Who Should I Start? Michael Gallup or Brandon Aiyuk

Thursday, March 20, 1:39 PM

The Washington Commanders announced on Thursday that they signed free-agent wide receiver Michael Gallup to an undisclosed deal. Gallup was drafted in the third round (81st overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 out of Colorado State and spent the first six years of his NFL career in Dallas before signing last offseason with the Las Vegas Raiders. The 29-year-old announced his retirement before ever playing in a game with Vegas before deciding he wanted to come back in 2025. He'll now return to the NFC East, where he'll serve as receiving depth behind Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel Sr. and Noah Brown, at the very least. It's a poor landing spot for Gallup potentially returning to fantasy relevance, as he'll also be competing with Luke McCaffrey and K.J. Osborn for playing time. Fantasy managers can probably avoid Gallup in drafts this fall.

Monday, March 31, 3:16 PM

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the San Francisco 49ers are not expected to trade wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee). The sixth-year pro will be due a bonus of $22.85 million on Tuesday if he is on the team's roster. Aiyuk exploded in 2023 with a 75-1,342-7 line and signed a four-year $120 million contract extension as a reward. However, a torn ACL and MCL in Week 7 of 2024 cut his season short, though it's worth noting he wasn't overly productive before the injury. The 49ers have already flipped one star wideout this offseason, sending Deebo Samuel Sr. to the Washington Commanders, so it is in the team's best interest to hold Aiyuk despite the hit to their cap. There is still no timetable for the 27-year-old's return, but he recently got good reviews regarding his recovery. He'll compete with teammates George Kittle and Jauan Jennings for targets when he's healthy.