FANTASY FOOTBALL NEWS

Brandon Aiyuk Unlikely to be Cleared for Week 1, Opening Up WR Opportunities

By Shane Hallam | Updated on Thu, Aug 7 2025 7:24 PM UTC

49ers GM John Lynch stated that he "doesn't think" WR Brandon Aiyuk will be cleared for Week 1. Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL last October in Week 7. Week 1 will mark a little over 10 months since sustaining the injury. There has been no official timeline laid out by the team for Aiyuk's return.

What They're Saying

Cam Inman of 49ers.com: 49ers GM John Lynch “doesn’t think” WR Brandon Aiyuk will be cleared for Week 1, but no official timetable set for ACL/MCL comeback"

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

With Aiyuk likely to miss time into the regular season, opportunities open up for WRs Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall.

Even fourth-round pick Jordan Watkins has drawn rave reviews with increased reps.

Jennings showed he can handle Aiyuk’s role, posting 77 catches for 975 yards and six TDs last year.

Pearsall broke out late, catching 14 passes for 210 yards and two TDs over the final two weeks.

We love both WRs at their current ADP.

Injury Impact: Estimated Return Timeline & Performance Upon Return

The ACL/MCL injury generally takes 11-12 months to heal, so Aiyuk could be a canddiate for the PUP list causing him to miss the first four games.

We should learn more of the timetable in a few weeks.

Shane Hallam, Writer

Shane has over 20 years of experience creating content and playing every fantasy football format, including redraft, dynasty, devy, C2C, IDP, CFF, and more. He is a multi-year winner of $500 dynasty leagues on the FFPC and a King's Classic Champion. Shane utilizes deep film and scheme study to enhance his fantasy performance. He led the industry in 2024 preseason Kicker Rankings and ranked second in preseason QB Rankings. He also ranked eighth in preseason IDP rankings.