Who Should I Start? Justin Jefferson or Brandon Aiyuk

Wednesday, January 28, 1:24 PM

Although Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson reached the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the sixth straight season in the NFL in 2025, he was a massive disappointment for fantasy football managers. Jefferson was a top-10 fantasy selection in most fantasy drafts last year, but he finished as only the WR25 in half-PPR scoring. The difference in 2025 was his lack of chemistry with young quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who played in only 10 games due to injuries. When McCarthy was on the field, he didn't show much chemistry with Jefferson and was way too inconsistent accuracy-wise. Jefferson caught 84 passes, which was his lowest total in six seasons, other than when he had 68 receptions in an injury-plagued 2023 season. His two touchdowns and 1,048 receiving yards were both career lows. Jefferson remains an elite fantasy wideout talent-wise, but he's going to drop in the 2026 rankings a bit until he and McCarthy can develop a more consistent connection.

Wednesday, January 21, 3:30 PM

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said on Wednesday that "it's safe to say" that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee), who missed the entire 2025 season, has "played his last snap as a Niner," according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. The 27-year-old has been trying to get the 49ers to release him for a while, and it was essentially a done deal when the team voided guarantees in his contract. An official transaction releasing Aiyuk will probably come in the weeks following the Super Bowl. The former 25th overall pick in 2020 out of Arizona State had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023 before signing an extension with the team before the 2024 campaign. Aiyuk wasn't living up to expectations that year before tearing his ACL and MCL in Week 7. In addition to concerns about whether he can return to his pre-injury form, Aiyuk's fantasy value going forward will depend largely on where he ends up.