Who Should I Start? Mike Evans or Brandon Aiyuk

Monday, December 23, 12:31 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans caught just five of his eight targets for 69 yards during Sunday's Week 16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Evans was the Buccaneers' leading receiver, but managers would have liked to see him rack up a little more production or find the end zone with a potential berth in the fantasy championship on the line. For the veteran receiver, all eyes are on the 1,000-yard mark. Evans has eclipsed 1,000 yards in each of his first 10 NFL seasons, but he's not a lock to reach that threshold in 2024. The 31-year-old needs 182 yards over his final two games to achieve the big milestone. From a fantasy perspective, he should continue to be viewed as a low-end WR1 option heading into next week's battle with a subpar Carolina Panthers defense.

Friday, November 15, 7:10 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) had surgery on his right knee earlier this week to fix a torn ACL and other damage. In addition to tearing his ACL, Aiyuk also tore his MCL in the Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and will miss the rest of the season. He should have already been dropped in single-season fantasy leagues. It remains to be seen if the 26-year-old will make enough progress in his rehab in the offseason in order to be ready to play in Week 1 of the 2025 regular season next fall. For the rest of 2024, receivers Deebo Samuel Sr. and Jauan Jennings and tight end George Kittle should be the most-targeted pass-catchers, with rookie first-rounder Ricky Pearsall also seeing an expanded role in the passing attack. Aiyuk was an absolute fantasy bust this year, finishing with 25 catches for 374 yards and no touchdowns in seven games.