Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

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.

Saturday, September 6, 10:05 AM

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine came to Miami this past offseason on a two-year, $6.5 million contract, but he doesn't look like he'll be very involved in Week 1. Westbrook-Ikhine showed a nose for the end zone in his five seasons in Tennessee and had nine touchdowns last year on just 32 catches for 497 yards. He's a big red-zone target that could emerge as a goal-line favorite for Tua Tagovailoa, but he doesn't have a clear path to a role coming into the year. One potential spot he could step into would be to fill in for Darren Waller (hip), since the Dolphins don't have any obvious pass-catching options at tight end. He's a long shot to be involved, though, so Westbrook-Ikhine is the WR99 coming into the week in the RotoBaller rankings, since he's behind at least Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Malik Washington in the Dolphins' receiver room.