If you started Brandon Aiyuk or planned to start Zack Moss and/or Trey Sermon, you were furious in Week 1. At least with Sermon and Moss, you find out they were inactive before their games. Aiyuk actually suited up and just barely saw the field. Either way, they were complete fantasy busts, and their owners are undoubtedly wondering if they should drop, trade, or hold these players. We look at the latest updates (or lack of updates) on each to help you decide.
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Fantasy Football Outlook: Should you drop Brandon Aiyuk?
Update 9/: Kyle Shanahan's latest comments regarding Aiyuk's situation are less than promising. He basically said Aiyuk needs to be a lot better than Trent Sherfield to earn more snaps. It's obvious he didn't have a good offseason and is in a reduced role until further notice. Keep him on the bench until we see how this unfolds.
We grieve with you Aiyuk fantasy owners. A player being active and scoring zero points is far worse than a player being inactive. Hey, he scored more points than Ronald Jones, though!
Kyle Shanahan said Aiyuk isn't in the doghouse, but he didn't have a great preseason and had missed a lot of time with a hamstring injury. He also said zero targets for Aiyuk wasn't the game plan going in. He only played on 25 offensive snaps -- four fewer than Trent Sherfield, who also scored a touchdown. It also doesn't help Aiyuk's future prospects that Deebo Samuel had a double-digit target game and flashed for 189 yards and a score.
It was just overall a strange occurrence and something to be wary of moving forward. For now, you probably want to opt to play someone else at WR. Don't dive too deep into the pool of WRs, but if you have solid depth, you're better off playing it safe here, at least until we get more information.
For now, Aiyuk is on the start-sit bubble for Week 2 in Philadelphia He could obviously have a huge bounce-performance back and look like we expected him to, but he's not a safe bet at this time. The 49ers will be one of the toughest teams to predict all year, so be prepared to miss one of Aiyuk's good games, too, if you're playing the wait-and-see game. Your other option is just to continue to start him and take more potential single-digit outings. You can't really trade him, as his value is at an all-time low, so just hold him for now.
WEEK 2 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker
Fantasy Football Outlook: Should you drop Trey Sermon?
What the hell is going on here? We don't know for sure, but we have to try to decide what to do Sermon, a surprise Sunday morning inactive, in the future. It was only Week 1, so we can't drop him just yet.
Many have speculated it was just a numbers game. While JaMycal Hasty and Elijah Mitchell contribute on special teams, Sermon does not. San Francisco felt good about the trio of Raheem Mostert, Mitchell, and Hasty, so Sermon was just the odd man out. Perhaps because he didn't fully know the playbook; perhaps because he simply wasn't as good or versatile as the others. Either way, the logic checks out. With Mostert (knee) sidelined for up to eight weeks, Sermon will surely be active this week, but it's tough to start him right away until he shows us something.
Mitchell did more than enough to continue being the primary back for the 49ers for now, but Sermon could claim that role if he makes the most of his touches going forward. He's another hold candidate because you can't trade him, and he's not worth dropping yet with Mostert out. If he's inactive again in Week 2, then we'll be preaching to the choir when we tell you to drop Sermon next week.
UPDATE: The 49ers have added former Lions' RB, Kerryon Johnson to their practice squad. Johnson isn't an immediate threat to anyone's carries immediately, but he's just another possible candidate for touches in the RBBC formula Kyle Shanahan likes to implement.
WEEK 2 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker
Fantasy Football Outlook: Should you drop Zack Moss?
Moss was another surprise Sunday morning inactive. We're still not quite sure why, but like Sermon, it seems like it was simply a coach's decision -- no injury or other reason needed/given. The mere fact this hasn't been a big deal tells you that neither Bills' media nor the coaches view this as all that surprising or important.
Our advice is to give Moss another week, too. If he's inactive again, then drop him. Even if he plays, he figures to be used sparingly and you might still drop him, but at least it's progress. Devin Singletary has never been anyone's idea of an "every-down back," and we know Matt Breida can't stay healthy, so it seems likely Moss will get chances at some point. We just don't know when that will be, and roster spots will soon become too valuable to waste as injuries start piling up.