The San Francisco 49ers continue working through Brandon Aiyuk’s extensive rehabilitation as his recovery from devastating knee injuries stretches past initial projections. Aiyuk remains absent from team activities more than 13 months after tearing both his ACL and MCL. With Week 10 upon us, should fantasy football managers abandon hope for any meaningful 2025 contribution?
Brandon Aiyuk Injury Update
Aiyuk has been sidelined since October 20, 2024, when he tore both his ACL and MCL in his right knee during San Francisco’s matchup against Kansas City. The injury has kept him out of all team activities throughout the 2025 season as he works through what has become a more complex rehabilitation process than originally anticipated.
Early in the season, the Week 6-10 range was floated as a potential return window for Aiyuk. Obviously, that timeline has come and gone without materialization. We’re now in Week 10, and Aiyuk remains nowhere close to taking the field.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Monday that the team would not open Aiyuk’s 21-day practice window this week. This marks the second consecutive week the team has been asked about designating Aiyuk for return, which could actually be viewed as a positive development.
From Weeks 5-8, the topic wasn’t even mentioned by reporters or addressed by the coaching staff. The fact that it’s now being discussed in consecutive weeks suggests Aiyuk is making some sort of progress in his recovery, even if that progress hasn’t translated to practice participation yet.
However, the timeline for any potential fantasy impact continues slipping further into December. We know definitively that Aiyuk will not be designated to return this week. If the designation happens next week, the earliest he would realistically play would be Week 12.
A two-week ramp-up period seems more realistic given the severity of his injuries and extended absence. If that occurred following a Week 11 designation, it would put Aiyuk’s return at Week 13. The 49ers have their bye week in Week 14, which provides the organization with no incentive to rush him back for one game before getting another week off.
Given the circumstances, fantasy managers can already reasonably conclude that the earliest they’ll see Aiyuk on the field is Week 15. At that point, he’d be returning after more than a year away from competitive football with just three weeks remaining in the fantasy regular season.
Aiyuk’s Fantasy Outlook
The harsh reality is that Aiyuk will not contribute anything for fantasy managers this season. Even if he somehow returns in Week 15, you’re not about to start him off a year-long layoff in the fantasy playoffs. The combination of rust, conditioning concerns, and likely snap restrictions would make him completely unusable for fantasy purposes.
Aiyuk had built an impressive resume before the injury, posting consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023. He established himself as one of the NFL’s premier receivers and San Francisco’s unquestioned WR1. None of that matters for fantasy managers in 2025.
The 49ers may get their top receiver back for the NFL playoffs if their season extends into January. That would represent a massive boost for their Super Bowl aspirations. But for fantasy purposes, Aiyuk’s season is effectively over.
If you’ve held onto Aiyuk this long, don’t feel bad about the decision. The early-season optimism about a midseason return seemed reasonable at the time. However, once he starts costing you a valuable roster spot during the playoff push, he needs to go.
Fantasy managers competing for championships cannot afford to waste bench space on a player who won’t contribute until Week 15 at the earliest, and even then would carry enormous uncertainty about his role and effectiveness. The waiver wire almost certainly offers more reliable options for the stretch run.
The 49ers’ receiving corps has adapted during Aiyuk’s absence with players like Ricky Pearsall (when he was healthy) and Jauan Jennings stepping up. While none fully replace Aiyuk’s talent level, their presence further reduces the urgency for San Francisco to rush their star receiver back before he’s completely ready.
Drop Aiyuk with confidence and reallocate that roster spot to players who can actually help you win fantasy championships over the next month.