Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Joshua Palmer

Saturday, June 14, 11:52 AM

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said on the Pat McAfee Show this week that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) is making great progress in his rehab from a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee that he suffered last October. "Brandon is doing a tremendous job coming back. It's kind of incredible how well he's healing, and he's putting in the work," Lynch said. Lynch continued to stress that Aiyuk is still an important part of the team going forward, although he's probably not going to be able to make his 2025 debut until around midseason. After a contract dispute last summer, the 27-year-old caught just 25 passes for 374 yards and no touchdowns before his season-ending knee injury seven games into the season. When he returns, he'll battle for targets with George Kittle, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall. There are a lot of question marks surrounding Aiyuk going into 2025.

Tuesday, July 1, 9:49 PM

The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia has Buffalo Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer listed as a sleeper after signing a three-year deal with the team in the offseason. Buscaglia writes that Palmer's potential role and impact in this year's passing offense "are being slept on a bit." He's exactly what the Bills offense lacked last year -- a precise route-runner that specializes in separation who has enough speed to push down the field for deeper targets. The 25-year-old should be a nice fit for the Z receiver role after Buffalo tried to force Amari Cooper and Mack Hollins into the role in 2024. Buscaglia writes that Palmer could win the Hollins award for unexpected player who will play a lot more than most people think. Ultimately, Palmer probably won't see enough volume in this offense to warrant anything more than WR4/5 value in fantasy unless Khalil Shakir or Keon Coleman miss time with injury.