Who Should I Start? Darius Slayton or Brandon Aiyuk

Sunday, January 4, 9:35 AM

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton is expected to handle increased volume with Wan'Dale Robinson (ribs) and Theo Johnson (illness) both sidelined against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18. Robinson is headed for his first absence of the season, and Johnson has only been inactive one other time. Therefore, we haven't yet seen what Slayton can do as Jaxson Dart's No. 1 target. However, we have seen glimpses of his upside. He caught a touchdown pass in Week 13, handled 10 targets in Week 15, and has played at least 87% of the snaps in two of his last three games. The bigger role comes at a perfect time for Slayton and his managers, as the Cowboys have surrendered the league's most yards, touchdowns, and fantasy points to wide receivers this season. Managers should feel comfortable deploying Slayton as a strong WR2 option in fantasy football as he handles a bigger workload and gets a very enticing matchup.

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.