Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Tutu Atwell

Thursday, December 18, 4:18 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) has been "extremely distant" from the team since suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 7 of the 2024 season, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. The 27-year-old has not played a game since that point. The 49ers voided guarantees in his contract for 2026 and placed him on the reserve/left squad list on Saturday, officially ending his 2025 season. All signs seem to indicate that Aiyuk and the 49ers are likely to go their separate ways this offseason. In his last fully healthy season in 2023, Aiyuk recorded 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns on 105 targets. He has a chance to get back to his superstar heights if he can get fully healthy and find the right team. However, his health and the way his current situation in San Francisco has unfolded may bring about question marks for dynasty league fantasy managers.

Thursday, December 18, 1:31 AM

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell will likely remain in his deep-threat role for Week 16 against the Seattle Seahawks, establishing a solid ceiling but a very low floor. This has been a familiar role for Atwell, who has just five catches through seven games this year but is averaging a whopping 15.7 yards per reception. The 26-year-old might see a slight increase in volume with Davante Adams sidelined, but since Adams and Atwell aren't very similar players, we expect most of the veteran's vacated targets to go to Konata Mumpfield and/or Jordan Whittington. Atwell will continue to operate as a big-play threat who could boom at any given time, but is far too risky to trust in Week 16 lineups. RotoBaller ranks him as the overall WR97 for this week, and he's at a disadvantage facing a Seahawks defense that has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers in 2025.