Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Matthew Golden

Thursday, December 18, 4:18 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) has been "extremely distant" from the team since suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 7 of the 2024 season, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. The 27-year-old has not played a game since that point. The 49ers voided guarantees in his contract for 2026 and placed him on the reserve/left squad list on Saturday, officially ending his 2025 season. All signs seem to indicate that Aiyuk and the 49ers are likely to go their separate ways this offseason. In his last fully healthy season in 2023, Aiyuk recorded 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns on 105 targets. He has a chance to get back to his superstar heights if he can get fully healthy and find the right team. However, his health and the way his current situation in San Francisco has unfolded may bring about question marks for dynasty league fantasy managers.

Tuesday, January 6, 6:24 PM

Green Bay Packers rookie first-round wide receiver Matthew Golden (Achilles) should be good to go for Wild-Card weekend against the division-rival Chicago Bears this Saturday night after being listed as a full participant at Tuesday's practice. Golden played all of the team's offensive snaps in the Week 18 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, with the Packers resting some of their regulars, but the 22-year-old still wasn't able to capitalize with Clayton Tune running the offense. Golden caught one of his three targets for only eight yards to close out what was a disappointing first year in the NFL. The Texas product was a popular rookie breakout candidate in the preseason, but he ended up with only 29 receptions for 361 yards and no touchdowns in 2025. Green Bay's receiving corps is pretty healthy heading into the playoffs, making Golden pretty hard to trust in fantasy lineups.