Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Jalen Tolbert

Thursday, December 18, 4:18 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) has been "extremely distant" from the team since suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 7 of the 2024 season, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. The 27-year-old has not played a game since that point. The 49ers voided guarantees in his contract for 2026 and placed him on the reserve/left squad list on Saturday, officially ending his 2025 season. All signs seem to indicate that Aiyuk and the 49ers are likely to go their separate ways this offseason. In his last fully healthy season in 2023, Aiyuk recorded 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns on 105 targets. He has a chance to get back to his superstar heights if he can get fully healthy and find the right team. However, his health and the way his current situation in San Francisco has unfolded may bring about question marks for dynasty league fantasy managers.

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.