BrandonAiyuk

News: 6 days agoSan Francisco offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said Tuesday that Aiyuk (knee), who remains on the active/PUP list, has been "kind of a coach on the side" throughout the early stages of training camp, Nick Wagoner of ESPN reports.

Spin: Kubiak said "it's been awesome" having Aiyuk mentor his positional mates during individual drills and walkthroughs, rather than being "just isolated doing his rehab." A timetable for Aiyuk's return remains undisclosed, but although the 27-year-old wideout has reportedly thrived in his rehab activities, it would likely be unreasonable to expect him to be available Week 1 as he works his way back from right ACL and MCL tears suffered last October. Still, Aiyuk's active mental involvement lends credence to hopes that he'll be able to hit the ground running this season whenever he is cleared to play. Meanwhile, Ricky Pearsall overcame his hamstring injury and was activated from the PUP list Sunday, while Jauan Jennings (calf) is currently sidelined and has been vocal about his desire for a new contract.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Aiyuk is back in San Francisco for his sixth NFL campaign, but he's expected to miss roughly half of the season after suffering a torn ACL and MCL in October. Aiyuk had just received a contract extension, which followed back-to-back top-15 fantasy seasons, including a 2023 campaign in which he produced a career-high 1,342 yards (seventh among WRs) and ranked top 5 at the position in yards per reception, yards per target and yards per route run. Even prior to the injury, however, Aiyuk was underperforming last season, scoring zero TDs and reaching double-digit fantasy points once in seven games. Aiyuk is still in his prime at age 27, but it's unclear when he'll return, how effective he'll be, and how much work he'll be given in a fairly crowded offense. Aiyuk is only worth late-round consideration in deep leagues.