Brandon Aiyuk tears his ACL: The Dynasty Fantasy Football Impact
There was no single player talked more about this off-season than San Francisco wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. After all, the 49ers pass catcher had posted the best season of his career in 2023 with a robust 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. However, he was steadfast in his desire to get a new contract and made that known both privately and publicly this Summer. San Francisco was in a tough spot in terms of the salary cap and even went as far as agreeing to compensation with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a trade for Aiyuk in an attempt to save some money or get some value for him. In the end, the 49ers signed Aiyuk to a a four-year, $120 million contract extension that will keep him in San Francisco through the 2028 season. Unfortunately, he was in the midst of an up and down season until disaster struck this week – a torn ACL and MCL that will abruptly end his year. This injury has long-ranging impact in dynasty leagues, so let’s assess some value changes.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR SF
Aiyuk was working his way into a groove this season, but his performance in 2024 just hasn’t been great. In the end, he’ll end his season with just 25 catches for 374 yards and no touchdowns in seven games played, a far cry from what was expected when San Francisco finally paid him his money. The reality of the situation is Aiyuk was in limbo all off-season and it’s hard to blame him for not being physically or mentally locked in from the first game since he didn’t even know where he’d playing. While his production was disappointing, it would have been pretty tough to see that continuing throughout the season. In short, he would have likely improved throughout the year.
Now that we know Aiyuk will be lost for the year, it’s time to look ahead. In the end, Aiyuk may very well be a better receiver in reality than fantasy. The 49ers are still tied to Christian McCaffrey in the short-term while Deebo Samuel and George Kittle are both under contract for at least next season. Aiyuk will likely make his way back next year, but his real opportunity to be a prime weapon likely wouldn’t come until the season after if and when Samuel and Kittle move on.
Aiyuk’s dynasty value has been extremely volatile over the past few years, climbing all the way into the teens late last year, but then plunging into the 40s this season prior to the injury as his production was disappointing. This clearly won’t help as his value will now likely dip into the 50s or 60s, closing any kind of “sell high” window. Aiyuk still has good long-term upside, but it’s hard to see a dynasty team really building around him after this unfortunate turn of events.
Deebo Samuel, WR SF
Simply put, Samuel is a bit of an enigma. He has monster games every so often, but also has a tendency to post some real clunkers. He has some issues of his own to deal with this week as he was hospitalized with pneumonia-like symptoms, but that shouldn’t be a long-term issue. With Aiyuk out for the year, Deebo should have a chance to post one of his best seasons. His current ADP is hovering around 50, but this is likely to tick up now that he’s destined to see more targets. While his production is traditionally spotty, it’s hard to see this injury do much other than raise his short-term value.
Jauan Jennings, WR SF
Speaking of enigmas, we make our way to Jauan Jennings, who has a nice season going with 25 catches for 404 yards and three scores. The problem with that is the fact he has 14 of those catches, 262 of those yards and all three of those touchdowns in a two-game span during weeks three and four. Jennings has been a “boom or bust” option all season, but this injury should open up some real opportunities for him to break out. There’s likely no way Jennings is on waivers in your league, but he’s certainly worth adding if he somehow is. While his value may be more of the short-term variety, he could be a consideration for lineups sh0uld those targets expected to be for Aiyuk start coming his way.
Ricky Pearsall, WR SF
Jennings could be a winner here, but so could Pearsall. His three catches and 21 receiving yards in his debut this week aren’t anything to write home about, but Aiyuk’s injury is significant here as Pearsall is going to be moved up the depth chart and likely be looked at more as a necessity than a luxury by the 49ers. In short, they’re likely thanking their lucky stars they drafted a wide receiver in the first round this season as it’s certainly going to come in handy. The “buy low” window for Pearsall has now closed as he looks recovered from his gunshot wound and ready to step up.
Other San Francisco Receivers
This group consists of players like Ronnie Bell, Jacob Cowing, Chris Conley and others. Cowing may be the most intriguing from this group as he had two catches for 50 yards this week, marking the first catches of his career. If you have an empty roster spot, you could certainly do worse. Keep an eye on Ronnie Bell as well – there’s some talent there for sure.
Brock Purdy, QB SF
It’s hard to lose any of your top weapons and feel like it won’t affect you. However, Purdy has been amazingly consistent and the 49ers will likely find a way to keep that going. Losing Aiyuk could take away some explosive plays, but it’s hard to see this somehow taking Purdy off the QB1/2 line.
George Kittle, TE SF
Kittle is in the midst of one of his best seasons with 34 catches, 375 yards and five touchdowns through seven games. With Aiyuk out, his pace may just be sustainable and he remains a top target for contending dynasty teams looking for solid short-term production from the tight end position.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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