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Will Brandon Aiyuk start for the San Francisco 49ers when he returns? John Johnson breaks down the Brandon Aiyuk return timeline and fantasy football outlook.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and damaged meniscus in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs last year.
Since then, he hasn't played a single snap and has remained on injured reserve while he recovers from his injury. Currently, he has no timetable to return, and we're now heading into Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season.
Such a severe injury that keeps a player out for so long can have serious impacts on their playing time when they return, and granted that he hasn't come back yet, it's worth asking -- will he be a starting WR for the 49ers when he makes it back onto the field?
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Will Brandon Aiyuk Start For The 49ers When He Returns?
It's probably more likely that we see him playing in a part-time role when he comes back. Players who have ACL tears tend to have slow ramp-ups in production when they return, as they benefit from having limited reps puts less stress on their affected knee.
Because Aiyuk's injury was much more severe, we might not even see him take a majority of WR snaps all season. His 21-day practice window hasn't opened this week, and might not for at least a few more weeks. We could see him return as late as Week 12 or Week 13.
Brandon Aiyuk this season:
- 75 receptions
- 1,342 receiving yds (7th in NFL)
- 17.9 yds/reception (2nd)
- 7 TDsWhat kind of stats will he put up in the NFC Championship 👀
📺: #DETvsSF - Sunday 6:30pm ET on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/YzJm9nvrfC— NFL (@NFL) January 28, 2024
He's one of the most talented route-runners in the NFL, and before his injury last season, he excelled at creating separation -- some NFL data analytics companies had him rated as the top WR in the league in separation abilities.
But the team now has wide receivers Ricky Pearsall (knee), Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs, shoulder), tight end George Kittle, and running back Christian McCaffrey to throw it to, and all those guys can take a load off Aiyuk's shoulders.
We might see Aiyuk take fewer snaps than Pearsall and Jennings early on when he returns, which would still technically make him a "starter" as the WR3, but he might be absent in 1WR or 2WR sets.
Brandon Aiyuk Fantasy Football Outlook
It's unlikely that he'll have much of an impact this year in fantasy. His role will probably be restricted, as will his abilities to plant the leg with the injury and take off. The focus of the rest of the regular season after Aiyuk returns will probably be to get him back in game shape and get him more valuable reps in the offense.
Brandon Aiyuk back 🔜 pic.twitter.com/g9ZUqubo08
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) October 24, 2025
That will certainly matter in dynasty leagues and deeper leagues, where any starting WR with a decent amount of talent needs to be in starting lineups. He could still get valuable targets, like those deep downfield and in the end zone, that could help him score touchdowns and make big plays.
The 49ers have one of the best offenses in the NFL, and they've had productive pass-catchers even with backup quarterbacks playing. Starting QB Brock Purdy (toe) is still working his way back from injury, but backup Mac Jones (knee) has played decently in his absence.
There are many teams in redraft leagues that have been stashing Aiyuk in their Injured Reserve spots on their rosters, and that's fine to keep doing, though the upside he'll have when he's back is significantly hampered. Perhaps he'll reach WR2 status as he heals up, but that would be in the fantasy football playoffs, and it would still be risky to start him outside of very deep leagues.
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Jauan Jennings, Chimere Dike, Tre Tucker, Wan'Dale Robinson, Josh Downs, Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 9. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 9 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.
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Popular Week 9 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 9 (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 9 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 9 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Jauan Jennings, Chimere Dike, Tre Tucker, Wan'Dale Robinson, Josh Downs, Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton compared to others:
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