Brandon Aiyuk didn’t live up to the hype in Week 15. Like so many other fantasy-relevant players, he had a rough outing. As the Niners prepare for a quick turnaround on Thursday Night Football, should fantasy football managers count on Aiyuk in the second round of the playoffs?
Brandon Aiyuk had a weirdly quiet day
Let’s say you’re sitting at a table in a restaurant, and you’re with your in-laws. It’s a nice meal, you’re dressed well, and you reach for a little appetizer amuse-bouche of some kind. It’s some sort of a spread on a piece of toast or something.
To your horror, it’s absolutely disgusting. You do everything you can to hide your reaction. You power through and swallow that dastardly thing. What’s your next move? You reach for something to wash it down and cleanse the palate, right?
Welcome to Thursday Night Football in Week 16, where fantasy managers everywhere will be looking to rinse the foul taste of last week’s disgusting fantasy day from their palates. They’ll hope to do so with a matchup between the Niners and the Titans.
Last week, Aiyuk had only 1 long reception for 36 yards. Since Week 8, Aiyuk had averaged 6.9 targets per game, so for him to only have 2 targets against a soft Atlanta defense was certainly eyebrow-raising. San Francisco’s ground game took care of business with 32 carries for 162 yards and 3 TDs, and George Kittle did George Kittle things by racking up 93 receiving yards. Aiyuk simply wasn’t asked to do much.
Can the 49ers’ offense support everyone?
There’s a bit of a stigma around teams with good rushing attacks, with the narrative being that ground games can’t consistently support an offense. That’s simply not the case in San Francisco.
Deebo Samuel’s involvement in the run game has been an interesting development that makes him a cheat code for fantasy purposes. But this team has proven to be able to produce solid fantasy days from Samuel, Kittle, Aiyuk, and their starting running back. Two weeks ago, for instance, Kittle, Aiyuk, and Samuel all found the end zone.
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There’s plenty to go around, and the offense will only improve when they get rookie running back Elijah Mitchell back — but that’s a week away, at least. Mitchell has been ruled out for Week 16. Jeff Wilson Jr. has proven to be a good back when given the opportunity. Wilson figures to be the lead back on Thursday, with Samuel continuing to take some work as well.
Jauan Jennings is another name to watch in San Francisco’s passing attack. He’s the clear fourth option behind Kittle, Samuel, and Aiyuk, but his usage has seen an uptick in the last two weeks. Over the 49ers’ last two games, Jennings has 6 receptions on 11 targets for 74 yards and a TD.
Aiyuk fantasy expectations
Over the last four weeks, no team has allowed fewer fantasy points to opposing running backs than the Titans — but their secondary has been beatable. They’re a pretty clear pass funnel, and I’d expect them to make Jimmy Garoppolo try to beat them through the air.
Aiyuk should get back to his scoring ways, and he should also return to a more fruitful workload than the 2 targets from last week. I like his odds as a WR2 this week, with Jennings a dart-throw flex play if you’re desperate. And, obviously, Kittle and Deebo are must-start, top-end options. You’re not sitting them no matter what.
