San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk is entering his age-26 season and has officially requested that the team trade him — something that has been a rumored possibility all offseason.
That, of course, doesn’t mean Aiyuk will be on the move. But with a top-15 option possibly heading to a new team, let’s take a look at some of the potential suitors and how Aiyuk joining those teams would change the fantasy football landscape.
Brandon Aiyuk Trade Destinations
Pittsburgh Steelers
Arthur Smith was in charge of a Falcons offense last season loaded with skill-position talent but still finished dead last in pass rate over expectations. Now, he’s running the Steelers’ offense.
28. Titans: -5.3%
29. Panthers: -5.4%
30. Steelers: -6.2%
31. Cardinals: -6.5%
32. Falcons: -9.7%
Aiyuk joining a Steelers team that seems aware that its path to success is not through the air is a problem. Aiyuk is talented enough to produce in such a spot, and a veteran quarterback in Russell Wilson should be able to put him in good spots, and if Justin Fields were to take over, we just saw him author a career year for DJ Moore.
Aiyuk enters this trade situation as my WR8, a ranking that would fall by 8-10 spots if Pittsburgh is where he lands. That would put him alongside a regression candidate in Mike Evans and another disgruntled receiver in Tee Higgins.
The ceiling is the concern with Aiyuk calling Pittsburgh home. The floor is something I view as relatively safe given my belief in his skill set and that he’d remain an alpha target earner.
Washington Commanders
I think the Commanders might be the most likely landing spot for Aiyuk.
This is a team looking to make Jayden Daniels the face of their franchise, and what better way to do that than to give him another strong receiver to work with?
Aiyuk would fall outside of my top 10 at the position in this instance, but not by much. I’d keep him ranked ahead of Davante Adams. Both are receivers with elite talent and I’d rather gamble on the unknown of Daniels than the known mediocrity that Adams is dealing with under center.
A move to D.C. would result in drastic value swings for Daniels and Terry McLaurin. The rookie QB would break into my top 10 at the position, topping a tier that I currently have him at the bottom of.
Current Tier 3 of Fantasy QB
- Tua Tagovailoa
- Kirk Cousins
- Brock Purdy
- Jordan Love
- Caleb Williams
- Jared Goff
- Jayden Daniels
The Commanders adding Aiyuk would give me confidence in taking his new QB over his old one. And given the pocket-locked nature of some of the options in this tier, Daniels, in my eyes, would own both the highest ceiling and the highest floor of the group.
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As for McLaurin, I have him ranked as a low-end WR2 while the industry labels him as a WR3. I’ve been above market on him ever since the draft, buying his talent and liking his opportunity to grow with a franchise quarterback. That would change in this situation as Aiyuk is slightly better than McLaurin at every turn (he holds the efficiency in slot production, deep production, and carries a lower career aDOT).
McLaurin would fall outside of my top 30 at wide receiver, likely lining up with his revamped ADP that I expect to fall closer to WR40 than WR30.
New England Patriots
Who is the quarterback here? What is the vision?
I’m not labeling this as a likely destination, but the quality of targets would obviously be a problem for Aiyuk in New England. The sheer volume of plays would be the problem as the Patriots were 31st in time of possession last season. That’s big enough for me to drop Aiyuk outside of my top 15 in this scenario.
Why would I prefer Aiyuk to a player like Davante Adams, Chris Olave, or Mike Evans, whose teams have concerns under center but also have had time to work with their limited QB? Despite being New England’s clear-cut WR1, Aiyuk would be ranked alongside WR2s who are part of a stable offense.
Think Jaylen Waddle, Cooper Kupp, and DeVonta Smith. Aiyuk will still have big games – he’s a gifted receiver, and the game script will likely be in his favor – but a lack of consistency is a near certainty and something that would prevent me from pushing the “draft” button in the first three or four rounds.
Los Angeles Chargers
Please happen!
I’m not sure that I’d project this as likely, but if Jim Harbaugh decides he does, in fact, need some upside in the passing game, Aiyuk isn’t budding in my ranks.
Justin Herbert posted his highest aDOT last season and married it with an improved interception rate, a sign of maturity and enough for me to feel comfortable he’d be getting Aiyuk the ball early and often.
In a vacuum, I’d take Herbert over Purdy. And with less competition and more positive game scripts in Los Angeles, why would I consider moving off my aggressive ranking of Aiyuk?
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The Chargers adding Aiyuk still wouldn’t be enough for me to place Herbert in the weekly fantasy starter tier, but it would certainly elevate his stock and put him on my DFS radar in weeks where the matchup is just right.
At the end of the day, Aiyuk’s landing spot might well impact his new teammates more than how I view him in the WR landscape.
Qualified Receivers Fantasy Production Over Expectation Since 2020
- Tyreek Hill: +20.2%
- Aiyuk: +19.1%
- Mike Evans: +19%
- Justin Jefferson: +17.8%
That’s pretty strong company. And with his physical prime ahead of him, I have no issue labeling Aiyuk, at worst, as a high-end WR2 in 2024 and in dynasty formats.
Purdy was phenomenal last season, but there’s no denying that regression is likely to occur. And this move would land Purdy outside of my top 10 at quarterback.
Deebo Samuel would move up for me but would remain a WR2. And I wouldn’t move Samuel ahead of Aiyuk unless the latter was traded to New England.
Ricky Pearsall (1,626 yards on 98 catches during his two seasons with the Florida Gators) would be the highest riser for the 49ers. His ADP currently sits in the 15th round, and I think you could see it jump 3-4 rounds into the same tier with the Buffalo Bills receivers, Seattle’s Tyler Lockett, and names of that ilk.
George Kittle’s stock wouldn’t greatly be impacted in my eyes, but I do think an extra target or two would make his floor more manageable, and that’s enough for me to elevate him above Evan Engram and Kyle Pitts within that third tier of tight ends.