Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Josh Downs

Sunday, November 23, 11:55 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) continues to recover from last year's ACL injury, and NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports that Aiyuk is "close to being cleared" for a return. The receiver's 21-day practice window hasn't been opened yet, but the 49ers remain hopeful that he'll get back on the field in the near future. San Francisco's receiving corps could use the help as Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall have been underwhelming, combining for 53 catches, 705 yards, and three touchdowns while managing their respective injuries. Aiyuk could become an instant WR2 or WR3 in fantasy football upon his return, but an exact timetable for his activation remains unclear. This isn't the only news story we've seen about Aiyuk this week, though. A few days ago, Dianna Russini and Michael Silver of The Athletic reported that Aiyuk and the Niners were headed for a "stunning split" after the team voided his 2026 guarantees for a failure to meet contractual obligations, creating a clear path to his release next offseason. While Russini and Silver wrote that Aiyuk has likely played his final game for the 49ers, Garafolo's report seems to clarify that he'll have a good chance to get back on the field in 2025 before the team makes a decision on his future during the offseason.

Tuesday, November 25, 3:12 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs caught just two of his six targets for 10 yards in Sunday's overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12. Downs was trending up in fantasy football after recording touchdown grabs in three straight games, but the 24-year-old has had back-to-back duds with three total receptions (eight targets) for just 13 yards the last two games. He has taken a back seat in the Colts' passing game behind receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie tight end Tyler Warren. While the former third-rounder is still useful depth in most fantasy formats, he'll be hard to trust going into a difficult Week 13 matchup against the league's top defense in the Houston Texans. Downs is up to 38 receptions for 326 yards and three touchdowns on 54 targets in 10 games in 2025 in his third year in the NFL.