Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Joshua Palmer

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, August 4, 8:58 PM

After sitting out Sunday, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer (groin) returned to practice on Monday. Palmer spent the first four seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Chargers before joining the Bills on a three-year contract in free agency this past winter. While Palmer caught fewer than 40 passes for under 600 yards in each of the previous two seasons, he could be in for a bigger role on a Buffalo team that lacks a star receiver. The team's most productive wideout from last season, Khalil Shakir (ankle), suffered a high-ankle sprain last Friday and is considered "week-to-week." It'll be all the more important for Palmer and others to step up if Shakir has to miss any regular-season action.