Brandon Aiyuk is undoubtedly a major playmaker for a San Francisco 49ers offense that consistently finds ways to move the ball and score lots of points. In theory, this makes him a desirable candidate for any fantasy manager. Is he, however, a guy that fantasy managers need to roster following a bumpy season in 2021? Should they also consider the changes occurring at the quarterback position for the 49ers?
Aiyuk's 2021 figures don't appear to be anything to write home about. In 84 targets, he caught 56 for 826 yards and 5 touchdowns. Those aren't the worst numbers, but they sure as heck aren't elite, too. As with other things, though, these figures do not provide the complete picture.
For reasons best known only to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, Aiyuk started the 2021 season firmly in the doghouse after an excellent rookie performance in 2020. Aiyuk participated in an average of 66.6% of the 49ers' offensive snaps throughout the season's first seven weeks. He had a 9.6% target share, saw 2.7 looks on average per game, and had 1.5 catches for 16 yards. These numbers did not exactly turn him into a fantasy superstar, as many anticipated he would be. Aiyuk averaged 3.5 half PPR points each game, making him just WR107 in terms of points per game after seven weeks.
After the first several weeks, something must have radically altered because Aiyuk became much more involved and productive. This continued until Week 8. His target share increased to 24% while he was on the field for 92.3% of the plays. Aiyuk had 6.3 targets on average per game, catching 4.3 of them for 66.4 yards and 0.36 touchdowns. His fantasy production also benefited greatly from this expanded position. Aiyuk's points per game increased to 11.0. That was good for WR14 overall and WR24 in terms of points per game.
In all, Aiyuk had a modest workload last year (41 wide receivers had more targets in 2021). Still, he performed with excellent efficiency when the 49ers needed him to. His 9.6 yards per target average ranked him 11th among wide receivers. His 382 yards gained after the catch also ranked him 19th among wide receivers.
Experts noted that throughout last season, Aiyuk showed his capacity to find openings. His success rate against man and zone coverage came out in the 64th percentile, but his success rate against the press was up in the 80th percentile. For sure, Aiyuk is an excellent wide receiver who richly deserves much higher usage and attention.
Brandon Aiyuk is finally out of Kyle Shanahan's doghouse 🤣 pic.twitter.com/dllbDSZkDi
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) August 8, 2022
Brandon Aiyuk's 2022 fantasy football outlook
Aiyuk is presently listed at WR41 by a number of pundits. He trails guys like Chris Godwin (WR29), who will miss a significant portion of the season due to injury, and rookies like Drake London (WR35) and Treylon Burks (WR40). Truth be told, he is probably not going to be the star receiver in his own receiving group. Of course, that will hurt his fantasy attractiveness.
Take note that Aiyuk plays in an offense with an undeniable stud (Deebo Samuel) on the other side of the field who also prefers to run the ball a lot. In spite of that, Aiyuk demonstrated in the second half of last season that he can produce at a respectable WR2 level. The 49ers actually had the fifth-lowest pass rate in the NFL in 2021 with a meager 53%.
It’s evident that early in camp, Trey Lance trusts Brandon Aiyuk enough to give him a chance to make these phenomenal plays.
Always give your first-round receivers a chance to make these catches… pic.twitter.com/WnCY7vCJ9D
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) August 2, 2022
Even if unlikely, it is also possible that Samuel might not finish the 2022 season as a member of the 49ers. If that is the case, Aiyuk's importance would probably expand. He may even see some of the carries that Samuel has been forced to perform. That's a job that he has performed admirably for the past two seasons of his NFL career. On 11 rushes, Aiyuk averaged 8.5 yards per attempt on the ground.
Remember that the second half of 2021 was a better representation of the kind of player Aiyuk is and what he can bring to fantasy managers in 2022. Even if he can't get a lot of volume, Aiyuk has proven he can deliver fantasy-friendly numbers depending on his efficiency, which managers always like. Having said that, his volume should rise, more so if the 49ers decide to part ways with Samuel in 2022. Combining with Aiyuk's effectiveness makes him a guy who is now extremely undervalued in terms of ADP.
Aiyuk is a fantastic bargain as a WR2 who is now playing as a WR4. Experts consider him a potential steal for prospective owners this coming season.
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