran Hunter Renfrow, especially after trading Adam Thielen to the Minnesota Vikings last week. The Panthers placed Coker on Injured Reserve, which means that he will be forced to miss at least the first four weeks of the 2025 season after injuring his quad in practice late last week. It's a shame, too, since Coker was standing out in training camp practices this summer and was looking to be in line for a decent role as a depth piece for the Panthers passing attack. That could still happen later this year, and Coker isn't the worst IR stash in fantasy leagues if you're looking for an extra wideout. In the meantime, Renfrow could have the leg up for the WR3 role heading into Week 1.