Brandon Aiyuk

Aiyuk was criticized by his coach, dissected by the media, nearly benched for Trent Sherfield and ultimately outshined by Deebo Samuel. And yet, when all was said and done for 2021, the second-year wideout had a decent season, albeit one that fell shy of expectations for a first- round pick coming off a rookie campaign with 825 total yards and seven TDs in 12 games. Last year, Aiyuk got 12 fewer targets in five more games, and only six carries. Samuel, meanwhile, enjoyed a full-on breakout, though the nature of his production changed throughout the year (a lot of targets early, then more work on the ground in December). The shift in Samuel's use contributed to Aiyuk's improvement — or maybe it was the other way around. Whatever the case, Aiyuk played at least 88 percent of snaps in each game from Week 8 on, averaging 4.3 catches for 66.4 yards on 6.2 targets (10.7 YPT), with four TDs in 11 games. Aiyuk now enters Year 3 secure in his starting role, though he might be Option C when Samuel and TE George Kittle are healthy. That's not the worst gig, but target volume could be lacking if the Niners commit to dual-threat QB Trey Lance. Read Past Outlooks