Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Ricky Pearsall

Tuesday, October 14, 3:21 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) is getting "closer and closer" to returning to practice following his ACL and MCL tears in his right knee in Week 7 of last year. While the Niners aren't giving any specific date for a potential return to the practice field for Aiyuk, Shanahan mentioned Week 10 as a rough estimate, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Despite the Niners also dealing with injuries to receivers Jauan Jennings (ribs) and Ricky Pearsall and tight end George Kittle (hamstring), Aiyuk isn't going to be rushed back. And even if Aiyuk does return to practice ahead of the team's Week 10 game against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams, it doesn't mean the former first-rounder would be active for his season debut that week. Once Aiyuk's practice window is open, the 49ers will have 21 days to officially activate him from the Physically Unable to Perform list. Fantasy managers who are stashing Aiyuk must remain patient.

Monday, October 13, 8:13 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday that wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) will be evaluated on Wednesday with the hope that he can do more in practice this week, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. Pearsall suffered a PCL injury to his right knee in Week 4 and has missed the last two games as a result. He was unable to practice at all last week, but he was able to do conditioning work on side fields with trainers. The 25-year-old second-year pass-catcher appears to be making progress, but it's premature to think that he'll be able to return for a Week 7 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. When Pearsall does finally return, tight end George Kittle (hamstring) could be back from Injured Reserve, which would mean fewer targets in the passing game. Fellow wideout Jauan Jennings (ribs) returned in the Week 6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he revealed he played with five broken ribs.