Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Brandon Aiyuk

Monday, March 11, 2:57 PM

Free-agent running back Saquon Barkley is signing with the Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million deal. The deal includes $26 million in guaranteed money and has an additional $9 million available in incentives. After a 2018 rookie season that saw the former Penn State star go for over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns, he has struggled to stay healthy over a chunk of the next five years of his career. He missed 21 games from 2019 to 2021. He bounced back in 2022 with 1,312 rushing yards but regressed to 962 yards in 14 games in 2023. However, the Eagles believe in him as a game-changing running back, as his average salary ($12.58 million) ranks only below Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, and Jonathan Taylor. Although the Eagles' offensive line could take a hit after the retirement of Jason Kelce, Barkley should be playing behind the best offensive line of his career in 2024. He will have an immediate high-end RB1 upside in fantasy football.

Wednesday, May 8, 2:05 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is unlikely to be traded entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2024, and the 49ers' focus remains on keeping the star wideout for the long term. Both sides are hoping that they can work out a well-earned contract extension eventually. The recent extensions for DeVonta Smith Amon-Ra St. Brown also give the Niners a little bit more clarity in what Aiyuk's next contract should look like. Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel were both available for trade before and during last month's NFL draft, but nobody came through with an offer good enough for the Niners to pull the trigger. With Aiyuk being the bigger long-term priority, the 2024 season is likely the last that they'll have both Samuel and Aiyuk around. The 26-year-old Aiyuk, a former first-rounder, finished tied as the WR12 in half-PPR formats in 2023 with Samuel.