Brandon Aiyuk Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk exploded in Week 1 vs. the Steelers, hauling in all 8 targets for 129 receiving yards and 2 TDs. Teammate Deebo Samuel logged 5 catches on 7 targets for 55 of his own, and yards TE George Kittle had a quiet contest with just 3 catches on 6 targets for 19 yards. Despite the best efforts of Steelers CB Patrick Peterson, Aiyuk could not be stopped en route to setting a new career-high in yards in Sunday’s win. As a whole, the 49ers’ offense fired on all cylinders. Next week, the 49ers will face off against the Rams, a division opponent they beat in both of their matchups last season.

The Athletic's David Lombardi writes that 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk “continues dominating” at training camp. Aiyuk brings undeniable talent, and he should be hitting his prime at 25 years old. Volume looks like an issue, though. And we’ll have to see how QB Brock Purdy performs in live action following March elbow surgery.

49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk is coming off a top-25 finish among WRs in fantasy points per game and has had an impressive offseason by all accounts. But his target volume is a concern heading into 2023. Aiyuk drew a 22.0% target share last year -- 32nd among WRs. But that dipped to 20.1% in 14 games with a healthy WR Deebo Samuel. Aiyuk saw just 17.9% of 49ers targets in seven games with Samuel and RB Christian McCaffrey. Samuel, McCaffrey, and TE George Kittle are back this year. And San Francisco figures to remain a run-leaning offense regardless of who's playing QB. That has Aiyuk sitting a bit lower in the WR Rankings than his talent would dictate.

49ers WR Deebo Samuel led the team in receiving with 6 catches on 9 targets for 133 yards and 1 TD in Saturday's Wild Card win vs. the Seahawks. The crafty wideout also handled 3 carries for 22 yards on the ground in the contest. Samuel was seldom used in Week 18 after returning from a 3-game absence due to injury, so it's good to see his body hold up to a more significant workload. It's also worth noting that teammate WR Brandon Aiyuk is the only other 49ers' pass-catcher who logged more than 2 receptions.

Niners TE George Kittle tallied 6 catches for 120 yards and 2 TDs in Saturday's win over the Commanders. Kittle led his team in all 3 categories. It marked his 2nd straight 2-TD game. WR Brandon Aiyuk followed with 5 catches for 81 yards on 7 targets. WR Jauan Jennings (2) and RB Christian McCaffrey (2) were the only other 49ers to catch passes. San Francisco gets an upside matchup with the Raiders in Week 17.

49ers WR Deebo Samuel (ankle, knee) is out for Thursday night's game vs. the Seahawks. It sounds like he'll be back in either Week 17 or 18. Samuel's absence elevates Jauan Jennings to the #2 WR role and frees up targets for RB Christian McCaffrey, WR Brandon Aiyuk and TE George Kittle.

49ers WR Deebo Samuel suffered an MCL sprain and an ankle sprain in Sunday's win over the Bucs, the team announced on Monday. Samuel is expected to return at some point in the regular season, but we'd prepare for him to miss multiple games. We'll hopefully get a more concrete timeline for Samuel's return before you need to decide whether to release him from fantasy rosters. Jauan Jennings will take over as San Francisco's #2 WR with Samuel out but is unlikely to be a reliable fantasy play at this point in the season. RB Christian McCaffrey, WR Brandon Aiyuk and TE George Kittle are all candidates to pick up extra targets with Samuel out.

49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo does not have a Lisfranc injury and won't need surgery, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Garoppolo could be back in 7-8 weeks, "if rehab goes smoothly," Schefter adds. Seven weeks would put Garoppolo back on the field for the Divisional Round of the playoffs. We'll keep an eye on his progress. Garoppolo is still a guy to avoid in playoff fantasy contests, but this news helps the outlooks on San Francisco's skill-position players.

WR Jauan Jennings led the 49ers with 6 catches in Sunday's win over the Saints, taking them for 49 yards and the team's lone TD. Jennings' 7 targets tied Deebo Samuel for 2nd on the team, trailing only WR Brandon Aiyuk. Samuel caught 3 balls for 43 yards, adding 2 carries for no gain. Aiyuk caught 5 passes for 65 yards. TE George Kittle contributed 3 receptions for 26 yards on 4 targets.

Niners WR Brandon Aiyuk drew a team-high 7 targets in Sunday night's win over the Chargers, also leading the team in receptions (6) and receiving yards (84). WR Deebo Samuel trailed by just 1 target but caught only 2 passes for 24 yards. Samuel hasn't beaten Aiyuk in targets since Week 5. TE George Kittle managed just 1 reception for 21 yards among 2 targets. WR Jahan Jennings caught all 4 of his looks for 40 yards. The 49ers head to Mexico City next Monday night to face the Cardinals.

Niners WR Brandon Aiyuk caught all 6 of his targets in Sunday's win over the Rams. He tallied 81 yards and caught a TD throw from RB Christian McCaffrey. San Francisco went without WR Deebo Samuel. McCaffrey led the team in targets and receptions, with TE George Kittle (5 targets) following McCaffrey and Aiyuk. QB Jimmy Garoppolo completed 21 of 25 passes (84%) for 235 yards and TDs to McCaffrey and Kittle.

49ers WR Deebo Samuel (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. the Rams. He leaves behind 7.7 targets per game, which should mostly be absorbed by WR Brandon Aiyuk, TE George Kittle and RB Christian McCaffrey. San Francisco could also lean on the running game more with Samuel out. WR Jauan Jennings (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo racked up 303 yards and 2 TDs (plus an INT) in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Chiefs. He went 25-of-37 passing (67.6%, 8.2 yards per attempt) before turning it over to QB Brock Purdy to close out the game. WR Brandon Aiyuk led the team in targets (11) and catches (7), tallying 82 yards. TE George Kittle caught 6 of 9 targets for 98 yards and a TD. WR Ray-Ray McCloud snagged the other TD, among 4 catches for 65 yards. WR Deebo Samuel caught 5 of his 7 looks for 42 yards, adding 2 yards on his lone carry. San Francisco gets a Week 8 rematch with a Rams team it hit up for 327 total yards in a 24-9 Week 4 victory. The Rams have been a tough scoring matchup for QBs and TEs but slightly positive for WRs this season. Samuel has gone over 90 receiving yards and 100 total yards in 4 straight regular-season meetings with the Rams.

The Panthers are trading RB Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. It's obviously a big upgrade in terms of supporting cast for McCaffrey. The 49ers rank 19th in points per game and 18th in yards per game, while the Panthers sit 27th in points per game and dead last in yards per game. San Francisco is also a balanced to run-leaning offense, so McCaffrey should see plenty of rushing volume. We do worry a bit about his target volume, though, in an offense that also features Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle. Overall, we'd consider this about a wash for the fantasy value of McCaffrey, who currently sits 4th among RBs in PPR points per game. We'll see if he'll play vs. the Chiefs this weekend. Carolina, meanwhile, is left with a backfield committee of D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard in a bad offense. We'll see exactly what that workload split looks like, but neither guy is an exciting fantasy option.

Update: Carolina will receive 2nd-, 3rd- and 4th-round picks in 2023, plus a 5th-rounder in 2024, according to Schefter.

Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls McCaffrey "likely" to play vs. the Chiefs on Sunday and adds, "expect a red-zone package." We'll see what else we hear about McCaffrey's projected Week 7 role.

Niners WR Brandon Aiyuk caught 8 balls for 83 yards and 2 TDs among 11 targets in Sunday's loss to the Falcons. Those were the only 2 TDs San Francisco scored. The 49ers won't normally attempt 41 passes, a number that QB Jimmy Garoppolo reached just once last season. But Aiyuk's 26.8% target share led the team. TE George Kittle and WR Deebo Samuel each drew 10 targets. Kittle posted an 8-83 receiving line; Samuel 7-79.

49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk snagged 3 of 4 targets for 58 yards in Sunday's win over Carolina. The 3rd-year WR is now at a ho hum 18.6% target share in 3 full games alongside Jimmy Garoppolo. Despite some big-play juice, Aiyuk figures to remain a hot-and-cold WR3 for the foreseeable future. Week 6 turns up a road matchup with Atlanta.