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.

Saturday, January 11, 11:43 PM

Los Angeles Chargers rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey was the lone bright spot of the Chargers Wild Card Round loss to the Houston Texans on Saturday. McConkey was targeted 14 times, making nine catches for 197 yards and a touchdown. The rookie's touchdown was an 86-yard play and the only one the Bolts would score in the game. While McConkey made his nine catches for 197 yards, the entire rest of the Chargers offense made five catches for 45 yards total. It was a rough performance by the LA offense, but McConkey shone through and truly established himself as an every week fantasy starter in his rookie year.