Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Jalen Tolbert

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 21, 11:54 AM

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert (coach's decision) and running back Jaydon Blue (coach's decision) are both healthy scratches for Sunday's Week 16 contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. Tolbert is now headed for his third consecutive absence, and he hasn't logged a catch since Week 8. Ryan Flournoy, KaVontae Turpin, and Jonathan Mingo have offered more value in their depth roles behind CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, leading to Tolbert being inactive. He can be dropped in all fantasy leagues. Meanwhile, Blue remains the odd man out from the Cowboys' backfield and is inactive for the seventh game in a row. Dallas' backfield will continue to feature just two running backs -- Javonte Williams and Malik Davis -- as well as fullback Hunter Luepke. Blue can be dropped in redraft leagues, but he remains an intriguing dynasty stash.