Brandon Aiyuk has been a disappointment in NFL Fantasy Football so far this season, but that’s about to change in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams.
You wouldn’t think that a player with these statistics through the first two weeks was being drafted as the WR16. Aiyuk seems to have fallen out of favor through the first two games, after leading the San Francisco 49ers in targets, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns in 2023. Things have looked a lot different in 2024, which could be attributed to Aiyuk’s holdout through much of the offseason.
Right now, Aiyuk is the third most targeted pass catcher in the 49ers’ offense, and the fourth most productive, behind even Jauan Jennings. Expectations only increased for Aiyuk after he signed his contract extension, but the production hasn’t been there so far.
Week 3 is an extremely favorable matchup though, and Aiyuk should be able to take advantage of that.
Aiyuk To Finish As WR1 In Week 3
With a favorable matchup and a depleted 49ers offense, Aiyuk should be the focal point against the Rams.
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As much as Aiyuk has struggled through the first two weeks, this matchup against the 31st ranked Rams defense is as ideal as it can be in fantasy football.
GIVEMESPORT Key Stat: Through Week 2, the Los Angeles Rams have given up the 24th most passing yards in the NFL.
Through the first two weeks of the season, Jameson Williams scored 24.40 points in Week 1 and Marvin Harrison Jr. scored 29 points against the Rams defense. To make matters better for Aiyuk, the 49ers are dealing with several injuries across their offense, leaving him one of the few starters from 2023 who will be available on Sunday.
49ers offense:
đRB Christian McCaffrey: Calf/Achilles – On IR.
đWR Deebo Samuel: Calf – Will miss a couple of weeks.
đTE George Kittle: Hamstring – did not practice Thursday.
đWR Ricky Pearsall: Chest/Shoulder – On IR, the singular best outcome for his situation.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 19, 2024
In Week 3, the 49ers could be without their top two leading wide receivers, as Christian McCaffrey still remains on Injured Reserve. This is the perfect opportunity for Aiyuk to turn things around, even with Jordan Mason running the ball as well as he has.
Brock Purdy is averaging just over 32 passing attempts per game, which is more than enough for Aiyuk to receive 10+ targets and over 100 receiving yards. If George Kittle does end up missing Sunday’s game, Aiyuk has legitimate WR1 potential in this week’s game.
If you’re concerned about starting Aiyuk after the first two weeks, this is the time to put those worries aside. Even with some of the drops Aiyuk has had recently, the volume will be large enough to shake off the rust and have his best game of the season.
Brandon Aiyuk’s Season Outlook Is Questionable
While Aiyuk has immense potential in Week 3, but his fantasy value is up in the air for the remainder of the 2024 season.
Credit: Charles LeClaire / USA TODAY Sports
There is some legitimate potential for Aiyuk to finish as the WR1 in Week 3, and he could be able to carry some of the momentum over to future weeks if Deebo Samuel misses an extended period of time. So, there could be a period of time when Aiyuk enters WR1 status. But when this offense returns to full health, there’s no telling what Aiyuk’s outlook will be like for fantasy football.
You would think that, because Aiyuk was recently paid as one of the highest wide receivers in the
NFL, that he would be guaranteed a heavy target share, but that can’t be assumed. Kyle Shanahan is notorious for doing whatever he chooses in terms of distributing the football, and if Aiyuk isn’t playing up to par, he’s going to target some of his other playmakers more.
There hasn’t been the opportunity to even see what this offense will look like when McCaffrey returns. McCaffrey had 83 targets last season, which was the fourth most on the 49ers’ offense in 2023. Considering how well Mason has played thus far, it’s unlikely that he will be completely removed from the offensive gameplan, which could result in McCaffrey being used more as a pass catcher, and less in the run game.
If Aiyuk has some strong fantasy performances over the next few weeks, it might be worthwhile to trade him for an injured star wide receiver, such as A.J. Brown or Puka Nacua. Ideally, Aiyuk can get back to producing like he did last year, as he’s not the only wide receiver holdout from this summer to disappoint so far in fantasy football.