Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Quentin Johnston

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.

Thursday, August 21, 6:32 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston (concussion), who suffered a scary-looking concussion in the team's second preseason game last Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams, was back at practice on Thursday, according to Kris Rhim of ESPN.com. While the 23-year-old might not be completely cleared from the league's concussion protocol, the fact that he's back on the field is a good sign that he should gain full clearance to be active for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Friday, Sept. 5, against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil. Johnston should go undrafted in standard 12-team fantasy leagues this fall. The former 21st overall pick in 2023 out of TCU did improve with a 55-711-8 line in 15 regular-season games (11 starts) in 2024, but he continues to struggle with drops and is fighting for the WR3 role with rookie Tre' Harris behind Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen.