Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Quentin Johnston

Sunday, November 23, 11:55 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) continues to recover from last year's ACL injury, and NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports that Aiyuk is "close to being cleared" for a return. The receiver's 21-day practice window hasn't been opened yet, but the 49ers remain hopeful that he'll get back on the field in the near future. San Francisco's receiving corps could use the help as Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall have been underwhelming, combining for 53 catches, 705 yards, and three touchdowns while managing their respective injuries. Aiyuk could become an instant WR2 or WR3 in fantasy football upon his return, but an exact timetable for his activation remains unclear. This isn't the only news story we've seen about Aiyuk this week, though. A few days ago, Dianna Russini and Michael Silver of The Athletic reported that Aiyuk and the Niners were headed for a "stunning split" after the team voided his 2026 guarantees for a failure to meet contractual obligations, creating a clear path to his release next offseason. While Russini and Silver wrote that Aiyuk has likely played his final game for the 49ers, Garafolo's report seems to clarify that he'll have a good chance to get back on the field in 2025 before the team makes a decision on his future during the offseason.

Friday, November 21, 3:18 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston looked like the team's top receiver to begin the year, but he's cooled off considerably in recent weeks and heads into the team's bye in Week 12 after putting up a donut on just three targets in the Week 11 blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was the second time in the last four games that he finished with no catches. The 24-year-old former first-rounder out of TCU does have six touchdown grabs in 10 games in 2025, but half of those came in the first two weeks of the season. Since Oct. 5, Johnston hasn't gone over 53 receiving yards in a game and has scored only twice. With a banged-up offensive line in L.A., Johnston's rest-of-season outlook could be rough. The Bolts have a plus matchup coming out of the bye against the Raiders in Week 13, but after that, they have the Eagles, Texans, Chiefs, and Broncos -- all difficult matchups.