Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Pat Freiermuth

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.

Sunday, January 12, 12:53 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth logged three receptions for 15 yards on four targets in a Wild Card Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Freiermuth, who was incredibly productive to close the regular season, wasn't very involved on Saturday night as the Steelers struggled to move the ball for much of the contest. He was given an opportunity on Pittsburgh's first play from scrimmage but unfortunately dropped the pass. The fourth-year pro was signed to a lucrative extension in 2024 and will head into the 2025-2026 campaign as one of the team's featured pass-catchers. For fantasy purposes, Freiermuth's value going forward will largely depend on who is under center for the Steelers with Russell Wilson entering free agency this offseason.