BrandonAiyuk

News: 4 days agoSan Francisco general manager John Lynch reiterated Tuesday that he's still "hopeful" Aiyuk (knee) will play at some point this season, though Lynch acknowledged that he wasn't sure how realistic the wideout's return might be, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Spin: Lynch noted that Aiyuk is continuing to take part in rehab work for the surgery he underwent last October to address ACL and MCL tears in his right knee, but the 49ers have thus far declined to put out a target date for when the 27-year-old might be ready to practice. As David Lombardi of SFStandard.com suggests, the decision as to whether Aiyuk suits up in 2025 likely falls on the wideout's shoulders. While the 49ers would seemingly welcome him back if he's healthy enough to play, Aiyuk may not be as motivated to suit up after San Francisco voided approximately $26 million in guarantees for the 2026 season back in late July. Aiyuk is still on San Francisco's books through 2028, though the team will likely look to trade him this offseason if it can find a suitor willing to pick up most of his remaining salary. Releasing Aiyuk is another possibility, but the 49ers would incur a dead-cap charge of $29.585 million if he's cut outright without a post-June 1 designation.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Aiyuk is back in San Francisco for his sixth NFL campaign, but he's expected to miss roughly half of the season after suffering a torn ACL and MCL in October. Aiyuk had just received a contract extension, which followed back-to-back top-15 fantasy seasons, including a 2023 campaign in which he produced a career-high 1,342 yards (seventh among WRs) and ranked top 5 at the position in yards per reception, yards per target and yards per route run. Even prior to the injury, however, Aiyuk was underperforming last season, scoring zero TDs and reaching double-digit fantasy points once in seven games. Aiyuk is still in his prime at age 27, but it's unclear when he'll return, how effective he'll be, and how much work he'll be given in a fairly crowded offense. Aiyuk is only worth late-round consideration in deep leagues.