Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Rome Odunze

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.

Tuesday, December 17, 2:01 AM

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze caught 2-of-7 targets for 39 yards in his team's 30-12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. The rookie again saw a decent amount of work but continues to play third fiddle in Chicago's air attack behind veteran wideouts Keenan Allen and DJ Moore. On the bright side, Odunze recorded at least six targets for the seventh time in eight games. However, he's averaging just 3.75 receptions and 47.25 yards in that frame. Better days are ahead for the 22-year-old, and his future appears bright as long as long as quarterback Caleb Williams continues to develop at the pro level. For now, though, he'll be tough to trust as a viable option in Week 16 despite squaring off against a depleted Detroit Lions defense.