Brandon Aiyuk's 49ers contract extension is brutal news for Ricky Pearsall's fantasy outlook
Say a prayer for anyone who drafted Ricky Pearsall onto their fantasy roster as Brandon Aiyuk’s holdout and trade demands dragged on during the preseason.
The former Florida Gators star was considered a prime candidate to breakout for the San Francisco 49ers this season as Aiyuk looked for a new home. Which makes sense, considering Pearsall was right behind Aiyuk on the depth chart and likely to pick up a large share of his snaps and targets. The Niners didn’t draft him No. 31 overall last spring for nothing, right?
Yeah, that all came crashing down on Thursday night as Aiyuk and the Niners agreed to a massive four-year, $120 million extension. More than a third of that money is due to Aiyuk before April 2025.
So not only is Aiyuk back in the fold, he’s now a massive part of San Francisco’s core this season.
What does that mean for Pearsall? Well, for starters, it means the Niners can be more cautious with his shoulder injury and work him into the offense a bit more slowly.
For fantasy managers it means the sleeper just became a deep sleeper. That shouldn’t impact dynasty leagues too much, but anyone in a redraft can spend their pick elsewhere.
The Pearsall Breakout Season is on hold until further notice.