Should I drop Brandon Aiyuk? Week 5 fantasy projection for 49ers WR

Brandon Aiyuk has been a key piece of the San Francisco 49ers offense in his first four NFL seasons. He also expanded during that time as he increased his yardage total every year with the team. The 2024 season has been a bit of a different story, as he is on pace for just 709 yards this year after a career-high 1,342 yards last season.

The veteran has also failed to score a single touchdown this year so far and ranks as just the overall WR61 in fantasy football. This makes him a bench piece at best for fantasy rosters this season. In fact, he has become a potential outright drop candidate as Week 5 quickly approaches.

Should I drop Brandon Aiyuk for Week 5 fantasy football?

When any player is ranked as low as the WR61 in fantasy football following a full four weeks into a season, they are obvious candidates to be dropped from rosters. What complicates Brandon Aiyuk's situation is that he has a proven history of being an elite fantasy option prior to this year. He finished among the top 15 wide receivers in season-long fantasy scoring in each of the past two seasons.

What makes Aiyuk a legitimate drop candidate at this point of the season is not just his disappointing production but his diminished role. He has exceeded five targets just once this season and has yet to record 50 yards in a single game. Making this even more alarming is that the 49ers offense hasn't been at full strength yet this year, so when they are, Aiyuk may struggle even more.

Brandon Aiyuk fantasy outlook for rest of 2024 season

Christian McCaffrey has missed the entire 2024 NFL season so far with an injury, while Deebo Samuel and George Kittle have also missed games. Despite the additional targets available in the 49ers offense, Aiyuk has failed to capitalize on the opportunity. Instead, they have featured Jordan Mason in their weekly gameplan and Jauan Jennings has benefited from an increased workload.

It's a bit shocking, but Aiyuk appears to be an afterthought in their game plan this year after being one of the focal points last season. He is capable of breaking out at any point. Still, his decreased usage and the 49ers' other options continuing to get healthier isn't a good sign for his overall outlook in fantasy football going forward.