RADIO
When will Brandon Aiyuk return and play? Will Brandon Aiyuk be back again this season? Read the latest Brandon Aiyuk injury updates and return date for Week 11 (2025).
The 49ers have dealt with multiple injuries this season in key positions, and they're still waiting for quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk to get back on the field. They've stayed in contention with their backups, but getting healthy could help them make a strong playoff push down the stretch.
Aiyuk has yet to play this season after a knee injury in Week 7 cut short his 2024 season. The injury occurred over a full year ago, and he seems to be nearing a return, but will it be in time to make a fantasy impact?
When will Brandon Aiyuk return to action, and what is his fantasy football outlook when he does? Let's dive in.
Editor's Note: The FFPC Baby Gorilla Tournament is now open, featuring a $100,000 grand prize and a $675,450 total prize pool! This 12-team, Tight End Premium contest uses a 20-round draft format, with the overall winners determined by total points scored during Weeks 15–17. Get $25 to use toward your first entry by signing up through our link. Grab your team now! Sign Up Now!
Brandon Aiyuk Injury Update
Aiyuk's injury occurred in a game against the Chiefs in mid-October last year, when his knee buckled laterally when Chamarri Conner and Trent McDuffie hit him on a pass breakup. Somewhat surprisingly, given the injury, he was able to make his way off the field and to the medical tent, but he was diagnosed with both an ACL and MCL tear.
Since the damage was more extensive than a "simple" ACL tear, it has taken Aiyuk over a full year to get back on the field. The team is still not ready to open Aiyuk's 21-day practice window to return from the PUP list.
When asked about it in his weekly interview on KNBR, here's the latest update on his status from GM John Lynch:
. @MarkusBoucher: "Is there a scenario where you guys play it out like a redshirt year for Brandon Aiyuk?"
John Lynch: "That's not the intention, the intention is to get Brandon back. We're not there yet, we just gotta get him to a place where we're comfortable opening that… pic.twitter.com/9s39ZS4XTA
— KNBR (@KNBR) November 13, 2025
While the plan is still to get him back on the field this season, he may still be a few weeks away, which limits his fantasy upside with the regular season quickly winding down.
Brandon Aiyuk Fantasy Football Outlook
With Ricky Pearsall back at practice this week, Aiyuk's return is a little less urgent for the team.
Aiyuk still has big-time upside when he's healthy. In his last two full seasons, he totaled 75+ catches and over 1,000 yards in 2022 and 2023, and he racked up a total of 15 touchdowns in those two seasons. It's looking more unlikely, though, that he'll be back to full strength in order to make meaningful contributions before the end of the fantasy season.
Since the team isn't ready to open his 21-day window before Week 11, that could put his return in Week 15 or Week 16. When he does come back, he'll likely be in a very limited role as he gets back to full strength. Depending on how the season goes, the 49ers could be out of contention by then and have little reason to push him.
At this point, despite his upside, it looks safe to leave him on the waiver wire. If you have him stashed in an IR spot, there is still long-term potential to hold him since he hasn't been ruled out for the year. However, in many formats, it may be better to use the roster spot on someone who can help you more in the next few weeks.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 11 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Tez Johnson, Woody Marks, Troy Franklin, Parker Washington, Kimani Vidal. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 11. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 11 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Tez Johnson, Woody Marks, Troy Franklin, Parker Washington, Kimani Vidal. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 11.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 11 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 11 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 11 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 11 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Tez Johnson, Woody Marks, Troy Franklin, Parker Washington, Kimani Vidal compared to others:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
