Who Should I Start? Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Brandon Aiyuk

Saturday, September 13, 3:22 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling saw zero targets on 15 routes run in Week 1. With George Kittle (hamstring) now on injured reserve and Jauan Jennings (shoulder) tagged as questionable for San Francisco's Week 2 matchup against the Saints, it is possible that Valdes-Scantling plays a bigger role on Sunday. Unfortunately, Brock Purdy (toe, shoulder) has been ruled out so it will be Mac Jones under center, limiting Valdes-Scantling's upside even if he does see more playing time. MVS does have the ability to stretch the field but Jones' career completion rate on passes of 20 or more air yards is a mere 30%, effectively negating that threat. If it were Purdy running the show, Valdes-Scantling would have more potential but as it is, he has little viability in Week 2.

Wednesday, September 17, 9:31 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) was spotted doing some running on the side during Wednesday's practice. It sounds like Aiyuk is continuing to make progress, but is still going to be sidelined for a few weeks. He's currently on the physically unable to perform list through Week 4. There haven't been many updates on his status lately. The assumption is that Aiyuk should be ready to play around Week 5 or 6, but there should be a better timetable closer to that date. Aiyuk should be stashed in most 12-team formats as he'll likely be a focal point of the offense once he's ready to play.