Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Rashid Shaheed

Wednesday, January 21, 3:30 PM

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said on Wednesday that "it's safe to say" that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee), who missed the entire 2025 season, has "played his last snap as a Niner," according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. The 27-year-old has been trying to get the 49ers to release him for a while, and it was essentially a done deal when the team voided guarantees in his contract. An official transaction releasing Aiyuk will probably come in the weeks following the Super Bowl. The former 25th overall pick in 2020 out of Arizona State had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023 before signing an extension with the team before the 2024 campaign. Aiyuk wasn't living up to expectations that year before tearing his ACL and MCL in Week 7. In addition to concerns about whether he can return to his pre-injury form, Aiyuk's fantasy value going forward will depend largely on where he ends up.

Saturday, January 24, 8:00 PM

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed was largely responsible for putting last week's Divisional Round rubber match with the 49ers out of hand from the jump, returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown in a game that was never close. The play marked Shaheed's third special teams score since being acquired from the New Orleans Saints via a mid-season trade, but his impact has been felt less on offense. After playing his first half of the season in New Orleans on a 17-game pace of 83 receptions for 943 yards and four touchdowns, that pace has fallen drastically to 26 catches for 320 yards and zero receiving touchdowns since his trade to Seattle. Over the past four games, he's caught two passes for ten yards. Even against a Los Angeles defense that has been beatable through the air, Shaheed carries very little value outside of fantasy playoff leagues that reward return yards and touchdowns.