Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Ladd McConkey

Friday, November 15, 7:10 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) had surgery on his right knee earlier this week to fix a torn ACL and other damage. In addition to tearing his ACL, Aiyuk also tore his MCL in the Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and will miss the rest of the season. He should have already been dropped in single-season fantasy leagues. It remains to be seen if the 26-year-old will make enough progress in his rehab in the offseason in order to be ready to play in Week 1 of the 2025 regular season next fall. For the rest of 2024, receivers Deebo Samuel Sr. and Jauan Jennings and tight end George Kittle should be the most-targeted pass-catchers, with rookie first-rounder Ricky Pearsall also seeing an expanded role in the passing attack. Aiyuk was an absolute fantasy bust this year, finishing with 25 catches for 374 yards and no touchdowns in seven games.

Thursday, December 12, 6:00 PM

Los Angeles Chargers rookie running back Ladd McConkey (knee, shoulder) was limited again in practice on Thursday for the second straight day this week. McConkey was inactive for the team's Week 14 loss to the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. It's good news that the 23-year-old second-round rookie is practicing at all, but it doesn't necessarily mean he'll return for a Week 15 clash against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fantasy managers would really like to see the Georgia product return to a full practice on Friday. With McConkey out last week, receivers Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer both saw added involvement in the aerial attack. If McConkey gets the green light to play this weekend, he should be returned to starting fantasy lineups. He leads the Bolts in most receiving categories and is tied for 32nd among all wideouts in average half-PPR points per game in 2024.