August 11, 2025
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Week 6 could be a realistic target for Aiyuk (ACL) to take the field,
Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSISShanahan preempted the estimate by saying he hadn't given the date much thought, but Week 6 nonetheless seems like a fairly realistic target for Aiyuk, who is recovering from right knee surgery that he underwent last November to address ACL and MCL tears, to make his 2025 debut. In that scenario, Aiyuk would figure to begin the season on the reserve/PUP list, then begin ramping his activity level up before hopefully taking the field Sunday, Oct. 12 on the road against Tampa Bay. Even then, it's conceivable Aiyuk could get off to a slow start and ramp his way up to a full starting share of snaps, meaning it would incentivize fantasy managers to plan ahead and roster alternative options at WR. With
Jauan Jennings (calf) and
Jacob Cowing (hamstring) still not practicing, and
Jordan Watkins (ankle) out about a month,
Ricky Pearsall and
Demarcus Robinson currently are operating as the 49ers' clear top two wide receivers.