Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Isiah Pacheco

Tuesday, June 4, 2:30 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has not reported to the team's mandatory minicamp this week as he seeks a new contract. Aiyuk will be subject to fines for however long he's not in attendance. The 26-year-old former first-rounder hasn't been present for any of the voluntary organized team activities this offseason either, so his absence at minicamp isn't a big surprise as he seeks a new long-term contract extension from the team. If he plays under his current deal in 2024, he'll earn $14.124 million in the final year of his rookie contract. Aiyuk had the finest year of his career in 2023 with 75 receptions on 105 targets for a career-high 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 16 regular-season starts. He's now had back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns with 15 touchdowns and should eventually be paid a handsome sum to stay in the Bay Area.

Monday, February 12, 1:16 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (ankle/toe) couldn't get much going in Super Bowl LVIII, but his team still topped the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 to come away with their third championship in the past four years. Pacheco carried the ball 18 times for 59 yards and added six receptions for 33 yards, but it was a rough evening all around for the 2022 seventh-rounder. Pacheco lost a fumble with the Chiefs in a goal-to-go to stall a potential scoring drive in the second quarter and nearly coughed it up again on a failed handoff to open the second half. It was a disappointing outcome in the box score, considering the Niners had gotten trampled on the ground during the postseason. The 24-year-old dealt with some tough injury luck down the stretch of the campaign, but Pacheco solidified himself as a fully capable workhorse in 2023 and will enter 2024 as an early-round fantasy pick with top-12 positional expectations in all likelihood.