Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Puka Nacua

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 19, 9:08 PM

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua was heavily involved in the Rams' 28-22 loss to the Eagles. He was targeted a team-high 14 times and finished with six catches for 97 yards, including an acrobatic, sliding catch in the snow that will be part of his highlight reel for seasons to come. That catch kept the Rams potential game-winning drive alive, but they came up short in the red zone with under one minute left. Nacua established himself as one of the best fantasy receivers in the game after returning from his early season knee injury. He clearly became the go-to option in the Rams passing game and will be one of the top fantasy receivers going into next season.