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Is Brandon Aiyuk out for the season? When is Brandon Aiyuk coming back? The latest Brandon Aiyuk injury update and fantasy football outlook heading into Week 10 of 2025.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) still hasn't played a single snap of football in 2025 after suffering a devastating knee injury in Week 7 of 2024. His leg was struck by a defender while it was planted in the ground, causing his knee to buckle.
The former Arizona State Sun Devil was a top-10 fantasy wide receiver in PPR leagues in 2023, so it was a huge blow to fantasy teams that drafted him last year when he was declared out for the season with a torn ACL and MCL.
We're now nine weeks into the 2025 NFL season, and Aiyuk has had over a year to recover to this point. But will he be able to come back this season, or will he have to make his return in 2026? Let's dive in.
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Is Brandon Aiyuk Out for the 2025 Season?
There still isn't a timetable for Aiyuk's return, unfortunately, but all communication from the 49ers organization is that he'll return at some point this year. I anticipate he needs at least a few more weeks before he returns. Week 13 is my best guess.
He hasn't had his 21-day practice window opened. It's unclear how long this will be open before they decide it's time for him to take the field again. It could be anywhere from one to three weeks after that window is opened, but 2-3 weeks seems more likely given the severity of the injury.
Damn. There goes Brandon Aiyuk’s ACL#KCvsSF pic.twitter.com/2BDPgJQAor
— Benchwarmer Sports (@bdubsports_) October 20, 2024
Aiyuk revealed in a video he posted online that he also had a "messed up" meniscus, which wasn't listed in the official injury news for him anywhere. Tearing and damaging multiple ligaments and tendons in the knee creates more difficult recovery scenarios than clean ACL tears, which players can return from often in under a year.
#49ers Brandon Aiyuk gave a one week post ACL tear update on his YouTube
Aiyuk said he has walked a little but has been tentative to fully weight bear at this time.
Long road to recovery ahead 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/vDlP3Or6k2
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) October 28, 2024
The compound nature of the tears is likely what's driving the timetable here. He had a very complex injury that required extensive surgery and a lengthy rehab process that he's not quite done with yet.
Kyle Shanahan on Brandon Aiyuk:
“I’m pretty confident he’ll play eventually. I mean at least open up his practice window.” pic.twitter.com/rkpo5mkR7Z
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) November 5, 2025
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated that he'll likely play... or at least open up his practice window!
Brandon Aiyuk 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook
The longer the wait for his return drags on, the dimmer the outlook gets. There was hope that he'd be fantasy relevant toward the end of this season. Had he returned exactly a year after his injury, in Week 7, and been healthy enough to play at that point, he could have seen a ramp-up in production.
That could have made him a solid flex play, at worst, by Week 12, and a nice fill-in for injured players in a fantasy playoff push. Instead, it's looking like he'll really only be in play in very deep dynasty leagues, where you basically start any player that has a decent role in their offense in your deepest flex spots.
Brandon Aiyuk is 6'0" 205 pounds, only 26 years old, one of the best route runners in the NFL, and averaged 17.9 yards per reception last season. pic.twitter.com/IAQxWns4Kp
— Billy Hartford (@CamHeywardFan) March 19, 2024
As far as helping you win your redraft leagues, that's probably not happening. It would take a miracle. Depending on him to help you go all the way is an incredibly risky prospect. Instead, it will be better to evaluate whether, and when, you should draft him in your redraft leagues next year.
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Popular Week 10 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 10 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Zach Charbonnet, Courtland Sutton, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Parker Washington, Jordan Addison compared to others:
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