Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Tetairoa McMillan

Wednesday, November 5, 6:04 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Wednesday that he's "pretty confident" that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) will play at some point this season, according to David Lombardi of The San Francisco Standard. However, the 49ers are still waiting for Aiyuk to "hit certain markers" on GPS speed measurements before opening his 21-day practice window. Once Aiyuk returns to practice, the team will have 21 days to officially activate him from the Physically Unable to Perform list. Despite the optimism, reports on Monday suggested that the 27-year-old former first-rounder wasn't close to a return to practice, so fantasy managers who have been stashing Aiyuk all year shouldn't get their hopes up. Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 7 of last year and probably won't be back in games for the 49ers until December.

Monday, November 3, 12:44 PM

Tetairoa McMillan was the top receiver for the Carolina Panthers again in their 16-13 upset over the Green Bay Packers in Week 9, but the numbers were not outstanding. The rookie wide receiver totaled 46 yards on four receptions with 8.6 PPR fantasy points. Carolina's defense kept the game close, and the Panthers prioritize the running game over the passing game. Although McMillan remains the target hog for the team in the passing game, Carolina's run-first approach is likely to be on display again in Week 10 against the Saints. New Orleans ranks 28th in the last two weeks in fantasy points per game allowed to running backs (29.3), and gave up 172 rushing yards to the Rams RBs in Week 9. Despite the Panthers favoring the running game, fantasy players should continue starting McMillan in lineups, especially as he can flash upside in any given week.